6He believed in Hashem, and [Hashem] counted it for him as righteousness.12

20And Yaakov made a vow, saying, “If G-d will be with me, and will guard me on this way that I am going, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear,1

21and I return in peace to my father’s house, and Hashem will be my G-d,1

22then this stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be a house of G-d; and of all that You give me, I will surely give a tenth to You.”

24May Hashem bless you and guard you.

25May Hashem make His face shine toward you and be gracious to you.

26May Hashem lift up His face toward you and give you peace.

27And they shall place My Name upon the children of Yisrael, and I will bless them.”1

20Hashem said to Aharon, “In their land you will not inherit, and you will have no portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Yisrael.”

24For the tithe of the children of Yisrael, which they set apart to Hashem as a gift, I have given to the Levi’im as an inheritance; therefore I have said of them, “Among the children of Yisrael they will not inherit an inheritance.”

17And you say in your heart, “My strength and the might of my hand made me this wealth.”4

18And you shall remember Hashem your G-d, for He is the One who gives you strength to make wealth, in order to establish His covenant that He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.22

13You shall be wholehearted with Hashem your G-d.1

1When you go out to war against your enemy and see horse and chariot, a people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them, for Hashem your G-d is with you, the One who brought you up from the land of Egypt.22

3He will say to them, “Hear, Yisrael: today you are drawing near to battle against your enemies. Do not let your heart grow faint; do not be afraid, do not panic, and do not be terrified because of them,11

4for Hashem your G-d is the One who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.”1

4The bows of the mighty are broken, and those who stumbled are girded with strength.

9He guards the feet of His devout ones, and the wicked are silenced in darkness; for not by strength does a man prevail.

10Hashem: those who contend with Him will be shattered; against them He will thunder in the heavens. Hashem will judge the ends of the earth; He will give strength to His king and raise up the horn of His anointed one.

22And it was, on the day of battle, that no sword or spear was found in the hand of any of the people who were with Shaul and Yonasan; but there was [one] found for Shaul and for Yonasan his son.

6Yehonasan said to the young man who carried his weapons, “Come, let us cross over to the outpost of these uncircumcised; perhaps Hashem will act for us, for nothing holds Hashem back from saving, whether by many or by few.”2

47And all this assembly will know that Hashem does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is Hashem’s, and He will give you into our hand.

5Woe, Ashur, the rod of My anger! The staff in their hand is My fury.1

15Shall the axe boast over the one who chops with it? Shall the saw make itself greater than the one who wields it? As though the rod were to wield those who lift it, as though the staff were to lift [the one who is] not wood!11

3The mind that leans [on You], You will guard in perfect peace, for it trusts in You.21

4Trust in Hashem forever and ever, for in Kah, Hashem, is the Rock of [both] worlds.52

1Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, and trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but have not turned to the Holy One of Yisrael, and have not sought Hashem.

22For Hashem is our Judge, Hashem is our Lawgiver, Hashem is our King; He will save us.

8But you, Yisrael, My servant, Yaakov, whom I have chosen, the seed of Avraham who loved Me;

9you whom I took hold of from the ends of the earth, and called from its nobles, and said to you, “You are My servant; I have chosen you and have not rejected you”:

10Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your G-d. I have strengthened you, I have also helped you, I have also upheld you with My right hand of righteousness.

11Behold, all who are incensed against you will be ashamed and disgraced; the men who strive with you will be as nothing, and will perish.

12You will seek them and will not find them, the men who quarrel with you; the men who war against you will be as nothing and as naught.

13For I am Hashem your G-d, who holds your right hand, who says to you, “Do not fear; I have helped you.”

14Do not fear, worm of Yaakov, men of Yisrael; I have helped you, says Hashem, and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Yisrael.1

15Behold, I have made you a threshing sledge, sharp, new, with many edges; you will thresh mountains and crush them, and make hills like chaff.

16You will winnow them, and the wind will carry them off, and the storm will scatter them; and you will rejoice in Hashem, you will glory in the Holy One of Yisrael.

22Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am G-d, and there is no other.

5So says Hashem: Cursed is the man who trusts in people, and makes flesh [and blood] his strength, and whose heart turns away from Hashem.26

6He will be like a lone tree in the desert, and he will not see when good comes; he will live in the parched places of the wilderness, a salty land where no one lives.2

7Blessed is the man who trusts in Hashem, and Hashem will be his security.16

8He will be like a tree planted by water, which sends out its roots along a stream. It will not notice when the heat comes, and its leaves will stay fresh; in a year of drought it will not worry, and it will not stop bearing fruit.2

18For I will surely rescue you, and you will not fall by the sword; and your life will be yours as spoil, because you trusted in Me, says Hashem.

6And the remnant of Yaakov will be in the midst of many peoples like dew from Hashem, like showers upon the grass, which does not hope for a man and does not wait expectantly for human beings.

6Offer offerings of righteousness, and trust in Hashem.1

9In peace, together, I will lie down and sleep; for You, Hashem, make me dwell alone, in security.

2Hashem my G-d, in You I have taken refuge; save me from all my pursuers, and rescue me.

4The wicked man, in the height of his arrogance, [says], “He will not demand [an account]”; “There is no G-d” are all his schemes.

1A michtam, by David. Guard me, G-d, for I have taken refuge in You.

7Set Your kindnesses apart, You who save with Your right hand those who take refuge [in You] from those who rise up [against them].

8For the king trusts in Hashem, and through the kindness of the Most High he will not falter.

5In You our fathers trusted; they trusted, and You rescued them.1

6To You they cried out, and were saved; in You they trusted, and were not put to shame.21

7Hashem is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him and I was helped. My heart rejoices, and with my song I will thank Him.

2In You, Hashem, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; in Your righteousness, rescue me.1

5Bring me out of this net that they have hidden for me, for You are my stronghold.

7I hate those who wait for empty vanities; but as for me, I have trusted in Hashem.

9And You did not hand me over into the hand of the enemy; You set my feet in a broad place.

14For I have heard the talk of many, terror on every side, as they took counsel together against me; they planned to take my life.

15But I have trusted in You, Hashem; I said, “You are my G-d.”

16My times are in Your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my pursuers.1

20How great is Your goodness that You have stored away for those who fear You, that You have done for those who take refuge in You, before the sons of men!1

25Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all who hope to Hashem.42

7You are a hiding place for me; from trouble You guard me; with songs of rescue You surround me, Selah.

10The wicked have many pains, but one who trusts in Hashem will be surrounded by kindness.52

10Hashem has annulled the counsel of nations; He has thwarted the designs of peoples.

16The king is not saved by a great army; a mighty man is not rescued by great strength.

17The horse is a false hope for salvation; for all its great strength, it will not rescue [its rider].1

18See, the eye of Hashem is on those who fear Him, on those who hope for His kindness,1

19To save their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.1

20Our soul has waited for Hashem; He is our help and our shield.

21For our hearts rejoice in Him, for we have trusted in His holy Name.

9Taste and see that Hashem is good; fortunate is the man who takes refuge in Him.1

3Trust in Hashem and do good; [then you will] live in the land and be nourished by [your] faith.72

4Take delight [in good things, relying] on Hashem, and He will give you what your heart asks for.4

5Turn your way over to Hashem; trust in Him, and He will do [what you need].41

5Fortunate is the man who has made Hashem his trust, and has not turned to the arrogant or to those who stray after lies.51

3You, with Your hand, drove out nations and planted them [our fathers, in their place]; You brought harm upon peoples and sent them away.

4For not by their sword did they inherit the land, and their arm did not save them; but Your right hand, and Your arm, and the light of Your face, for You favored them.

5You are my King, G-d; command the salvations of Yaakov.

6Through You we gore our adversaries; through Your Name we trample those who rise against us.

7For I do not trust in my bow, and my sword will not save me.1

8For You have saved us from our adversaries, and You have put those who hate us to shame.

9In G-d we have gloried all day long, and we will thank Your Name forever, Selah.

27Arise to help us, and redeem us for the sake of Your kindness.

8Hashem, Master of Legions, is with us; the G-d of Yaakov is our stronghold, Selah.2

3Why do you boast of evil, mighty man? The kindness of G-d is all day long.

4For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength against the enemy.

6Wait silently for G-d alone, my soul, for my hope is from Him.11

7He alone is my Rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will not falter.

8My salvation and my honor rest on G-d; the Rock of my strength, my refuge, is in G-d.

9Trust in Him at all times, [my] people; pour out your hearts before Him; G-d is our refuge, Selah.34

10People are nothing but vanity, men are a lie; [weighed] on the scales they would rise, all of them together lighter than vanity.

11Do not trust in oppression, and do not put vain hope in robbery; if wealth increases, do not set your heart on it.

5Fortunate are those who dwell in Your house; they will yet praise You, Selah.

6Fortunate is the man whose strength is in You, [with] highways in their hearts.

13Hashem, Master of Legions, fortunate is the man who trusts in You.2

2I will say of Hashem, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my G-d in Whom I trust.”

3For He will save you from the snare of the trapper, from the destructive pestilence.

4With His pinion He will cover you, and under His wings you will take refuge; His truth is a shield and an encircling armor.

5You will not fear the terror of the night, the arrow that flies by day,

6the pestilence that walks in darkness, the destruction that ravages at noon.

7A thousand will fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; it will not come near you.

9Yisrael, trust in Hashem! He is their help and their shield.2

10House of Aharon, trust in Hashem! He is their help and their shield.2

11You who fear Hashem, trust in Hashem! He is their help and their shield.4

6Hashem is with me; I will not fear; what can man do to me?1

7Hashem is with me among my helpers, and I will see [vengeance on] those who hate me.

9It is better to take refuge in Hashem than to trust in noblemen.1

1A song of ascents. I lift my eyes to the mountains: from where will my help come?1

2My help is from Hashem, the Maker of heaven and earth.1

3He will not let your foot slip; your Guardian will not slumber.1

4Behold, the Guardian of Yisrael does not slumber and does not sleep.1

5Hashem is your Guardian; Hashem is your shade at your right hand.

6By day the sun will not strike you, or the moon by night.

7Hashem will guard you from all evil; He will guard your soul.1

8Hashem will guard your going out and your coming in, from now and forever.1

15Fortunate is the people for whom it is so; fortunate is the people whose G-d is Hashem.

3Do not trust in noblemen, in a human being, who has no power to save.31

4His spirit leaves [him], and he returns to the earth [he came from]; on that day his plans are lost.3

5Fortunate is the one whose help is the G-d of Yaakov, whose hope is in Hashem his G-d.71

7Who does justice for the oppressed, who gives bread to the hungry; Hashem sets free the bound.

5Trust in Hashem with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding.63

6Know Him in all your ways, and He will make your paths straight.3

26For Hashem will be your confidence, and He will guard your foot from being trapped.4

21Many are the thoughts in a man’s heart, but it is the counsel of Hashem that will stand.2

22Do not say, “I will repay evil”; hope to Hashem, and He will save you.

30There is no wisdom, and no understanding, and no counsel against Hashem.

