The Power of Trust Part 4: Reclaiming Inner Peace and Purpose through Trust in G-d

We are accustomed to using the trait of bitachon (trust in G-d) as a tool to calm the soul in times of distress. Whenever worry arises and threatens to disrupt our inner peace, we seek an anchor which we find it in bitachon.

Trust as a Tool in Serving G-d

The trait of bitachon is, in fact, a form of divine service in and of itself. As the Maggid of Mezeritch said, "bitachon comes from the root meaning ‘connection’." However, there is an even greater quality to bitachon when it is used entirely as a means to serve G-d.

When a person comes to the realization that a vital part of serving G-d is about working on achieving inner calm, they begin to use bitachon not just as a way to soothe the soul and prepare it to receive the light of Torah and mitzvot, but as a direct act of divine service.

The righteous of previous generations taught that even though anyone who truly trusts in G-d is assured they will not be put to shame, how much more so is this true when a person places their trust in G-d in order to serve Him with a clear and settled mind. For a person who takes on the yoke of Heaven and sincerely wishes to repent but feels that the mental burden- such as financial stress- prevents the clarity needed for true teshuvah (repentance, return), this bitachon is essential. A person cannot simultaneously dwell in the world of truth (concern for the soul’s future) and the world of illusion (anxiety over the body’s needs).

This is echoed by the righteous Rabbi Chaika of Amdur in his holy book Chaim V’Chesed, where he recorded teachings of his teacher, the Maggid of Mezeritch. He writes: “When a person wants to repent, they must not worry about being prevented from working, because surely G-d will provide what they need. Logic itself dictates this: otherwise, how could the Creator command ‘Return to Me’- what, so that a person should starve to death before they can repent?!”

Rabbi Chaika teaches that from the very fact that G-d commands us to return to Him, it follows that He will help ensure we have the means to do so.

Whose Prayer Is Accepted?

The holy tzaddik Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk also writes that one must trust in G-d when they wish to set time aside for contemplation and spiritual reflection, and should not fear a loss of livelihood because of it. He strengthens the Jew by reminding them to rely on their own prayer.

Here Rabbi Elimelech uproots the modern misconception that only the prayers of great tzaddikim are accepted. This mistaken belief causes many people to assume that their own prayers are unworthy or ineffective.

This idea, although partially rooted in the well-known power of a tzaddik’s prayer (as mentioned by our sages), has weakened the general understanding of the power of everyone’s prayer before the King Who listens to all.

Rabbi Elimelech states clearly that any person’s prayer is accepted when it is offered genuinely, from the depths of the heart. In fact, it may be even more powerful than the prayer of a tzaddik praying on someone else’s behalf- because prayer is about connection. When a person prays about their own needs, they pray with full sincerity, and therefore when someone prays for financial well-being in order to serve G-d peacefully, they are certainly more likely to merit that tranquility and clarity of mind.

The Curse of “By the Sweat of Your Brow”

To understand how this fits with the common idea that livelihood requires practical effort, we need to return to the origins of humanity.

When G-d created the world, it was for one purpose: to reveal His kingship and bestow goodness upon His creations. He arranged things so that all human needs would be provided without any effort- the land would yield fruit and trees would bear their bounty, all without toil.

This continued until Adam and Eve listened to the serpent and ate from the Tree of Knowledge. Then they were cursed with toil (Genesis 3:19): “By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread, until you return to the earth, for from it you were taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”

The Ohr HaChaim explains that this curse came about because Adam, through eating the fruit, awakened the materialistic aspect of his soul- aligned with the element of dust (earth)- which had until then been subservient to the soul. He gave dominance to the physical body, and as a result, was cursed to exert physical effort. This struggle is meant to suppress the body's overbearing influence on the mind and soul.

This curse therefore depends on a person’s behavior. When someone behaves coarsely and chases after worldly desires, they strengthen the curse of “by the sweat of your brow.” But when a person conducts themselves with royalty- meaning they crown the mind over the body and pursue spiritual growth- they are not subject to that curse.

Rabbi Yehuda Wingarten is the Chairman of the Foundation for Chassidut Studies and the organization "Yesodot HaChinuch".