Be Wholehearted with God: The Power of Simple Faith in Times of Darkness

As Jews, we must strive to live by the verse “Be wholehearted with the Lord your God”, and to accept and truly believe with simplicity that everything comes from God and is for the good. In addition, we are commanded not to “seek out the future” or to worry excessively about what will be, or live in anxiety about tomorrow. Our task is to do what is required of us today and trust in the Creator of the world that everything He has done, is doing, and will do, is the very best, and He will arrange all matters in the most perfect way.

We can all recall situations where we worried intensely about the future, and in the end, God arranged things beautifully. When a person is overly preoccupied with “what will be”, through excessive involvement in politics, too much worry about world events, or an obsessive concern with business and livelihood, they step away from the innocence and simplicity that God expects of us.

Especially in our generation, when challenges abound, a person who constantly frets about the future can lose his peace of mind. Each person has his own struggles, such as illness, financial challenges, difficulties raising children, or marital conflict. On top of this, there is anxiety about wars and instability in Israel and around the world. A Jew who lives with bitachon (trust) uses every challenge as an opportunity to deepen his connection with God, through prayer and simple faith.

The only “worry” that should concern us is how not to worry, and how to calm ourselves through faith and trust in the Almighty, cultivating the trait of “Be wholehearted” and like a child resting peacefully in its mother’s arms. This alone can bring true serenity. Everything else is empty illusion. A life of simplicity is a life on a higher plane, that draws down heavenly assistance, miracles, and salvation.

Simple Faith in the Darkest Times

Rabbi Tauber relates about his parents, who lived through the horrors of the Holocaust, yet never abandoned their simple, steadfast faith in God even for a moment:

Before the war, Rabbi Tauber’s family lived in Pressburg (Bratislava). He was the eldest, born before the war. The Germans occupied their country in 1940 and began deporting Jews to Auschwitz. The family remained in Czechoslovakia under harsh conditions until 1942, then fled to Hungary, hoping to escape the decrees. But in 1944, Hungary too was occupied. During those years, three more siblings were born who are distinguished Torah scholars today.

One Shabbat night, the family was caught. Most were deported to Auschwitz. His mother was then heavily pregnant. People could not understand — how could they bring children into the world in such times? When asked, she would reply with simple conviction: “We are Jews. Our duty is to do what is commanded of us. God will do what He wishes.”

She lived the verse “Be wholehearted with the Lord your God.” She did not ask questions or torment herself with “what ifs”. She simply fulfilled her role, expanding her family even in the darkest times.

Indeed, her special condition saved her life. Though the baby was taken and perished, she herself survived. Dr. Mengele selected her for a labor-inducing experiment. After giving birth, she used the opportunity to escape, was hidden by her sister-in-law in the barracks, and survived.

After the war, Rabbi Tauber’s parents rarely spoke of their suffering. But he would ask them about their inner world during those days, to pass on their outlook to future generations. He once asked his mother: “Did you really think we would survive, while bringing children into the world during such times? Where did you find the strength?”

Her answer was timeless: “We are Jews. We believe in resurrection of the dead. A child is not only for this world. A child is yours forever! I did my part in the partnership of father, mother, and God. I trusted Him to fulfill His part in the best way. Whatever He chose would be the best.”

This was the atmosphere in which Rabbi Tauber was raised. He later witnessed the same worldview in his own children. One of his sons, after the birth of a baby who lived only half an hour, told him:
“Father, mazal tov! God gave me a child with a lofty soul. In half an hour, he accomplished what others do in ninety years. He fulfilled his mission and returned to eternity.”

This is the Torah’s perspective, as Rashi says: “Whatever comes upon you, accept with simplicity.”

His Father’s Example

Rabbi Tauber’s father, too, was a model of unshakable faith. Even in the darkest conditions, he clung to mitzvot. When the family was in hiding in Budapest, his younger children were disguised as non-Jews and didn’t know they were Jewish. Only Rabbi Tauber, the eldest, was told the truth.

In the underground shelter, surrounded by gentiles, his father risked his life to pray every morning with tefillin, hidden under a blanket, whispering the prayers with his son by his side. On Shabbat he would quietly teach him about its sanctity, reminding him: “Never forget you are a Jew.”

Once, after a bombing, his father was gravely injured and thought he would die. Calling his six-year-old son close, he whispered his last will: “My dear son, I am going to die. Your mother likely won’t survive either. But do not fear, God is the Father of orphans, He will protect you. Take care of your brothers. Tell them they are Jews.” And he whispered their Jewish names.

Rabbi Tauber recalls the scene with awe to this day: his father, in the shadow of death, not despairing, not bitter, but calm and confident, placing his children in God’s hands.

Miraculously, both parents survived, and the family was reunited after the war. More children were born, and today they are all observant, learned Jews with generations of descendants.

All of this, says Rabbi Tauber, was the fruit of his parents’ way of life: the strength that comes from “Be wholehearted with the Lord your God.” Such faith draws down extraordinary divine assistance.