31A horse is made ready for the day of battle, but salvation is Hashem’s.1

25A greedy person stirs up strife, but one who trusts in Hashem will prosper.1

26One who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but one who walks in wisdom will escape.

25A person’s fear sets a trap [for him], but one who trusts in Hashem will be made strong.42

24If I have made gold my assurance, and said to fine gold, “[You are] my trust,”

9Asa went out to face him [Zerach the Kushi], and they set the battle in order in the valley of Tzefasah, at Mareshah.

10Asa called to Hashem his G-d and said, “Hashem, with You it is no different to help the many or the powerless. Help us, Hashem our G-d, for on You we rely, and in Your Name we have come against this multitude. Hashem, You are our G-d; let no man prevail against You.”1

11And Hashem struck the Kushim before Asa and before Yehudah, and the Kushim fled.

12Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar, and the Kushim fell until none of them remained alive, for they were shattered before Hashem and before His camp; and they carried away a very great deal of spoil.

13They struck all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of Hashem was upon them; and they plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them.

14They also struck the tents of the livestock, and took captive sheep in abundance, and camels; and they returned to Yerushalayim.

7At that time Chanani the seer came to Asa king of Yehudah and said to him, “Because you relied on the king of Aram and did not rely on Hashem your G-d, therefore the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand.

8Were not the Kushim and the Luvim a great army, with chariots and horsemen in very great number? Yet because you relied on Hashem, He gave them into your hand.

9For Hashem, His eyes roam over all the earth, to show His strength on behalf of those whose heart is whole toward Him. You have acted foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.”

20They rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Yehoshafat stood and said, “Hear me, Yehudah and you who dwell in Yerushalayim: believe in Hashem your G-d and you will be established; believe in His prophets and succeed.”

5He strengthened himself, and built up all the wall that was broken, and raised [it] up to the towers, and [built] another wall outside, and strengthened the Millo [in] the city of David, and made weapons and shields in abundance.1

6He set officers of war over the people, and gathered them to him at the square of the city gate, and spoke to their hearts, saying,

7“Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid and do not be dismayed before the king of Ashur and before all the multitude that is with him, for there is more with us than with him.

8With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is Hashem our G-d, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people leaned on the words of Chizkiyahu king of Yehudah.

“And they were very afraid, and the children of Yisrael cried out to Hashem” (Shemos 14:10): at once they took hold of the craft of their fathers, the craft of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov. Of Avraham it says, “Beis El on the west and Ai on the east; and he built an altar there, and called in the Name of Hashem” (Bereishis 12:8), [and] “He planted an eshel in Be’er Sheva, etc. [and called there in the Name of Hashem]” (Bereishis 21:33). Of Yitzchak it says, “And Yitzchak came from going to Be’er Lachai Ro’i” (Bereishis 24:62), and it is written, “And Yitzchak went out to speak [lasuach] in the field” (Bereishis 24:63); and sichah, speech, means nothing but prayer, as it says, “Evening, morning and noon I speak [asichah] and moan, and He hears my voice” (Tehillim 55:18), and it is written, “I pour out my speech [sichi] before Him; I tell my trouble before Him, etc.” (Tehillim 142:3), and it is written, “A prayer of the poor man when he is faint, and before Hashem, etc. [he pours out his speech]” (Tehillim 102:1). Of Yaakov what does it say? “And he encountered [vayifga] the place and lodged there, because the sun had set” (Bereishis 28:11); and pegiah, encountering, means nothing but prayer, as it says, “And you, do not pray for this people, and do not raise for them a cry or a prayer, and do not entreat [tifga] Me” (Yirmiyahu 7:16), and it is written, “Let them entreat [yifge’u] Hashem, Master of Legions, that the vessels that are left in the House of Hashem not go [to Bavel]” (Yirmiyahu 27:18). And so it says, “Do not fear, worm of Yaakov, men of Yisrael” (Yeshayahu 41:14): just as this worm strikes the cedar only with its mouth, so Yisrael have nothing but prayer. And it says, “And I have given you one portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Emori with my sword and with my bow” (Bereishis 48:22). Did he take it with his sword and his bow? Rather, it is to tell you: “my sword” is prayer, “my bow” [kashti] is supplication [bakashah]. And so it says, “Yehudah is a lion’s cub, etc.” (Bereishis 49:9), and it says, “And this is for Yehudah, and he said: Hear, Hashem, the voice of Yehudah” (Devarim 33:7). And so Yirmiyahu said, “Cursed is the man who trusts in people” (Yirmiyahu 17:5); and of prayer what does it say? “Blessed is the man who trusts in Hashem, and Hashem will be his security” (Yirmiyahu 17:7). And so David said to Golyas, “You come to me with sword, spear and javelin, but I come to you in the Name of Hashem, Master of Legions, the G-d of Yisrael” (Shmuel I 17:45); and it is written, “Some with chariots and some with horses, but we make mention of the Name of Hashem our G-d. They bent and fell, but we rose and stood firm. Hashem, save! May the King answer us on the day we call” (Tehillim 20:8–10). And so of Asa it says, “And Asa called to Hashem his G-d and said: Hashem, with You it is no different to help the many or the powerless. Help us, my G-d, for on You we rely, and in Your Name we have come against this multitude. Hashem, You are our G-d; let no man prevail against You” (Divrei HaYamim II 14:10).

“I am Hashem” (Vayikra 25:38): from here they said: Whoever accepts upon himself the yoke of [the laws of] interest accepts the yoke of Heaven; and whoever throws off from himself the yoke of interest throws off from himself the yoke of Heaven. “I am Hashem your G-d, who brought you out” (Vayikra 25:38): on this condition I brought them out of the land of Egypt, on condition that you accept the mitzvah of interest. For whoever acknowledges the mitzvah of interest acknowledges the Exodus from Egypt, and whoever denies the mitzvah of interest is as if he denies the Exodus from Egypt.1

“And I will bless them” (Bamidbar 6:27): so that Yisrael will not say that their blessings depend on their Kohanim, the pasuk says, “And I will bless them.” So that the Kohanim will not say, “We will bless Yisrael,” the pasuk says, “And I will bless them.” I will bless My people Yisrael, as it says, “For Hashem your G-d has blessed you in all the work of your hands, as He told you” (Devarim 2:7; Devarim 15:6). And it says, “You will be blessed above all the peoples” (Devarim 7:14). And it says, “Hashem will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens” (Devarim 28:12). And it says, “In good pasture I will tend them” (Yechezkel 34:14). And it says, “I will tend My flock” (Yechezkel 34:15).

Rabbi Pinchas [said] in the name of Rabbi Tanchum bar Chanilai: A person of flesh and blood has a protector; enemies came and seized him at the door of his protector’s courtyard. By the time he cried out to him, and by the time [the protector] came out, the sword had passed over his neck and killed him. But HaKadosh Baruch Hu saved Yehoshafat from the sword of Aram, as it is written, “And Yehoshafat cried out, and Hashem helped him, and G-d drew them away from him” (Divrei HaYamim II 18:31). This teaches that nothing was lacking but the cutting off of his head: “And G-d drew them away from him.”

Rabbi Ze’ira the son of Rabbi Abahu, [and] Rabbi Abahu in the name of Rabbi Elazar: “Fortunate is the one whose help is the G-d of Yaakov, etc.” (Tehillim 146:5). What is written after it? “Who makes heaven and earth, etc.” (Tehillim 146:6). What does one have to do with the other? Rather, [under] a king of flesh and blood, [a person] has a protector who rules in one province and does not rule in another province. Even if you say [he is] a kosmokrator [a ruler of the world]: he rules on dry land; does he rule at sea? But HaKadosh Baruch Hu rules at sea and rules on dry land; He saves at sea from the water, and on dry land from the fire. It is He who saved Moshe from the sword of Pharaoh, saved Yonah from the belly of the fish, Chananyah, Mishael and Azaryah from the fiery furnace, [and] Daniel from the lions’ den. This is what is written, “Who makes heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them, etc.” (Tehillim 146:6).

“And men of faith ceased”: Rabbi Ze’ira said: [This means] men of faith in Torah [who trust in Hashem that their business will succeed while they occupy themselves with Torah and do not leave it (Pnei Moshe)]. As in this [story]: a certain rabbi was reading Scripture with his brother in Tzur, and they were calling out [to him] about merchandise. And he said, “I will not give up my set time [for Torah]. If [a profit] is fit to come, it will come.”1

Rabbi Hoshaya said: Whoever makes himself wholehearted, the hour stands in his favor, as it says, “Walk before Me and be wholehearted” (Bereishis 17:1), and it is written, “And you will be the father of a multitude of nations” (Bereishis 17:4).

Rebbi said: Whoever practices divination, divination [comes upon] him, as it says, “For there is no divination [lo nachash] in Yaakov” (Bamidbar 23:23). But is it not written with lamed alef [lo, “no,” and not lo, “to him”]? Rather, [it comes upon him] measure for measure.

Ahavah the son of Rabbi Ze’ira taught: Any person who does not practice divination is brought into a partition that even the ministering angels cannot enter, as it says, “For there is no divination in Yaakov and no sorcery in Yisrael, etc.” (Bamidbar 23:23).1

[After David summed up the 613 mitzvos in eleven, Yeshayahu in six and Michah in three,] Yeshayahu came again and summed them up in two, as it says, “So says Hashem: Keep justice and do righteousness” (Yeshayahu 56:1). Amos came and summed them up in one, as it says, “So says Hashem to the house of Yisrael: Seek Me and live” (Amos 5:4). Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak objected: Say [it means], seek Me through the whole Torah! Rather, Chavakuk came and summed them up in one, as it says, “And the righteous one will live by his faith” (Chavakuk 2:4).

“And you counted the houses of Yerushalayim, and you broke down the houses to fortify the wall” (Yeshayahu 22:10): this teaches that they would break down their houses and add [them] to the wall. But did Chizkiyahu not already do so? Is it not written, “He strengthened himself, and built up all the wall that was broken, etc.” (Divrei HaYamim II 32:5)? Rather, Chizkiyahu “trusted in Hashem, the G-d of Yisrael” (Melachim II 18:5), but you did not trust. That is what [the pasuk] says, “But you did not look to its Maker, and you did not see the One who formed it long ago” (Yeshayahu 22:11).

“To You they cried out, and were saved” (Tehillim 22:6): as it says, “And the children of Yisrael groaned” (Shemos 2:23). “And were saved”: as it says, “And Hashem saved on that day” (Shemos 14:30). And why all this? “In You they trusted, and were not put to shame”: all in the merit of [their] trusting.

