Chapter Three - Part 2: G-d Exemplifies the Qualities That Foster Trust

The author will now review the seven qualities:

[It should be noted that in this chapter they are not listed in the same order as in the previous chapter.]

Believe and clearly recognize. A person “believes” because of the scriptural verses that support the proposition. He “recognizes” it when it is dictated by rational thinking. The verses were cited in the previous chapter. In this chapter the author approaches these principles from a logical perspective ( Nedar Bakodesh ).

Chasidism teaches that man’s comprehension of G‑d can happen in two manners—belief ( emunah ) and rational comprehension ( seichel, chaba”d ), with each method having a distinct quality over the other.

The superior quality of rational comprehension is its resonance—the person mentally processes it and relates to it on a personal level. The disadvantage of rational comprehension is its limitations to human intellect, which will not and cannot always process the infinite truth of G‑d. The superior quality of belief lies in our connection with the deepest truths of G‑d, even if we cannot understand them. It is simply an innate, unquestionable belief. The disadvantage of faith alone is its failure to constantly dictate our actions—because we don’t fully comprehend it, it remains a latent belief that does not necessarily surface as a real action.

Chabad philosophy emphasizes nurturance of both of these methods: The more we understand of G‑d and relate to Him on an intimate level, the more we can strengthen our belief, allowing us to connect to Him—through belief—on the highest levels of His existence ( Likkutei Sichot, vol. 27, p. 251 ff. ).

Belief in G‑d does not automatically generate a trust in Him, because faith can be detached, with no bearing on how we feel or act. Trust, on the other hand, means that we place all our concerns into G‑d’s hands.

The difference can be understood in light of the statement of our Sages: “A burglar at the mouth of the tunnel calls upon G‑d!” ( Brachot 63a [Ein Yaakov] ). Indeed, he prays to G‑d for help, having “faith” that He is the Almighty, but the fact that he has resorted to thievery proves that he does not trust G‑d in his personal life ( Likkutei Sichot, vol. 26, p. 96).

The first quality, etc. This is also the first quality listed in Chapter 2.

And He will grant you compassion, etc. The simple explanation of the words and He will grant you compassion is that G‑d will be compassionate toward you. However, according to this explanation, the following words in the verse and be compassionate with you would be redundant. The author therefore explains that the first half of the verse means that G‑d will grant the Jewish people the ability to be compassionate to others. According to this understanding, the verse serves as proof that even when one person is compassionate toward another, it is a result of G‑d’s placing compassion in the heart of the person who is being compassionate.

In fact, logic dictates that only G‑d knows what is best for the person, as follows:

The second quality, etc. This is the fourth quality mentioned in the previous chapter ( Nedar Bakodesh and Marpei Lanefesh ).

If this principle—a creator knows better than anyone else what is good for the creation—applies even to a person who creates something, all the more so must it apply to G‑d, the true Creator of all beings:

Two verses are quoted to support this:

His composite. His anatomy and talents.

W hat will benefit the person, what will harm him, and what is good for him —both in this world and in the World to Come. Pat Lechem explains that “what will benefit the person, what will harm him” refers to what is good and bad in the moment, while “what is good for him—both in this world and in the World to Come” refers to the long-term good with which G‑d takes care of the person.

The second verse is quoted as support for the concept that even seemingly bad things are ultimately for our benefit. Since G‑d loves us, He sometimes needs to rebuke us.

Two verses are quoted to support this:

The third quality, etc. This is the third quality mentioned in the previous chapter.

No one can overrule His decisions. I.e., no one can prevent G‑d from carrying out His decisions.

The first verse is quoted to show how G‑d has the power to do anything He decides—“He is stronger than any other strong beings”—while the second verse is quoted to show that when G‑d decides something, it cannot be overruled—“His word is more absolute, etc.”

Two verses are quoted to support this:

The fourth quality, etc. This is the second quality mentioned in the previous chapter ( Nedar Bakodesh ).

