In this chapter, the author will list a number of impediments to a person’s bitachon. He will then continue by saying that a person’s level of bitachon will be in accordance with his understanding of G‑d. He will illustrate this by discussing various levels of bitachon.
Having completed explaining in this gate that which is fitting to explain regarding the matters of bitachon according to our understanding, it is now appropriate to explain which matters are an impediment to a person’s trust in G‑d.
וְכֵיוָן שֶׁהִשְׁלַמְנוּ בַּשַּׁעַר הַזֶּה מַה שֶּׁהָיָה רָאוּי לוֹ מִן הַדְּבָרִים כִּפי הַשָּׂגָתֵנוּ, רָאוּי לָנוּ עַתָּה לְבָאֵר מַפְסִידֵי הַבִּטָּחוֹן בֵּאלֹהִים.
I will say that those matters that are impediments to achieving the levels explained in the three previous gates are all impediments to a person’s trust in G‑d as well.
וְאֹמַר, כִּי מַפְסִידֵי שְׁלֹשֶׁת הַשְּׁעָרִים הַקּוֹדְמִים בַּסֵּפֶר הַזֶּה כֻּלָּם מַפְסִידִים הַבִּטָּחוֹן.
The three previous gates. The Gate of Unity, the Gate of Reflection, and the Gate of Service of G‑d. The final chapters of each of these three gates discuss the factors that are impediments to a full embrace of the message of that particular gate. All these are also impediments to trust in G‑d ( Tov Halevanon ).
Are all impediments to a person’s trust in G‑d as well. Among these impediments are: 1) Serving G‑d with ulterior motives. 2) Pursuit of materialistic desires, leaving a person with no time or peace of mind for contemplation. 3) Becoming so accustomed to G‑d’s kindness that a person neglects his obligation to repay G‑d by serving Him. 4) Lack of belief that the troubles that befall a person are really for his benefit, resulting in ingratitude toward G‑d. 5) Sense of entitlement, where the person thinks he is owed G‑d’s kindness.
Other impediments to a person’s trust in G‑d are as follows:
וּמַפְסִידָיו עוֹד,
1) Foolishness that people have regarding the greatness of the Creator and His positive attributes in which He conducts Himself with His creations. For such a person who does not comprehend the Creator’s compassion for His creations, His conduct with them, His supervision and rulership over them, and that they are utterly connected to Him, will not be able to have peace of mind or rely on Him.
הַסִּכְלוּת בְּעִנְיַן הַבּוֹרֵא וּבְמִדּוֹתָיו הַטּוֹבוֹת, כִּי מִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ מֵבִין רַחֲמֵי הַבּוֹרֵא עַל בְּרוּאָיו וְהַגָּנָתוֹ עֲלֵיהֶם וְהַשְׁגָּחָתוֹ וּמָשְׁלוֹ בָּהֶם וְשֶׁהֵם קְשׁוּרִים בַּאֲסוּרָיו, לֹא יָנוּחַ לִבּוֹ וְלֹא יִסְמוֹךְ עָלָיו.
2) Another impediment: Ignorance regarding the commandments of the Creator, may He be blessed. Meaning, His Torah, in which He has warned us to rely on Him and to trust in Him, as it says (Malachi 3:10): And test Me now with this , and (Isaiah 26:4): Trust in the L-rd forever.
וּמֵהֶם סִכְלוּתוֹ בְּמִצְוַת הַבּוֹרֵא יִתְבָּרֵךְ, רְצוֹנִי לוֹמַר תּוֹרָתוֹ אֲשֶׁר הִזְהִיר בָּהּ לִסְמוֹךְ עָלָיו וְלִבְטוֹחַ בּוֹ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר (מלאכי ג, י) "וּבְחָנוּנִי נָא בָּזֹאת," וְאָמַר (ישעיה כו ד) "בִּטְחוּ בַה' עֲדֵי עַד."
Ignorance of the Torah is an impediment to bitachon , because the Torah teaches how to have bitachon. Furthermore, the Torah says that trusting in G‑d, giving charity, and fulfilling the mitzvot are all ways to elicit blessings from G‑d ( Tov Halevanon ).
3) Another impediment: Propensity to attribute his success to the immediate causes that are apparent.
וּמֵהֶם נְטוֹתוֹ אֶל הַסִּבּוֹת הַקְּרוֹבוֹת אֲשֶׁר הוּא רוֹאֶה אוֹתָן,
He doesn’t realize that regarding causes, the closer the cause is to the outcome, the less of an ability it has to affect the outcome—either positively or negatively. Conversely, the further the cause is from the outcome, the more it has the ability to visibly affect the outcome—both positively and negatively.