“A psalm of David. In You, Hashem, I have taken refuge” (Tehillim 31:1–2). This is what the pasuk says: “Who among you fears Hashem and listens to the voice of His servant?” (Yeshayahu 50:10). When Yisrael enter the batei knesses and say before HaKadosh Baruch Hu, “Redeem us,” He says to them, “Are there tzaddikim among you, and people who fear Heaven?” And they say, “In the past, in the days of our fathers, in the days of Moshe and Aharon, in the days of Shaul, David and Shlomo, there were tzaddikim among them. But now, because of our sins, they have been taken from us, as it says, ‘Because of the evil the tzaddik is taken away’ (Yeshayahu 57:1), and it says, ‘For the faithful have vanished from among men’ (Tehillim 12:2). We have no one to rely on, for the further we go, the darker it grows for us: ‘who walks in darkness’ (Yeshayahu 50:10).” HaKadosh Baruch Hu says to them, “Trust in My Name, and it will stand by you,” as it says, “Let him trust in the Name of Hashem” (Yeshayahu 50:10). And why? Because whoever trusts in My Name, I rescue him. Know that it is so: Chananyah, Mishael and Azaryah trusted in My Name, and I rescued them. For so Nevuchadnetzar says, “Blessed is the G-d of Shadrach, Meishach and Aved-Nego, who sent His angel and saved His servants who trusted in Him” (Daniel 3:28). And so Daniel: because he trusted in Me, I brought him out of the pit, as it says, “And Daniel was lifted up out of the pit” (Daniel 6:24). And why? “Because he trusted in his G-d” (ibid.). David said: Since this is what trust does, that whoever trusts in You, You rescue him, in You I trust.

Not long after, David went to Achish, as it says, “And David arose and fled from before Shaul” (Shmuel I 21:11). HaKadosh Baruch Hu said to him: David, you are going to Achish? Yesterday you killed Golyas; and Golyas’s brother is Achish’s bodyguard, and [Golyas’s] blood has not yet been wiped away; and you are going to him with his sword in your hand? When they saw him, they said, “Here, his brother-in-law has come on his own feet!” They said to [the brother], “Here is David, who killed your brother!” They came to Achish and said to him, “Let us kill the one who killed our brother.” Achish said to them, “Did he not kill him in war? And had your brother killed him, would he not have killed him in war? And now that this one has killed your brother, is this not what [your brother] stipulated with him, ‘If he is able to fight with me and strike me down’ (Shmuel I 17:9)?” They said to him, “If so, rise from your throne and give the kingship to David. And so it says, ‘Is this not David, the servant of Shaul, king of Yisrael?’ (Shmuel I 29:3); and we will be [his] servants!” They swayed him with words. At that moment David was afraid, and he began saying, “On the day I am afraid, I will trust in You” (Tehillim 56:4). David began to plead and to pray, and said, “Ribbono shel Olam, answer me at this hour.”

HaKadosh Baruch Hu said to him: What are you asking for? He said to Him: [Some] of that madness that You created, about which I complained to You. He said to him: Did I not tell you, “One who scorns a thing will be pledged to it”? Since that is so, I am giving it to you. “Of David, when he changed his manner before Avimelech” (Tehillim 34:1). Was he Avimelech? Was he not Achish? Why then is he called Avimelech? Because he was righteous, like Avimelech. When David heard this he was alarmed and afraid; and so it says, “And David took these words to heart” (Shmuel I 21:13). He made himself like a madman, and changed his manner, and wrote on the doors, “Achish, king of Gath, owes me a hundred myriads, and his wife fifty.” Now the daughter of Achish and her mother were both mad; and the two of them would scream and act madly inside, and David would scream and act madly outside. Achish said to them, “Do you know of me that I lack madmen?” At that moment David was glad that the madness had served him; and out of that joy he made this song. HaKadosh Baruch Hu said to him: David, is madness good? This is what is written, “I will bless Hashem at all times” (Tehillim 34:2).

“For the conductor, on Yedusun” (Tehillim 62:1). “Only for G-d does my soul wait in silence” (Tehillim 62:2). This is what the pasuk says: “Trust in Hashem forever and ever” (Yeshayahu 26:4). HaKadosh Baruch Hu said: Know in Whom you are trusting: in the One who created two worlds with two letters, as it says, “for in Kah, Hashem, is the Rock of [both] worlds” (Yeshayahu 26:4): this world and the World to Come. This world was created with a hei; and so it says, “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created [behibaram]” (Bereishis 2:4): with a hei He created them. And the World to Come was created with a yud. Therefore, “for in Kah [yud, hei], Hashem, is the Rock of worlds.” And why was this world created with a hei? Just as the hei, when a person brings it out of his mouth, needs no movement of the lips and no work of the tongue, so without toil and without effort HaKadosh Baruch Hu created His world, as it says, “By the word of Hashem the heavens were made” (Tehillim 33:6).

“To a man belong the plans of the heart, but from Hashem comes the answer of the tongue” (Mishlei 16:1): to let you know that everything is from the hand of Hashem, not from man: not the thought of the heart, and not the speech of the tongue; as it says, “but from Hashem comes the answer of the tongue.”

“The wicked have many pains” (Tehillim 32:10). Rebbi and Rabbi Yishmael the son of Rabbi Yose were sitting and studying Megillas Kinos on Erev Shabbos as darkness fell. They left one alphabet of it over, and said, “Tomorrow we will finish it.” As Rebbi went up, he stumbled and hurt his toe, and he applied to himself, “The wicked have many pains.” Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Tanchum said in the name of Rabbi Yirmiyah: Even a wicked man who trusts in Hashem, kindness will surround him.

Another explanation: “Trust in Hashem forever and ever”: all of a person’s days he must strengthen himself in HaKadosh Baruch Hu (for so David said, “My G-d, I have trusted in You; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies rejoice over me” (Tehillim 25:2)); and whoever places his trust and his strength in Him as is fitting, all the people of the world cannot harm him (for so David said, “My G-d, I have trusted in You; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies rejoice over me”). For whoever places his strength in the holy Name is established in the world. What is the reason? Because the world is established through His holy Name. This is what is written, “for in Kah, Hashem, is the Rock [tzur] of worlds”: He formed [tzayar] the worlds; for with two letters the worlds were created, this world and the World to Come.

“Fortunate is the one whose help is the G-d of Yaakov, whose hope is in Hashem his G-d” (Tehillim 146:5). Is it the G-d of Yaakov, and not the G-d of Avraham, and not of Yitzchak? Rather, “the G-d of Yaakov,” because Yaakov did not trust in his father or in his mother when he fled from before his brother and went alone, without money, as you say, “For with [only] my staff I crossed this Yarden” (Bereishis 32:11). And he trusted in HaKadosh Baruch Hu, as it is written, “If G-d will be with me and will guard me, etc.” (Bereishis 28:20). And he asked everything from before HaKadosh Baruch Hu, and He gave it to him.

On trust in G-d alone.

Its benefits for him in matters of Torah are these:

One of them is tranquility of the soul, and trusting in his G-d as a servant must trust in his master. For if a person does not trust in G-d, he will trust in something else; and whoever trusts in something other than Hashem, G-d removes His providence from him and leaves him in the hands of the one he trusted.1

He will be like the one of whom it is said, “For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the source of living waters, to dig for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns” (Yirmiyahu 2:13). And it says, “They exchanged their glory for the image of an ox that eats grass” (Tehillim 106:20). And the pasuk says, “Blessed is the man who trusts in Hashem, and Hashem will be his security” (Yirmiyahu 17:7). And it says, “Fortunate is the man who has made Hashem his trust, and has not turned to the arrogant or to those who stray after lies” (Tehillim 40:5). And it says, “Cursed is the man who trusts in people, and makes flesh [and blood] his strength, and whose heart turns away from Hashem” (Yirmiyahu 17:5).2

The first of them: that he believe, and it be clear to him, that the seven qualities are joined together in G-d which, when they are joined together in the one who is trusted, make it possible to trust in him. I have already listed them, and pointed to them with whatever pesukim came to hand. They are:1

The first: that the Creator, may He be blessed, has more mercy on a person than anyone else who has mercy; and all the mercy and compassion that come to him from anyone else, all of it is from the mercy and compassion of G-d, as the pasuk says, “And He will give you mercy, and have mercy on you, and multiply you” (Devarim 13:18).2

The second: that the ways of a person’s benefit are not hidden from the Creator, may He be exalted. Reason requires this, since [man] is one of His works; and no one knows better than its maker the ways of mending a thing that was made and what spoils it, the harms that befall it, and the ways of its illness and its healing.2

And if this holds true of human craftsmen, who in their work bring about nothing but an outward form, while over the root [material] and the essential form they have no means and no ability to bring them into being,2

[all the more so] the One who brought into being a person’s root, his form, his makeup and the order of his composition, He is the wise One who knows, without doubt, what benefits him and what harms him, and what is good for him in his world and in his end; as it is written, “I am Hashem your G-d, who teaches you for your benefit, who leads you in the way you should go” (Yeshayahu 48:17); and it says, “For Hashem rebukes the one He loves, etc.” (Mishlei 3:12).2

The third: that the Creator, may He be blessed, is stronger than any strong one, His word is decisive above every word, and no one can turn back His judgment; as it says, “Whatever Hashem wished, He has done” (Tehillim 135:6); and it says, “So will My word be that goes out of My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, etc.” (Yeshayahu 55:11).2

The fourth: that He watches over the conduct of all a person’s affairs. He does not leave them, and does not look away from them; not one of them is hidden from Him, from the smallest to the greatest; and one thing does not make Him forget another. As it is written, “Why do you say, Yaakov, and speak, Yisrael, ‘My way is hidden from Hashem, and my cause passes by my G-d’?” (Yeshayahu 40:27); and it says, “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The everlasting G-d, Hashem, Creator of the ends of the earth, does not tire and does not grow weary; there is no searching out His understanding” (Yeshayahu 40:28).1

The fifth: that it is not in the hand of any created being to benefit himself or to harm himself, or [to benefit or harm] another, except by the permission of the Creator, may He be blessed.2

For when a servant has more than one master, and each of them is able to benefit him, he cannot trust in any one of them, because he hopes for benefit from each of them. If one of them is more able to benefit him than the rest, the strength of his trust in that one will match his ability, even though he trusts in the rest. And if only one of them alone is able to benefit him and to harm him, he will trust in him alone, of necessity, since he hopes for no benefit from anyone else.2

So too, when a person realizes that none of the created beings will benefit him or harm him except by the permission of the Creator, may He be blessed, his heart will turn away from fearing them and from hoping in them, and he will trust in the Creator alone; as it says, “Do not trust in noblemen, in a human being, who has no salvation” (Tehillim 146:3).1

The sixth: that he know how abundant is G-d’s goodness to man, and how He first brought him into being out of great kindness and goodness, without his having been worthy of it before Him, and not out of any need He has of him, but as a free gift, a goodness and a kindness, as we explained in the Shaar HaBechinah of this sefer; and as David, alav hashalom, said, “Many things You have done, You, Hashem my G-d: Your wonders and Your thoughts toward us; none can be compared to You. Were I to tell and to speak of them, they are too many to count” (Tehillim 40:6).2

The seventh: that it be clear to him that everything that comes to be in this world, in substance and in circumstance, has a set limit, and will not go beyond or fall short of what the Creator, may He be blessed, decreed for it, in its amount, its kind, its time and its place. Nothing increases what He decreed to be little, and nothing lessens what He decreed to be much; nothing delays what He decreed to come early, and nothing brings early what He decreed to come late. And whatever comes about in a way that seems the reverse of this, that [too] is what was decreed beforehand, at the outset of His knowledge; only, every decree that stands first in the Creator’s knowledge has causes, and the causes have causes.2

And the pasuk says, “Trust in Hashem and do good; [then you will] live in the land and be nourished by [your] faith” (Tehillim 37:3); and it says, “Hashem is good to those who hope to Him, to the soul that seeks Him” (Eichah 3:25).