Nor are any of their matters concealed from Him. Jewish philosophy presents many understandings of Divine Providence. Some sages maintain that G‑d has a “general providence” over creation, while others explain that G‑d has a specific providence over each individual,

According to the Baal Shem Tov, Divine Providence is not only 1) on man, but on every single creation, even inanimate objects, plants, and animals; 2) in a general sense (i.e., species’ survival), but to each individual object; 3) about the general life of an object; rather, it is for each detail of any person or object. In fact, every particular movement of an individual created being has a connection to the intent of creation as a whole, and even a slight movement of one blade of grass fulfills a Divine intent in the creation as a whole.

The Baal Shem Tov further explains that this Providence is the life-energy of the created being and maintains its existence. Since G‑d is recreating everything anew at every moment, He must be intimately aware; in fact, He creates everything that is happening to a person ( Likkutei Sichot, Vol. 8 p. 277 ff. ).

A person should ponder: If the movement of a blade of grass is prompted by Divine Providence and fulfills the intent of creation, how much more so concerning the human species in general, and the Jewish people—the nation close to Him—in particular ( Hayom Yom 28 Cheshvan).

Nor does His being involved in one matter cause Him to forget about another matter. This is in contrast to human beings, who, often, as a result of involvement in helping a person in one matter, will forget about another matter where the person needs help. Due to a human’s limited nature, he is often unable to be invested in more than one thing at a time ( Pat Lechem ).

In this verse, the prophet reproaches the Jewish people for complaining that G‑d does not supervise them and does not mete out justice to their enemies.

Since G‑d is the Creator of the ends of the earth, He certainly knows everything that happens to His creations. The words He neither tires nor wearies are cited as support that His involvement in one matter does not cause Him to forget another.

The fifth quality, etc. This is the sixth quality mentioned in Chapter 2 ( Nedar Bakodesh and Marpei Lanefesh ).

Without the permission of the Creator. The Midrash explains the verse “G‑d is my portion,” says my soul (Lamentations 3:24): To what can this be compared? To a king who enters a country accompanied by a duke, a minister, and a governor. The country folk, sitting in the square, chat among themselves. “ I will choose the duke as my patron,” one said. “ I will choose the minister as my patron,” another said. “ I will choose the governor as my patron,” still another said. There was, however, one clever person among them who said, “ I will choose the king! The others are all subject to replacement, whereas the king isn’t.” So, too, of the nations of the world, some serve the sun, some serve the moon, and some serve the tree and the stone. However, the Jew serves no one but G‑d alone, and this is the meaning of the verse “G‑d is my portion,” says my soul ( Midrash Rabbah ibid.).

This can be further understood as follows: Those who worship the sun and moon do not think that either of these can generate influence independently; rather, the influence that they provide, as implied by the verse With the delicacies of the sun’s produce and with the delicacies of the moon’s yield (Deuteronomy 33:14), comes entirely from G‑d, Who conveys influence through them. Nevertheless, these people erred by believing that these intermediaries have some effect on the influence G‑d conveys through them.

What is the wisdom of the clever person who said, “I will choose the king”? He identified the truth—that all the intermediaries through which influence descends are merely like “an ax in the hand of the Chopper”—and that everything comes from G‑d. Therefore, it makes no sense to state, “The wine indeed belongs to the owner, but the waiter deserves favor for the wine” ( Bava Kama 92b).

While there are many natural means through which G‑d provides for His people, they are all interchangeable. It is only G‑d, the source of all good, Who uses these “vessels” to influence us with His abundance of good and Who is constant ( Sefer Hamaamarim Melukat, vol. 3, p. 99 ff. ; Pelach Harimon, Vayeira ).