וְלֹא יֵדַע כִּי הָעִלּוֹת כָּל אֲשֶׁר תִּקְרַבְנָה מֵהַמְעוֹלָל, תִּמְעַט יְכָלְתָּם לְהוֹעִיל לַמְעוֹלָל וּלְהַזִּיקוֹ. וְכָל אֲשֶׁר תִּרְחַקְנָה, יִהְיֶה כֹּחַ יְכָלְתָּם לְהוֹעִילוֹ וּלְהַזִּיקוֹ יוֹתֵר חָזָק וְנִרְאֶה.
This can be likened to a king who, when he wishes to punish one of his servants, will instruct his second-in-command to execute his will. The second-in-command in turn instructs the minister (who is his inferior). The minister instructs the executive officer, the executive officer instructs the officer, and the officer then instructs the taskmaster. The taskmaster is the one who inflicts the actual punishment with the tools that have been prepared for it, such as the stick and the whip.
כְּמוֹ הַמֶּלֶךְ, כְּשֶׁהוּא רוֹצֶה לְעַנּוֹת אֶחָד מֵעֲבָדָיו, מְצַוֶּה מִשְׁנֵהוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת, וְהַמִּשְׁנֶה מְצַוֶּה הַשָּׂר, וְהַשָּׂר מְצַוֶּה הַשּׁוֹטֵר, וְהַשּׁוֹטֵר מְצַוֶּה לְסַרְדְּיוֹט, וְהַסַּרְדְּיוֹט מְצַוֶּה הַנּוֹגְשִׂים, וְהַנּוֹגְשִׂים מְקַיְּמִים הַמַּעֲשֶׂה בְּכֵלִים מוּכָנִים לוֹ.
The tools are the ones that have the least power —in fact, they have no power whatsoever— to either ease the servant’s pain or to add to it. This is because the tools have no will or choice at all. The taskmaster has more power than the tools. The officer has more power than the taskmaster. The executive officer has more power than the officer, and the minister has more power than the executive officer. The second-in-command has more power than the minister, and the king has the most power of all, because if he wants, he can pardon the servant.
וַאֲשֶׁר יְכָלְתּוֹ מְעוּטָה מִכֻּלָּם לְהָקֵל מִצַּעֲרוֹ וּלְהוֹסִיף עָלָיו, הֵם הַכֵּלִים, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם חֵפֶץ, וְהַנּוֹגְשִׂים יוֹתֵר יְכוֹלִים מֵהַכֵּלִים, וְכֵן הַסַּרְדְּיוֹט יוֹתֵר מֵהַנּוֹגְשִׂים, וְהַשּׁוֹטֵר יוֹתֵר מִן הַסַּרְדְּיוֹט, וְהַשָּׂר יוֹתֵר מִן הַשּׁוֹטֵר, וְהַמִּשְׁנֶה יוֹתֵר מֵהַשָּׂר, וְהַמֶּלֶךְ יוֹתֵר מִכֻּלָּם, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאִם יִרְצֶה יִמְחַל לוֹ.
The king has the most power of all of them. The Baal Shem Tov gave a parable of a king’s palace, which is full of rooms that lead to the king’s private chamber. There can be a visitor who is enamored of something as trivial as the enormous array of food being served just as he enters, and he becomes so busy eating that he has no time to meet the king; another visitor makes it past the food but loves the tapestries and paintings. Another visitor does not find any of that interesting and goes further, but becomes captivated by the chamber with the treasures. Each visitor is attracted to something grander than what the previous person sees, but none reach the king because they are each distracted by something. It is the simple man who is not enamored with any of the palace trappings who makes it to the king. It is important not to be seduced by external “glitter”; rather, we must know that the King is the most powerful, and it is from Him that we receive everything.
The Baal Shem Tov takes this a step further and explains that prayer must be “delivered” to G‑d Himself ( Keter Shem Tov 51b).
It is already apparent that the ability of the various causes to affect the outcome will be according to their proximity to or distance from it. Since the Creator, may He be exalted, is the ultimate cause and the most distant from all the causes, it is fitting to trust Him and rely on Him, due to His power to help a person or to cause him harm, as we have explained here.
וּכְבָר נִרְאָה לְךָ כִּי חֲלִישׁוּת הָעִלּוּת וְחָזְקָתָם לְהוֹעִיל לַמְעוֹלָל תִּהְיֶינָה כְּפִי קִרְבָתָם וְרָחֳקָם מִמֶּנּוּ. וְהַבּוֹרֵא יִתְעַלֶּה אֲשֶׁר הוּא תַּכְלִית הָעִלּוֹת בָּרֹחַק מִן הַמְעוֹלָלִים, רָאוּי לִבְטוֹחַ בּוֹ וְלִסְמוֹךְ עָלָיו, לְחֹזֶק יְכָלְתּוֹ עַל תּוֹעַלְתָּם וְנִזְקָם, כַּאֲשֶׁר קִדַּמְנוּ מִן הַדְּבָרִים.
Regarding the matters of bitachon. The nature of trust, the benefits of trust, how to achieve trust, the matters regarding which we need to have trust, etc.