But one who trusts in the Creator while he rebels against Him: how foolish he is, and how weak are his mind and his understanding! For he sees that when someone has been appointed by another person over some matter, and [that person] commands him to attend to one of his needs, or warns him against something, and he transgresses his commands, and it reaches the one who appointed him that he transgressed his command, this will be the strongest cause for holding back from him what he trusted him for. All the more so one who transgresses the statutes of G-d and His mitzvos, about which He has declared and testified that the expectant waiting of one who trusts in Him will be disappointed when he rebels against Him; and he will not be fit to be called by the name “one who trusts in G-d.” Rather, he is as the pasuk says, “For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he has gained, when G-d draws out his soul? Will G-d hear his cry?” (Iyov 27:8-9). And it says, “Will you steal, murder and commit adultery, and swear falsely” (Yirmiyahu 7:9), and it says, “and come and stand before Me in this house, upon which My Name is called?” (Yirmiyahu 7:10). And it says, “Has this house, upon which My Name is called, become a den of robbers?” (Yirmiyahu 7:11).

Bereishis

15:6He believed in Hashem: he did not ask Him for a sign about this; but about the inheritance of the land he did ask Him for a sign, and said to Him, “How will I know?” (Bereishis 15:8).

15:6And He counted it for him as righteousness: HaKadosh Baruch Hu counted it for Avram as merit and as righteousness, for the faith with which he believed in Him.

32:11I have become small because of all the kindnesses: my merits have grown fewer because of the kindnesses and the faithfulness You have shown me. Therefore I am afraid: perhaps since You made Your promise to me I have become soiled with sin, and it will cause me to be handed over to Esav (Shabbos 32a).

32:11And all the faithfulness: the truth of Your words, that You have kept for me all the promises You made me.

32:11For with my staff: I had with me no silver, no gold and no cattle, only my staff alone. A Midrash Aggadah: he put his staff into the Yarden, and the Yarden split.

Devarim

20:1When you go out to war: the pasuk set going out to war next to this [passage] to tell you that one who is missing a limb does not go out to war (see Sifri). Another explanation: to tell you that if you have carried out just judgment, you are assured that if you go out to war, you will win; and so David says, “I have done justice and righteousness; do not leave me to my oppressors” (Tehillim 119:121) (Tanchuma).

20:1Against your enemy: let them be enemies in your eyes; do not have mercy on them, for they will not have mercy on you.

20:1Horse and chariot: in My eyes they are all like one horse. And so it says, “And you will strike Midian like one man” (Shoftim 6:16); and so it says, “For Pharaoh’s horse came” (Shemos 15:19) (see Sifri).

20:1A people more numerous than you: in your eyes it is numerous, but in My eyes it is not numerous (ibid.).

20:2When you draw near to battle: close to your going out from the border, from the boundary of your land.

20:2The kohen will come forward: the one anointed for this, who is called the “Anointed for War.”

20:2And speak to the people: in the holy tongue (Sotah 42a).

20:3Hear, Yisrael: even if you have no merit but Krias Shema alone, you are worthy that He should save you.

20:3Against your enemies: these are not your brothers; if you fall into their hands, they will not have mercy on you. This is not like the war of Yehudah with Yisrael, of which it says, “And the men who were named rose up and took hold of the captives, and from the spoil they clothed all who were naked among them; they dressed them and gave them shoes, gave them food and drink, and anointed them, and led all the weak ones on donkeys, and brought them to Yericho, the city of palms, to their brothers; and they returned to Shomron” (Divrei HaYamim II 28:15). Rather, you are going against your enemies; therefore strengthen yourselves for the battle (Sifri; Sotah 42a).

20:3Do not let your heart grow faint; do not be afraid, do not panic, and do not be terrified: four warnings, corresponding to four things that the kings of the nations do. They clash their shields, banging them against each other to make a noise, so that those facing them will panic and flee; they stamp with their horses and make them neigh, to make heard the sound of their horses’ hooves; they shout with their voices; and they blow shofars and all kinds of instruments that make a noise.

20:3Do not let your heart grow faint: from the neighing of the horses.

20:3Do not be afraid: of the clashing of the shields.

20:3Do not panic: at the sound of the horns.

20:3And do not be terrified: at the sound of the shouting (ibid.).

20:4For Hashem your G-d, etc.: they come with the victory of flesh and blood, and you come with the victory of the Omnipresent. The Pelishtim came with the victory of Golyas; what was his end? He fell, and they fell with him.

20:4The One who goes with you: this is the camp of the Aron (Sotah 42a).

32:4The Rock: His work is perfect: although He is mighty, when He brings punishment on those who transgress His will, He does not bring it in a flood, but with justice, for “His work is perfect.”

32:4A faithful G-d: to pay the righteous [the reward of] their righteousness in the World to Come; and although He delays their reward, in the end He makes His words come true.

32:4Who does no wrong: even to the wicked He pays the reward of their righteousness in this world (see Sifri).

32:4He is righteous and upright: all declare His judgment upon them to be just, and [say that] so it is proper and fair for them. “Righteous,” from the mouths of the creatures; “and He is upright,” and it is fitting to declare Him just.

Yeshayahu

12:2For the strength and praise of Kah, Hashem: the strength and the praise of HaKadosh Baruch Hu, that was my salvation.

12:2Kah, Hashem: until now His Name was divided, and with the downfall of Amalek it became whole. And so it says, “For a hand is on the throne of Kah” (Shemos 17:16): the throne is not whole and the Name is not whole until there is war for Hashem against Amalek.

26:3The mind: that was leaning on HaKadosh Baruch Hu and relying on Him firmly, and did not move from its faith because of any terror or suffering.

26:3You will guard: that there be peace; for it trusted in You, therefore it is fitting for You to guard it.

26:4For in Kah, Hashem: for one may rely on Him, for He is the Awesome One, Hashem, the crag and the Rock, the refuge of the worlds.

Yirmiyahu

17:5Who trusts in people: in his plowing and his harvest, saying, “I will sow in the seventh year and eat.”

17:5And whose heart turns away from Hashem: [from Hashem,] who promised him, “I will command My blessing for you” (Vayikra 25:21). So I have heard.

17:6A salty land: a land that is salty and will not be inhabited.

17:8It will not notice: the tree, when the heat comes.

Tehillim

3:6I lay down and slept: my heart was closed up with worry and fear.

3:6I woke up: from my worry, for I trusted that Hashem supports me.

22:9One who turns over to Hashem: גול is like לגולל, to roll: a person should roll his load and his burden onto his Creator, so that He will rescue him.

31:25Be strong, and let your heart take courage: as you saw what He did for me, to save me, because I hoped to Him.

37:3Trust in Hashem: and do not say, “If I do not rob and steal, or if I give tzedakah to the poor, how will I support myself?”

37:3And do good: and then you will live in the land for long days.

37:3And be nourished by faith: you will eat and support yourself from the reward of the faith with which you believed in HaKadosh Baruch Hu, to rely on Him and to do good.

37:4Take delight [relying] on Hashem: take delight in luxuries, relying on the support of HaKadosh Baruch Hu.

37:5Turn your way over to Hashem: roll all your needs onto Him.

40:5And to those who stray after lies: who turn aside from the straight path after falsehood.

46:3When the earth is changed: in the time to come, on the day of which it is said, “And the earth will wear out like a garment” (Yeshayahu 51:6). The sons of Korach saw a miracle done for them: everything around them was swallowed up, and they stood in the air; and they said to Yisrael, with ruach hakodesh, that a miracle like this will be done for them in the time to come.

46:4The mountains quake at His majesty: [the majesty] of HaKadosh Baruch Hu, who is mentioned at the beginning of the psalm.

55:23Your burden: your load. Ruach hakodesh answers him so.

55:23He will carry [it for] you: He will bear your load.

112:7His heart is firm: his heart is faithful to his Creator.

112:8His heart leans: leaning on HaKadosh Baruch Hu and trusting in Him.

115:11You who fear Hashem: these are the converts.

125:1A song of ascents. Those who trust in Hashem: will not be moved, like Har Tziyon, which is never moved; for as Yerushalayim has mountains around it, so HaKadosh Baruch Hu is around His people.

131:1Hashem, my heart was not proud, etc.: I did not conduct myself with lordship; I did not do great things, pleasures, buildings and plantings, like what my son did. Here I am before You like one who has no hands and feet, like a lifeless lump lying before You.

131:2I have calmed and quieted: my soul [resting] upon You like a גמול, who is set upon his mother; a גמול is a child that nurses at the breast.

131:2My soul within me is like a weaned child: my soul within me, before You, is like one who nurses at his mother’s breasts.

146:5Fortunate: is one whose help is the G-d of Yaakov, [Yaakov,] whom HaKadosh Baruch Hu promised, “Here I am with you, and I will guard you, and I will bring you back” (Bereishis 28:15). And why is he fortunate? Because He “makes heaven and earth, the sea” (Tehillim 146:6); and since everything is His, it is in His power to guard him at sea and on land. But a king of flesh and blood, if he guards him on land, he cannot guard him at sea.

Mishlei

3:5Trust in Hashem: and spend your money to seek a teacher for yourself, to learn from him; and do not rely on your own understanding.

3:26For Hashem will be your confidence: your trust. Another explanation: in the things in which you are a כסיל, a fool. So I found in the Yerushalmi.

16:20And one who trusts in Hashem is fortunate: when he weighs his ways and sees in [his way] a mitzvah that carries danger or a loss of money, and he trusts in HaKadosh Baruch Hu and does the good.

29:25A person’s fear sets a trap: it is inverted: a trap of sin gives a person fear. Another explanation: as it sounds: because a person is stingy and fears that if he gives tzedakah he will come to need people, this fear sets a trap for him. And the first is more pleasing to me.

Iyov

13:15Even if He kills me: surely, even if He kills me, I do not separate from Him, and I will always hope to Him; therefore there is no rebellion or sin in my words.

13:15Only my ways: and my traits, by which I have conducted myself.

13:15Clarify before Him: to know what He finds sinful in me.

Eichah

3:26It is good to hope and wait silently: the vav of ויחיל is extra, like the vav of “Ayah and Anah” (Bereishis 36:24). It is good that a person hope, and be silent, and look forward to the salvations of Hashem.

Koheles

9:11The swift do not win the race: his swiftness did not stand by Asahel once his appointed time had come.

9:11The mighty do not win the battle: his might did not stand by Avner once his day had come.

9:11Also, bread does not come to the wise: such as me, whose bread for one day was sixty kor of fine flour, etc. (Melachim I 5:2); and now “this is my portion from all my toil” (Koheles 2:10): my staff and my jug.