For when a servant, etc. With the following example of a servant with many masters, the author is expressing the unique quality of trust as placing full trust in G‑d alone and not thinking that there is another option ( Pat Lechem ). With this analogy of a servant, the author is also capturing the essence of bitachon. An imprisoned servant does not merely choose to trust his master. Rather, he is aware that what will occur to him is solely dependent on the wishes of his master, and “ no one else can harm him or help him.” The person of bitachon has defined his relationship with G‑d in a servant-like manner, recognizing that he is in control of nothing and G‑d is in control of everything. He has full faith that G‑d will take care of him, and that no other being can harm him, or even help him. Such a person has no worries, because he is completely and unequivocally in G‑d’s hands.

King David says, Cast your burdens upon G‑d, and He will sustain you (Psalms 55:23). This can be interpreted to mean that you live your life with no worries or burdens, because they are cast onto G‑d, and then He will sustain you. In other words: The trust itself that all your burdens are not yours, because G‑d is taking care of you, will lead to your salvation ( Likkutei Sichot, vol. 36, p. 4-5).

Even when a person is helped by someone else, that helper is merely a messenger of G‑d, Who orchestrated that he be the one to help the person in need. This is what the verse means when it says, who has no salvation —the salvation is not attributed to him but to G‑d.

In order for bitachon to be strong, the person must realize that no one other than G‑d has any power over him.

This verse is quoted here as proof that all the actions of G‑d are “for us”—purely for our benefit—as stated above.

The sixth quality, etc. This is the seventh quality mentioned in Chapter 2.

Without his being deserving of it. At the time when the person is in his mother’s womb, he has not yet performed any mitzvot on account of which he would be deserving of reward ( Nedar Bakodesh ) .

The Gate of Examination. Chapter 5. There, it is explained at great length how perfect the womb is for the formation of the baby, and how this phenomenon shows G‑d’s great kindness and wisdom.

A person has no control over how long he will live, how much money he will earn, or when something will happen. Everything is in G‑d’s hands. Although a person often seems to have influence over what will happen, this is not really true, as the author continues:

The seventh quality, etc. This is the fifth quality mentioned in Chapter 2 ( Nedar Bakodesh and Marpei Lanefesh ).

It is impossible to add or subtract from the limit that G‑d, may He be blessed, has decreed. The Tov Halevanon illustrates this with the following example: The day before a boat was supposed to set sail, its captain was falsely accused by the ruler, thereby delaying the voyage. During that period, pirates wreaked havoc at sea, so that when the boat finally set out, the crew, fearing the terror, took a different route. That new route caused the boat to crash into rocks. All the passengers drowned, and the sea carried a case filled with treasures to the shore. At the same time, the ruler of a different city was falsely accusing a righteous person of wrongdoing, causing the latter to flee to the seashore. At that very moment, the case with treasures floated to the shore. The righteous man took the case and consequently was able to support himself for the rest of his life. The initial cause of the righteous man’s livelihood was the first ruler’s false accusation: Had the captain set sail earlier, before the pirates began their terror, he would not have traveled the dangerous alternate route that caused the ship to crash. The second cause was the pirates’ wreaking havoc at that very time. The third cause was that the case was able to float away, since it was on the boat. The fourth cause was the sea’s current pushing the case toward that specific shore. The fifth cause was the ruler’s accusation against the righteous man at that very time. The sixth cause was the righteous man’s decision to run away. The seventh cause was his decision to run at that very time to that very location (i.e., the shore). Behold, none of these happened accidentally; rather, G‑d, in His wisdom, coordinated that everything happen in its time and place. Not only was the drowning of the crew and the breaking out of terror at sea all by Divine decree, but the simultaneous coordination was also effected through G‑d’s wisdom to execute His will and decree. Understand this, for it is deep. And this is the author’s intent.

Quantity, quality. How long the created being will live and how small or large it will be ( Marpei Lanefesh ).

Although sometimes we do see new, strange, and unexpected things, those things were also decreed by G‑d from the beginning of time.

That which does happen in this manner. I.e., if it seems that events occurred by accident or quicker than their time or later than their time ( Manoach Halevavot; Tov Halevanon ). Or, when out of the ordinary miracles occur ( Bet Middot, Aliyat Habitachon ).