Trust in One

In Torah portion Mishpatim, Hashem warns lenders who hold the garment of a poor man for security, that they must restore it to the pauper at night. Hashem says, “If the poor man cries out to Me, I will listen for I am compassionate.”

Rabbi Shalom Arush says this is an extremely important statement. It highlights the efficacy of prayer; the fact that Hashem is compassionate and that He will respond to a person’s heartfelt plea for help.

In the same Torah portion, Hashem states that if a widow or orphan calls out to Him, He will surely hear their outcry. Why are paupers, widows and orphans singled out as having their pleas for help addressed? This is because they are helpless. They have no one else to rely on and they place their hopes completely in Hashem.

In order to have our prayers answered we don’t have to be impoverished or an orphan or widow. However, we need to adopt their mindset.  We must realize despite the fact that we must exert our own efforts; we must place our hope fully in Hashem. There’s no One but Him, and He alone is the source of our potential salvation.

Rabbi Elimelech Biederman recently told a story about a man who was financially strapped and traveled from Israel to America to raise funds to marry off his daughter. His prime strategy was to meet with a particular wealthy and generous individual. Despite his best efforts to secure an appointment he was completely unsuccessful after four weeks.

Feeling dejected and disheartened, he went to a local synagogue for afternoon prayers. A kind man seeing his obvious distress approached him and asked why he was so downcast. The poor man told of his repeated failure to obtain a meeting with his potential benefactor. The man listened and said that he personally knew the wealthy man and would be glad to set up a meeting. The poor man’s spirits were immediately lifted. It didn’t take him long to sense that the man he was speaking to was the rich philanthropist himself. What a relief!!! He felt sure that he was in good hands and soon his problem would be resolved.

Rabbi Biederman says this is exactly how we should feel during our prayers. We are approaching Hashem Who is the ultimate in kindness and compassion. Moreover, ultimately, He is the One and the only One that can help us.

Rabbi Shalom Arush recommends that we regularly review the book Duties of the Heart especially, Gate Four, the chapter about trusting in Hashem. In this chapter, the author outlines seven characteristics unique to Hashem which warrant our trusting in Him completely:

1. Hashem loves you.
2. He is always with you and ready to help.
3. Hashem is stronger and smarter than everyone in the world and could find solutions to problems that seem impossible to solve.
4. Hashem knows what is best for you, even better than you yourself know.
5. Just as He has helped you many times in the past, He can help you again now.
6. Nobody can do anything to help or harm you other than Hashem who has total control over everything.
7. Hashem wants and seeks to do kindness more than the most wonderful, kind-hearted and generous person you can imagine.

Only our Father and King has all these traits and it is in Him that we should place our trust.

These words resonate strongly with me right now as I am undergoing a critical test in livelihood. I am not sure what the outcome will be, however I am certain that the purpose of this test is to build emuna. That is the real prize.

A man who ran a small delivery business came to see the Chofetz Chaim. He cried that his horse had died and that he had lost the source of his livelihood. The Chofetz Chaim said, “If you really believe the horse is the source of your livelihood, then you really are in trouble. However, if you believe that Hashem is the source, you can be confident that He will provide for you in the future just as He provided for you up until now.”

Approximately 8 years ago, Rabbi Lazer Brody gave a talk about income with emuna. He told us that when we have emuna, we have home field advantage and we operate above the stars. Strengthening our emuna will evoke Divine compassion and elicit blessings and salvations above nature.

In the merit of putting our trust and our hope solely in Hashem and building our emuna, may we see the realization of King David’s statement in Psalm 32: “He who trusts in Hashem, loving-kindness will surround him.”