9:11Wealth does not come to those with understanding: such as Iyov at first, “And his livestock was…” (Iyov 1:3); when his hour came, he said, “Have pity on me, you my friends” (Iyov 19:21).

9:11Favor does not come to those who know much: for there was no one in Yisrael who knew and understood more than Moshe, yet he did not find favor in his prayer to enter the land.

9:11For a time and mishap: as it sounds. Another explanation: a time will come upon them; and [so] pleading and supplication should be habitual with them, so that they will not come to these things.

10:5Woe: for I have made Ashur the rod of My anger, to chastise My people with it.

10:5And the staff: My fury is in the hand of the people of Ashur.

10:15Shall the axe boast: HaKadosh Baruch Hu says: You should not have prided yourself in this, for you are only like My axe, and I am the One who chops with you; I exact punishment from My enemies through you. You are the saw, and I am the One who wields it; and is it the way of a saw to pride itself over the one who wields it?

10:15As though the rod were to wield those who lift it: as though the rod were to wield itself and the hand that lifts it; but surely no rod wields [anything]; only the man [wields it].

4:6And trust in Hashem: that He will bestow good on you; and do not sin against Him for the sake of money that you expect to receive as a reward from Shaul.

118:4Those who fear Hashem: these are the Levi’im, of whom it is written, “Whoever is for Hashem, to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered to him (Shemos 32:26), at the incident of the Calf; and they fought with Yisrael when they said, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt” (Bamidbar 14:4).

118:8It is better to take refuge in Hashem, etc.: this taking refuge [chisayon] is only a term for sheltering in shade, and it is a small thing.

118:8Than to trust [mibto’ach]: [trust is] a sound thing and a strong support; and even so, to take refuge in Hashem is better than the assurance of men.

“Asks about him”: “What has happened to So-and-so? Why did he not come?”

“Fears Hashem”: who was used to coming to Him.

“Who walks in darkness with no light”: who has now gone to a place of darkness, in that he holds himself back from coming early to My doors.

“When he bows”: at Avos and at Hoda’ah [the first blessing of Shemoneh Esrei and the blessing of thanks], he bows at “Baruch” and straightens himself up when he mentions the Name, on the basis of “Hashem straightens those who are bowed down” (Tehillim 146:8).

“This is prayer”: that Yaakov prayed for his sons; and he merited to acquire the birthright from Esav through his prayer.

“Faithfulness: this is Seder Zeraim”: it is explained in the Yerushalmi: because he has faith in the Life of the worlds, and sows.

3:6I lay down and slept: I lay down in security and slept in peace, like a man who has no fear.

3:6I woke up: and I am not alarmed, like a man who sleeps in the midst of trouble, who is alarmed when he wakes; for while he sleeps he sees bad dreams, as he thinks in his heart out of his fear. And why do I trust in You so much? Because I know

3:6that Hashem supports me: for so I saw in a dream. And in the derash (Midrash Shocher Tov, on this place): “I lay down” from prophecy, “and slept” from ruach hakodesh; “I woke up” through Chushai HaArki; “for Hashem supports me” through Nasan the prophet. That is to say: ruach hakodesh departed from David because of the sadness and the fear that were in him, and ruach hakodesh rests only amid joy (Shabbos 30b; Pesachim 117a). When he saw Chushai HaArki he was glad, for he knew that he would undo for him the counsel of Achitofel; and he awoke, and ruach hakodesh rested on him, and he said, “for Hashem supports me” through Nasan the prophet, who had said to him, “Hashem too has removed your sin; you will not die” (Shmuel II 12:13).

3:7I will not be afraid of the tens of thousands of people: for all Yisrael were with Avshalom, except for those who were with David in Yerushalayim, who went out with him, and those who gathered to him afterward.

22:9One who turns over to Hashem: gol is a descriptive word, on the pattern of “hot bread” (Shmuel I 21:7) and “a stronghold to the upright” (Mishlei 10:29). Its meaning is: one who turns his ways, his requests and his prayers to Hashem.

22:9He will rescue him; He will save him, for He desires him: for Hashem desires him and hears his prayer, as in “If Hashem desires us” (Bamidbar 14:8). Or its meaning is: for the man desires G-d, as in “For he has desired Me, and I will rescue him” (Tehillim 91:14). That is: this we have seen and heard many times, that one who turns his ways and his prayer to G-d, He rescues him; if so, why do You not save us, when our eyes are turned to You?

31:25Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all who hope to Hashem: be strong, all who hope to Hashem, for He will give your heart courage.

32:10The wicked have many pains: who trusts in the greatness of his wealth, and did not look to G-d and did not understand. Through his iniquities and his sins many pains come to him, and there is no one to save him from them.

32:10But one who trusts in Hashem: but one who trusts in Hashem, and understands that he has no support besides Him, must return from his sins and from the things that kept [good] from him, and understand that good and bad come to him from G-d according to his deeds, and trust in Him alone.

32:10Will be surrounded by kindness: the reverse of the wicked, whom many pains surround.

37:3Trust in Hashem and do good; live in the land and be nourished by faith: its meaning is reversed: “Do good” and “trust in Hashem”; “be nourished by faith” and “live in the land”; for the reward comes after the good deed. One may also explain the whole pasuk as about the good deed. In this pasuk he spoke of the three faculties of a person for good and for bad, which are the heart, the hand and the mouth. “Trust in Hashem” is the service of the heart: that he trust in Hashem with all his heart, and understand that He is the One who helps and the One who makes stumble; not like “the evildoers,” “the doers of wrong,” who trust only in their wealth and their strength, as he said earlier, in the psalm before it, “There is no fear of G-d before his eyes” (Tehillim 36:2). “And do good” is the deed of the hand: that he give tzedakah and do the mitzvos of G-d. “Live in the land and shepherd faithfulness”: in every place you live, teach the many to serve Hashem, as Avraham did, as it says, “And Avram called there in the name of Hashem” (Bereishis 13:4): he taught the many the way of Hashem. One who teaches people shepherds them, as it says, “and they will shepherd you with knowledge and understanding” (Yirmiyahu 3:15), and as it says, “The lips of a tzaddik shepherd many” (Mishlei 10:21). And this is the main service of G-d with the mouth. For what a person needs for himself in the service of G-d, may He be blessed, with the mouth, such as declaring the Oneness of the Name, and the prayers and the praises, their main part is the heart, and even if he does not bring them out with his mouth he has fulfilled his obligation; but teaching others is impossible except with the mouth.

37:4Delight in Hashem, and He will give you what your heart asks for: if you do what I have commanded you, you will delight in Hashem; that is, you will find delight in Him in all that you desire, and He will give you what your heart asks for. The command form comes here in place of the future, as in “and die on the mountain” (Devarim 32:50), meaning “you will die,” and “and set your nest in the rock” (Bamidbar 24:21), meaning “you will set.” Or the meaning of “delight” is: that you rejoice in your service of Hashem and take pleasure in it, and He will fulfill your desire.

37:5Turn your way over to Hashem: cast all your needs, and roll them, upon Him

37:5Trust in Him: and not in another

37:5And He will do [what you need]: for He will do and complete everything.

37:34Hope to Hashem: he says to the one who listens to his reproof: If you trust in Hashem,

37:34And keep His way: and you keep His way, not turning aside from anything He commanded you,

37:34And He will raise you up to inherit the land; you will see the wicked cut off: for the wicked have no standing and no endurance; and I have seen this; therefore listen to me.

40:5Fortunate is the man who has made Hashem his trust: for in Hashem alone he has made his trust,

40:5And has not turned to the arrogant or to those who stray after lies: he has not turned to men of strength and pride, and he has not turned to people who “stray after lies,” that is, who lean toward the way of lies, like the diviners, and do not trust in the G-d of truth.

46:2G-d: when the troubles come, which are the birth pangs of Mashiach, He will be a refuge and help for us.

46:2Very: for the help will be great, when one nation such as Yisrael is saved from many peoples.

46:3Therefore [we will not be afraid]: this is a parable for the mighty wars that will be among the nations; and so “its waters roar and churn up mud”: all of it is a parable for the great wars and the great troubles.

55:23Cast: David said this of himself and of all the tzaddikim: Cast your burden upon Hashem, for He will bear you; and do not fear people, for if you trust in Him He will support you; for “He will never let the tzaddik stumble”: He will never let him stumble.

62:9Trust: he said to those in exile: Trust in Him at all times, that He will bring you the redemption. “At all times”: even though the time of exile grows long and the time of redemption has not come, trust in Him at all times; that is, [you,] the people of G-d.

62:9Pour out your hearts before Him: in complete teshuvah, and the redeemer will come to you.

62:9For G-d is our refuge: and His refuge will not be a false refuge, as the refuge of people is; therefore he says after it:

84:13Hashem, Master of Legions: fortunate is the one who trusts in You, and whose heart does not despair through the length of the exile, and who trusts in You that You will bring us out of the exile and build Your Beis HaMikdash, and bring him to the place the souls have longed for.

112:7Of bad news: the reverse of the wicked man, of whom it is said, “A sound of terrors is in his ears” (Iyov 15:21). But the tzaddik will not fear: if he hears bad news about his children or his relatives who are in another land, or if he hears that enemies are coming upon him, he will not fear; for “his heart is firm, trusting in Hashem.” He does not trust in his wealth, or in the greatness of his strength, or in many friends and relatives, but in Hashem alone he places his trust; therefore he will not fear.

112:8Leans: leaning [on Hashem]; therefore he does not fear any man, and he goes in security at all times.

112:8Until he sees [the downfall of] his enemies: the harm that he wishes to see come upon them.

115:9But “Yisrael, trust in Hashem”: not like those who trust in idols; but you, trust in Hashem, for you will see in all the generations that have passed that He was the help of Yisrael and their shield. And he said “trust” to Yisrael as a whole.

115:10House of Aharon: these are the kohanim and the levi’im. He spoke to them on their own, because they are close to Hashem and stand before Him always: he said that they should trust in Him, for their service before Him will help them.

115:11You who fear Hashem: these are the wise, who seclude themselves in the house of Hashem to learn, and occupy themselves with wisdom, to know Hashem; for they know from their wisdom that there is no one besides Him in whom it is fitting to trust. And some explain: those who fear Hashem in every nation.

125:1Which is never moved: like Har Tziyon, which will not be moved; for it will stay forever when the exile returns: it will not be moved and will never be destroyed, but will stay forever. And the meaning of “stays” is: it will stand forever and endure; and so “But You are holy, enthroned” (Tehillim 22:4), enduring forever; and so “You, Hashem, are enthroned forever” (Eichah 5:19).

131:1A song: David said this about himself, and he said this matter among these Songs of Ascents, which are about the exile. That is: as he conducted himself, so Yisrael should conduct themselves in exile, in lowliness, and through this Hashem will have mercy on them, for Hashem is exalted and sees the lowly (Tehillim 138:6). Therefore he said at the end of the psalm, “Let Yisrael hope to Hashem.” He said, “my heart was not proud” in private, “and my eyes were not raised [in arrogance]” in public.

131:1In things too great and too wondrous for me: in matters of G-d, I did not boast that I could grasp and know the matters and the secrets that are too wondrous for me, according to my understanding; but I went into them little by little, with fear, lest I break through to look into what my understanding cannot reach, and my mind be confused by it.

131:2Truly: in the usage of the language, im lo is in the manner of an oath: that is, if it was not so, let such and such come upon me. So he said: if I did not make my soul still and quiet like a weaned child, let such and such come upon me. And the meaning of “I made still and quiet” is: I set myself [so].

131:2Like a weaned child with his mother: like the infant who is weaned from his mother’s breasts, who begins a little to grasp the matter of his growing up, and walks a little at a time, and still does not rely on himself but on his mother, who leads him and trains him a little. So I set my soul and silenced it, so that in hidden and wondrous matters it would not rely on its own understanding, but would rely on the teachers and on the tradition, which is the mother. And he added further to strengthen the matter, and said:

131:2My soul within me is like a weaned child: like the weaned child, so I set my soul within me, that I would not rely on my own understanding.

131:3Let [Yisrael] hope: with these middos, conducting yourself with lowliness in private and in public, your heart not lifted up to rise into wondrous things, hope to Hashem, and He will grant your hope, from now and forever.

146:3Do not trust: in the way that Yirmiyahu said, “and whose heart turns away from Hashem” (Yirmiyahu 17:5). Rather, if he trusts in a man, let him make G-d, may He be blessed, the main thing, who puts it into the heart of the generous man to help him. He said the matter twice in different words: “who has no power to save”; for if not by the will of G-d, it is not in a man’s hand to save his fellow from his trouble. For salvation is Hashem’s alone, and He brings it about through people, as He brought about the salvation from the exile of Bavel through Koresh; and so in the future He will bring about the redemption of Yisrael through the kings of the nations, whose spirit He will rouse to send them, as it is written, “And they will bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to Hashem” (Yeshayahu 66:20). And this will be because Yisrael trusted in G-d alone, may He be blessed, in their exile.

146:4His spirit leaves: and how can a man have salvation, when he does not rule over his own spirit, to hold his spirit back? For his spirit leaves suddenly, and he returns to his earth, and what he thought to do he cannot do; for his spirit that kept him standing has left; and on the day of his death “his plans are lost,” that is, his thoughts.

146:5Fortunate is the one whose help is the G-d of Yaakov: he mentioned Yaakov Avinu, for he trusted in G-d. His brother was plotting to kill him and he fled from him, and he trusted in his heart that He would give him the needs of his living, although he was going to [Lavan]; for G-d had spoken to him, and [he asked that He] give him bread to eat and clothing to wear. And so Yisrael, his children, who trusted in Him: He brought them out of exile. And he said the matter twice in different words.

147:11Desires: but what does He desire? Those who fear Him, who hope for His kindness, and do not trust in the strength of the horse or in the might of man.

So that He will do your will as His will. Hashem satisfies every living thing [with its] desire (Tehillim 145:16), and gives bread to all flesh (Tehillim 136:25), and to every creature as much as it lacks; and in this is His desire and His will. And if you merit to be desired before Him, He will do your will also in the needs of your small world, and will give you your livelihood; for this is His will for all who come into the world.

And upon your binah do not lean. The perfection of bitachon [is]: that a person trust in Hashem and not trust in another man, and not even in his own strength and the might of his hand, and not in his sechel and his understanding. And it is for this reason that [Shlomo HaMelech] said: “and upon your binah do not lean.”

And because many go astray by trusting in their own binah, [the pasuk] warns concerning this more forcefully than it does concerning trust in wealth or in strength. And a second reason is: that trust in binah includes trust in the others as well; for a person will not come to trust in wealth or in strength, or in anything else, until he sees from his own binah that there is reason to trust in them. It is on this account that he warned, saying: “and upon your binah do not lean.”

And the matter [of what this warning requires] is this: when it appears to you, through your sechel and your understanding, that the deed which you are about to perform will succeed, thanks to the planning of your heart and the plans you have devised, do not trust in this, for everything is dependent upon the hand of Heaven.

This is as it says: “Hashem turns the wise back and renders their knowledge foolish”; and “many are the thoughts in the heart of a man, but the plan of Hashem is what shall stand”; and “if Hashem does not build the house, in vain do its builders labor upon it”; and it is further said: “for all our deeds are vanity”; and it is said: “for the race is not to the swift [and the battle is not to the strong].” And it is said: “to man belong the orderings of the heart, but from Hashem comes the answer of the tongue.” Behold, if even the answer of the tongue is not in the hand of a person, how much more so the deed itself. (Yeshayahu 44:25; Mishlei 19:21; Tehillim 127:1; Yirmiyahu 10:15; Koheles 9:11; Mishlei 16:1)

And this pasuk adds to that which the previous pasuk said initially, “trust in Hashem with all your heart.” For there is a person who trusts in Hashem in a general way, and believes that everything is in the hand of Heaven, and trusts in Him, and does not trust in another man or in his own strength or sechel, yet does not return the matter of bitachon to his heart with respect to particulars; that is to say, in every individual deed that he performs. For this reason [Shlomo] said: “in all your ways know Him,” the explanation being: in each particular of your deeds, in every way and every action, remember Him and return to your heart that you possess no strength or capability in that particular deed, and it is not in your hand, but rather in the hand of Hashem, and hang upon Him your hope and your expectation for the chesed of Hashem Yisborach. (Avos 2:12)

And concerning this matter David HaMelech alav hashalom said, “I hoped to Hashem, my soul hoped; my soul [is directed] toward Hashem.” (Tehillim 130:5-6) And this matter is exceedingly weighty, and by means of this habitual practice the soul comes to absorb the inner inclinations toward bitachon.

And know that there are people whose eyes are turned toward Hashem regarding a great undertaking, as when they seek to set out upon the sea for trade, or to go forth with a caravan, but regarding a minor deed they do not remember Hashem, because the action is light in their eyes and appears certain in their estimation that it will turn out successfully for them; or because no great loss will befall them if that particular deed should come to nothing and not turn out for them.

It is for this reason that [Shlomo] said: “in all your ways know Him,” whether in a great matter or a small one. For since all actions are dependent upon the hand of Hashem, and all successes come through His chesed, a person is obligated to remember Him in all of his deeds. For if the deed succeeds in his hand and he did not remember Hashem in the course of it, and did not lift his eyes in it toward Hashem, behold, he has fallen short in the duty of his avodah.

He must also take into his heart that the reward for bitachon and for hope toward Hashem, in the matter of seeking Him to grant success to the action, is exceedingly greater than the benefit of the action itself. And [the scope of the lesson] likewise includes in its words “in all your ways know Him,” whether to permissible labor or to the labor of a mitzvah, as Chazal have taught: proper intention avails even regarding matters of Torah.

And He shall make your paths straight: apart from the reward of bitachon, which is greater than the heavens themselves, you will also succeed in that very deed in which you remembered Hashem and in which you knew that the action is not in your own control.

And behold, the substance of this interpretation which we have just set forth, emerges from the words of Chazal, who said in Perek HaRoeh: Bar Kapra expounded: what is a small passage upon which all the essentials of Torah depend? You must say: “in all your ways know Him.” And Rava said: even regarding a matter of sin; know that this is so, for as people say, the thief, at the mouth of his tunnel, calls upon the Merciful One.

Behold, from this it has become clear to you that this pasuk is spoken concerning the matter of bitachon, and that the essentials of Torah depend upon bitachon; and so, too, the very order of the passage, both above and below, bears this out.

And behold, the order of the passage is this: to warn first concerning chesed and emes, and afterwards concerning bitachon, and finally concerning hope at all times in all of his ways. And so it is written: “guard chesed and justice, and hope to your G-d always.” (Hoshea 12:7)

There is another way to explain בְּכָל דְּרָכֶיךָ דָעֵהוּ: that all your deeds shall be for the sake of Heaven, and you shall not seek from this world pleasure, enjoyment, honor, or wealth, or any desire, but only to the end of attaining the avodah of Hashem Yisborach. “And He shall make your paths straight”: apart from the great reward that inheres in this middah, even the deed itself will prosper in that you do it for the sake of Heaven.

There is yet another way to explain בְּכָל דְּרָכֶיךָ דָעֵהוּ: do not, in the press of your work, forget the awareness of the yoke of Heaven, and of His yirah and His exaltedness. “And He shall make your paths straight”: and by keeping to this practice your work will succeed. And Chazal have said: because they are chasidim, their Torah endures and their work is blessed.

There is also yet another way to explain בְּכָל דְּרָכֶיךָ דָעֵהוּ: at the outset of every deed, return to your heart the question whether there is a way of iniquity by which one might sin by that very deed, and do not perform it until it becomes clear to you that it is pleasing before Hashem Yisborach. And then it shall prosper in your hand, and He shall make your paths straight.

Indeed, the first interpretation that we have written is borne out from the flow of the passage itself, and from the path of the interpretation of our Rabbosainu z”l in the Gemara cited above. And yet all four interpretations are, together, good.

And He will guard your feet from being caught: He will guard you so that you shall not be caught in the guilt of the city, in the sense of “his [own] sins shall ensnare the wicked man,” (Mishlei 5:22) [and in the sense of] “I have laid a snare for you and you have [even] been caught.” (Yirmiyahu 50:24) And along this very line we have found [in Tanach] that [when] together with the keeping of the Torah [a person conjoins] bitachon, Hashem Yisborach shields the one who takes refuge in Him from every manner of trouble, as it is said, “The word of Hashem is refined; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.” (Shmuel II 22:31; Tehillim 18:31) And behold, [both] David and Shlomo [HaMelech] have joined this matter [of Torah observance and bitachon] together, to inform [us] that [only] with the keeping of the word of Hashem and [the quality of] bitachon does Hashem shield the one who takes refuge in Him from every trouble. [The pasuk] may further be explained [thus]: “He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him”, and [the ones who] do not raise [questioning] thoughts after the reasons of His words. And behold, it is [further] written, “Hashem is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who take refuge in Him.” (Nachum 1:7) The explanation: He will make for them a fitting place [of refuge], for [those] who take refuge in Him [will] not be caught in a time of trouble, [namely, those who take shelter in Him], even though it has been decreed upon that very place that it be made a complete destruction.

And now we will speak concerning the explanation of bitachon, for it stems from the very root of emunah, as it is said, “Trust in Hashem and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate emunah”; (Tehillim 37:3) [and] “And he believed in Hashem.” (Bereishis 15:6) And know that bitachon [is] the pure emunah and the strengthening of the heart in the salvation of Hashem Yisborach and the leaning upon it in truth, in the sense of “and he believed in Hashem,” and leaned upon Him. But [nevertheless] we have found that the tzaddikim [are] fearful and anxious about cheit, as it is said, “And Yaakov was exceedingly afraid”; (Bereishis 32:8) and it is said, “How shall I go, and [lest] Shaul hear, etc.”; (Shmuel I 16:2) and it is said, “Fortunate is the man who fears continually”; (Mishlei 28:14) and it is said elsewhere, “The dread of man lays a snare.” (Mishlei 29:25) [It is therefore necessary to] explain the essence of the matter.

Know that bitachon [consists in this:] that there be mixed into it no doubt whatsoever. And by way of a mashal we will explain: that the matter of bitachon [is] like a hired laborer who trusts in the king [for whom he works], and [therefore] toils before him with all his strength in joy and gladness of heart by reason of his great confidence in the king, and from [his] knowing that [the king] will give him his [full] wage in its entirety. So it is with one who trusts in Hashem Yisborach: even if many evil troubles befall him, he will strengthen himself in the avodah of Hashem Yisborach and trust in truth that his reward [will be] multiplied again and again, and that Hashem [in His wisdom] will choose for him [that which is truly] the good; and if Hashem rebukes him in olam hazeh [with yissurim], [he will know] that this [too] is [ultimately] for his good, to cause his aveirah to pass away, and to draw him near to Hashem, and to exalt his portion in the olam haba, for the tranquility of olam hazeh [is] like breath and like nothing, a fleeting breath and a passing shadow. And it is in this sense that [the pasuk] says, “Who among you fears Hashem, who heeds the voice of His servant, who has walked in darkness and has no light, let him trust in the name of Hashem and lean upon his G-d.” (Yeshayahu 50:10) [And further:] “And I said, I have toiled in vain”, the explanation: I said [in my despair, on account of the] many troubles, “I have toiled in vain, and my aveiros have outweighed my zechuyos.” [Yet] in truth, the matter is not so, for the troubles are for my good, and the reward of my labor [is] whole, in the sense of “His reward is with Him, and His recompense is before Him.” (Yeshayahu 40:10) And [thus,] from his knowing that his reward is stored up [for him] and that light is sown for him, (Tehillim 97:11) he [also] waits and hopes even for the fruits of his deeds in olam hazeh; and this is the tocheles and tikvah that flow from bitachon. And tocheles itself [is] also called bitachon, because it flows from it [i.e., from bitachon], as the verse says: “For whoever is joined to all the living has bitachon”, (Koheles 9:4) the explanation: he has [living] hope to improve his deeds, for he knows and is confident that free will is placed in the hand of the living to choose the good way. Therefore he has [living] hope over this [matter] while he is yet [alive] in his lifetime.

And behold, [a further aspect] of the bitachon that we have mentioned: that he believe [fully] in all that Hashem Yisborach [has] promised through His nevi’im, and [in] all the wonders and good things which He has promised through His messengers, [for he knows] that His word shall stand forever, and [that] He will fulfill [it] all, in the sense of “And he believed in Hashem,” and it is said, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our G-d shall stand forever.” (Yeshayahu 40:8) And the matter of bitachon further requires that he know with his heart that all [is] in the hands of Heaven, and [that] it is within His power to alter natures and to reverse mazal; and that there is no hindrance for Hashem to save, whether by many or by few. (Shmuel I 14:6) And [he must know] that even when trouble is near, His salvation is [ever] near to come, for [Hashem] can do all, and no scheme [of His] shall be withheld. And it is said, “Lift up your eyes to the heavens and look upon the earth beneath, etc.” (Yeshayahu 51:6) Let him therefore trust in Hashem Yisborach in every time of trouble and darkness, and let him know in truth that He [alone] is mighty to save from every trouble, and His salvation [comes] in the blink of an eye. (Esther 4:17) And therefore let him [continue to] hope for His salvation even [when] the sword [is already] resting upon [his] neck, as the verse says, “Though He slay me, [yet] I will hope in Him.” (Iyov 13:15) This [too] is the tocheles that flows from the bitachon which we have [already] mentioned. And it is said, “Trust in Him at every time, etc.” (Tehillim 62:9), the explanation of “at every time”: even at a time when the trouble is near and a person knows no way to escape from it.

And the matter of bitachon that we have mentioned is explicit in the verse, as it is said, “Trust in Hashem forever”, (Yeshayahu 26:4) for He, blessed is He, is the Former of olam hazeh and olam haba, and all is in His hand; therefore trust in Him, for He can do all. And Chazal have taught: “And know before Whom you stand and toil, and faithful is your Employer, that He will pay you the reward of your labor.” (Avos 2:14; Yeshayahu 26:4) The explanation: [Chazal] have here mentioned [both of] the two aspects of bitachon that we mentioned [as being] explicit in the verse: [firstly, in] “Trust in Hashem forever, etc.,” [for] He considers the matter [and can effect it]; and [secondly] it is said, “Behold, His reward is with Him\... as a shepherd tends his flock He tends [them],” (Yeshayahu 40:10) and it is said, “Who has measured the waters with the hollow of his hand?” (Yeshayahu 40:12) [, these teaching that He has the power to bestow reward and that all creation is His].

And [a further aspect] of the bitachon that we have mentioned: that [a person] not place his trust in man, and that he know in truth that it is not within the power of flesh and blood to do him good or to save him, unless Hashem Yisborach so decrees. Therefore he shall remove his heart from trusting in man, and [instead] lift up his soul to Hashem Yisborach, as the verse says, “Cursed is the man who trusts in man”; (Yirmiyahu 17:5) and it is said, “Desist yourselves from man.” (Yeshayahu 2:22) And likewise, he shall know in truth that it is not within the power of flesh and blood to do him harm, as the verse says, “In G-d I have trusted; I will not fear, what can man do to me?” (Tehillim 56:5) “Hashem is with me; I will not fear”; (Tehillim 118:6) and it is said, “Hashem is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?” (Tehillim 27:1)

However, when trouble [does] come, from [his] knowing that all is in the hand of Hashem Yisborach and that deliverance [is also] in the hand of the one who strikes [him], his heart is set facing [only] Hashem Yisborach, [as it is said,] “Behold, [our eyes are] like the eyes of servants [raised] toward the hand of their masters.” (Tehillim 123:2) He does not set his heart to [fear] the striker but [rather] adds [to his] yirah of Hashem, and [more] tikvah and tocheles toward Him, [in the sense of] “And [the] remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Yaakov shall no more lean upon the one who struck them, but shall lean in truth upon Hashem, the Holy One of Israel”; (Yeshayahu 10:20) the explanation: [this is] complete bitachon without [any admixture of] doubt, [knowing] that neither the striking or the saving is in the hand of the striker, as it is said, “The heart of the king is streams of water in the hand of Hashem; He turns it wherever He wills”; (Mishlei 21:1) and it is said, “as though the rod were to wield the one who lifts it.” (Yeshayahu 10:15) Yet his heart shall not grow faint, or shall he be dismayed by the trouble, for behold, tikvah is of necessity bound together with yirah. And [therefore] do not be alarmed by the nearness of the trouble, or withhold from your mind the thought of [your] deliverance, for he knows that Hashem Yisborach [is] mighty to save [even] once the trouble [is already] near and set, [just] as [He is mighty to save] before the trouble [arrives]. “Deeds are not weighed [by outward appearance],” (Shmuel I 2:3) and much relief and deliverance [lies] before Him, (Esther 4:14) and with Him is much redemption. (Tehillim 130:7) If so, how should the heart tremble and melt, does not [the strength of] tikvah [itself] fortify it? As it is said, “Be strong, and let your heart take courage, etc.” (Tehillim 31:25)

And in accordance with the greatness of tikvah and the strength of heart in tocheles, so [too] does the stature of the soul grow. And it is said, “Let not your heart be faint, etc.” (Devarim 20:3) The explanation: do not fear the people, as the verse says, “and [if] you see horse and chariot, etc.”; (Devarim 20:1) and it is said, “you shall not fear them, etc.” (Devarim 7:18) But Hashem [Himself] shall you fear. And it is said, “Do not fear that which they fear, or hold [them] in dread”; (Yeshayahu 8:12) “Hashem of Hosts, Him shall you sanctify; He [alone] shall be your [object of] fear, and He [alone] shall be your [object of] dread.” (Yeshayahu 8:13) And regarding the verse, “And Yaakov feared,” [the meaning is that he] feared [only] lest [he have sinned through] cheit, and [rather] strengthened himself in yiras Hashem Yisborach. And after [a person] trusts and hopes in Hashem, to whatever extent he fears [his own] aveirah, [to the same extent the] tikvah [correspondingly] fortifies his heart; therefore his heart will not melt. And this is the meaning of the verse, “The dread of man lays a snare”; (Mishlei 29:25) and it is said, “Who is the man who is fearful and faint of heart?” (Devarim 20:8) The explanation: [he is] “fearful” [to such a degree] that he is “faint of heart,” for the fear of the [enemy] people has overcome [him], and he [is] overcome with dread when he sees the multitude of their camps. It may be [the case] that he believes in truth that all is in the hand of Hashem, but because he has not [sufficiently] raised up his soul in the matter of the [full] measure of bitachon, his heart is faint and his nature has been brought down, and [this is also] from the overpowering of the weakness of his nature and the faintness of his heart. The intended sense of the verse, “The dread of man lays a snare”: the dread with which [a person] dreads [another] man is [itself] a cheit of [his] soul, and [it] lays a snare and strengthens the enemy and brings the trouble nearer upon him. For it is fitting that a person not dread the arm of flesh and blood, but set the fear of his heart upon Hashem. [And the pasuk continues,] “And one who trusts in Hashem shall be set on high” from the trouble, as the reward of [his] bitachon, even though the trouble was [otherwise] fitting to come upon him. And this is [what] is said in the following pasuk, “Many seek the face of a ruler, but a man’s judgment comes from Hashem.” (Mishlei 29:26) [And further:] “Who are you that you should fear man, who will [himself] die?” (Yeshayahu 51:12) For this [fear of man] is [a sign] of the [very] lowliness of the soul. And it is made clear there that one who fears man [thereby] forgets Hashem Yisborach, as it is said, “And you have forgotten Hashem your Maker, etc.” (Yeshayahu 51:13) The explanation: upon [your] seeing the trouble near and set, and the scheme of escape from it utterly withheld [from you], [at the thought,] “and where is the wrath of the oppressor?”, you ought to have brought to mind that many times over there has befallen you the like, and the light of the salvation of Hashem Yisborach and [of] His wonders has [nevertheless] shone forth, and the rod of the oppressor’s wrath has come to an end; and where [now] is his wrath, and where, then, is his [threatening] mouth?

And the matter of bitachon further requires [that a person] trust in truth upon the mercies of Hashem Yisborach, for many are His mercies, and [trust] in [His] abundance of chassadim; and [that he] believe in the middah of Hashem Yisborach and trust in them in truth, as is said, “But I, in Your chesed have I trusted, etc.”; (Tehillim 13:6) “But I am like a flourishing olive tree in the house of G-d, etc.” (Tehillim 52:10) The explanation: “Like a flourishing olive tree”, [an olive tree] whose splendor remains upon it all the year, [regardless of season]; so [too is] my bitachon in His splendor and in His power at every time, even when the trouble is near. And the tikvah [which] flows from this bitachon [reaches so far that] even when his aveiros are many and great, he will hope to the mercies of Hashem Yisborach, as is said, “For not on account of our righteousness, etc.”; (Daniel 9:18) and it is said, “Who hears prayer”; (Tehillim 65:3) and it is said, “Matters of sin have overwhelmed me, etc.”; (Tehillim 65:4) and it is said, “Let Israel hope to Hashem, etc.” (Tehillim 130:7) The explanation: though [one’s] aveiros have mounted up over his head, [still] “with Him is much redemption,” as is made clear in [what follows], “and He will redeem Israel.” (Tehillim 130:8) So too, if troubles have overpowered him and he [has] submitted [his heart] before them, let him trust in the mercies of Hashem [knowing] that [Hashem] will have mercy upon him, because of his troubles, because of his submission, and because of his tikvah toward Hashem, as it is said, “Behold my affliction and my toil”; (Tehillim 25:18) and it is said, “Remember my affliction and my bitter wandering, the wormwood and the gall; my soul well remembers and is cast down within me. [Yet] this I bring to mind; therefore I [still] hope.” (Eichah 3:19) The explanation: I await His mercies on account of the troubles and on account of the submission, “the chassadim of Hashem, that they cease not.” (Eichah 3:22) And it may be that what he said above, “Therefore I hope [to Him],” (Eichah 3:24) is joined to this, [meaning:] for I hope for His chassadim that cease not, and [for] His mercies that are not spent, “new every morning, etc.” (Eichah 3:23) [As for] “Hashem is my portion, says my soul,” the explanation: I choose in my world nothing other than His avodah, and I have no portion in the land other than the fulfillment of His mitzvos, in His love and in His yirah; “therefore I hope to Him.” This [disposition itself] strengthens [his] tikvah. And therefore he hopes [in] Hashem that He give him [this very thing] as [his] portion, as the verse says, “For the portion of Hashem is His people.” (Devarim 32:9) For this reason [Yirmiyahu] doubles the [expression of] tocheles a second time, after it is [already] said, “Therefore I hope”, and he furthermore adds here, “I hope to Him,” for the first [expression of] tocheles [refers] to deliverance, salvation, and chassadim, while the second [expression of] tocheles [is] to earn favor from Hashem and to draw near to Him, as the verse says, “And I shall bring him near, and he shall approach Me”; (Yirmiyahu 30:21) and it is said, “He spares his soul from the pit”; (Iyov 33:18) and it is said, “In the light of the face of the King [is] life.” (Mishlei 16:15)

And know that the tocheles that flows from this [manner of] bitachon fortifies the tocheles to such a degree that when the trouble approaches and he fears on account of his aveiros, the [weight of his] fear is not [merely] balanced with the tikvah; rather, the tikvah overcomes [the fear], for the chassadim of Hashem Yisborach exceed every aveirah, and He has mercy upon every one who submits and seeks His mercy. And it is said, “For He is gracious and merciful.” (Yoel 2:13) And it is said, “Hope to Hashem; be strong and let your heart take courage; and [again,] hope to Hashem.” (Tehillim 27:14) The explanation: tikvah [itself] fortifies the heart, and upon the heart’s being fortified by means of the tikvah, the tikvah [in turn] grows stronger still within the heart, and the tikvah [itself] becomes greater, for [conversely,] faintness of heart diminishes tikvah.

And know that this is a great and lofty madreigah in bitachon; and we will [now] mention the [inner] secret of the matter, as it is said, “I have hoped [in] Hashem; my soul has hoped.” (Tehillim 130:5; Tehillim 27:14) The explanation: the longing soul [itself] has [inwardly] received the bitachon, as is said, “[one whose] yetzer is steadied [upon You, will You guard in perfect peace]”; (Yeshayahu 26:3) “and those who understand shall understand.” (Daniel 12:10) And it is said after it, “My soul [waits] for Hashem, etc.,” (Tehillim 130:6) and this is the tikvah in [all] the particulars.

The second madreigah in the matter of bitachon [is] the handing over of the soul to Hashem Yisborach, “and when a soul shall offer, etc.” (Vayikra 2:1), as the verse says, “To You, Hashem, I lift up my soul; my G-d, in You I have trusted”; (Tehillim 25:1) and it is said, “Cause me to hear Your chesed in the morning”; (Tehillim 143:8) and it is said, “Into Your hand I commit my spirit, etc.” (Tehillim 31:6) And [the essence of] the handing over of the soul [is] that [a person] trust in Hashem Yisborach that [Hashem Himself] shall choose for him the good way, as the verse says, “Make known to me now Your ways”; (Shemos 33:13) “Make known to me the way in which I should go.” (Tehillim 143:8) And let him know [that] every act of Hashem Yisborach is for the good, as Chazal have said: “All that is done from Heaven is for the good”; and he shall receive upon himself all that comes [upon him] with ahavah, and know that it is [for] his [own] good, and an atonement for his aveiros, and [that] this [is] for his benefit more than what he himself seeks, for he does not [truly] know what is good for his soul. And it is said, “[Shall we accept the good from G-d, and not accept the bad]?”; (Iyov 2:10) and it is said, “I have chastened, I have strengthened their arms, etc.”; (Hoshea 7:15) and it is said, “With human cords I drew them, with bonds of love”; (Hoshea 11:4) and it is said, “And I [Myself] taught Ephraim to walk, etc.” (Hoshea 11:3) And if [there is] wealth and riches in his house, whatever [it is from which] he benefits, he receives [it] at every hour as a gift of His chesed, for he knows that he has nothing at all in [his] riches and nothing in [his own] strength, as the verse says, “And from Your [own] hand have we given to You”; (Divrei HaYamim I 29:14) and it is said, “Cast your burden upon Hashem, and He shall sustain you”; (Tehillim 55:23) and it is said, “Roll your way upon Hashem.” (Tehillim 37:5)

And Chazal have said: “[Of those who] act out of love and rejoice in yissurim, the verse declares: ‘And [those who] love Him [shall be] like the going forth of the sun in its might.’” (Shoftim 5:31) And it is said, “Roll [his way] upon Hashem, may He deliver him”; (Tehillim 22:9) and it is said, “Honor Hashem from your wealth”; (Mishlei 3:9) and it is said, “and your storehouses shall be filled [to] satisfaction”; (Mishlei 3:10) and it is said, “Do not despise the mussar of Hashem, etc.”; (Mishlei 3:11) “Upon You I have been cast from the womb”; (Tehillim 22:11) and it is said, “For You are He who drew me from the womb, etc.” (Tehillim 22:10)

It may also be explained: “One who trusts in his wealth, he will fall”: for he will lose his wealth in an instant, as the punishment for this trust that he placed [in it]; as [Shlomo] wrote, “And that wealth is lost in a bad venture” (Koheles 5:13), and it is written, “Will you let your eyes fly to it? It is gone” (Mishlei 23:5). “And like a leaf the righteous will flourish”: the tzaddikim, who trust in Hashem, their salvation will sprout from their afflictions and from all their troubles very swiftly, like a leaf, which is quicker to sprout than the fruit, and its sprouting is completed in a short time. So the rich man will fall suddenly, in an instant, from his honor and his ease, because of his trust in his wealth; and the tzaddik will be saved from his trouble very swiftly, because of his trust in Hashem.

“When he bows, he bows at ‘Baruch,’ and when he straightens up, he straightens up at the Name.” And in the Gemara he challenges: But it is written, “Before My Name he was humbled,” and here we say that he straightens up at the Name! And he answers: Is it written, “in front of My Name”? Rather, “before My Name,” which means before he mentions the Name, that is, when he mentions “Baruch.” And the reason for bowing at “Baruch” and straightening up at the Name: because when he bows, he shows the dread and the fear that he has before Him; and when he straightens up, he shows the trust that he has in Him in all his affairs, that He will do good to him. And the one depends on the other: for whoever fears Hashem trusts in Him, as it says, “In the fear of Hashem there is strong security” (Mishlei 14:26).

Now Yosef the tzaddik, who trusted in HaKadosh Baruch Hu, because he asked the chief butler to be a means for him to get out of prison, therefore did not reach this level of trust; and he was punished for it, in that he remained two more years, as punishment for the two words he said to him, “And mention me” and “And get me out” (Bereishis 40:14).

And this is what is written, “A person’s fear sets a trap [for him]” (Mishlei 29:25). It says: the fear with which he fears man is a sin for his soul; it sets a trap for him, strengthens the enemy against him, and brings the trouble near to him; for it is fitting for a person not to fear an arm of flesh and blood. “But one who trusts in Hashem will be made strong” (Mishlei 29:25): [lifted high] above the trouble, in reward for the trust, even though the trouble was fit to come upon him. And there is no doubt that fearing an arm of flesh and blood comes from lowliness of soul, and one who fears man forgets Hashem.

And so the prophet warns about the middah of bitachon, as it says, “Who are you, that you are afraid of a man who will die, of a human being who will be made like grass?” (Yeshayahu 51:12): that is, here today and in the grave tomorrow. “And you have forgotten Hashem your Maker, and you are in constant fear” (Yeshayahu 51:13): that is, when you see the trouble near and ready, and the plan for escaping it is beyond you. “And you are in constant fear all day long of the fury of the oppressor” (Yeshayahu 51:13): that is, you should have thought that many times such [trouble] found you, and Hashem saved you in His mercy; and so you should not fear the man who strikes, but Hashem.

And this is what is written after it, “I am Hashem your G-d, who stirs up the sea and its waves roar; Hashem, Master of Legions, is His Name” (Yeshayahu 51:15): that is, I am the One who storms the sea and quiets its roaring, all the more so the fury of the oppressor. And [the prophet] goes on to tell the lowliness of man: “The one who is bent over hastens to be opened, so that he will not die into the pit, and his bread will not be lacking” (Yeshayahu 51:14): that is, this is his way all the days of his life, in these two things, to eat and to relieve himself, so that he will not die into the pit; for if his bread is lacking he will die, and if he does not relieve himself he will die too, and in both of them he is quick by nature. That is why it mentions “hastens to be opened,” that is, to relieve himself. And you should recognize that the prophet mentioned this matter only to make trust in man repugnant in people’s eyes.

And so it is written, “Fear Hashem, His holy ones, for there is no lack for those who fear Him. Young lions are in want and go hungry, but those who seek Hashem will not lack any good” (Tehillim 34:10–11). The meaning of the pasuk is this: He, may He be exalted, sustains and gives food to all weak things, such as the unborn child in its mother’s womb, and the chick inside the egg, where there is no opening through which food could pass; He sustains the bird in the air and the fish in the sea, and the ant, the lowliest and weakest of the creeping things; and He is the One who withholds prey from the lion, the strongest of all the beasts. This is what is written, “Young lions are in want and go hungry, but those who seek Hashem will not lack any good.” And so it is written, “Hashem will not let the soul of the tzaddik go hungry” (Mishlei 10:3).

And so David, alav hashalom, said, “Cast your burden on Hashem, and He will sustain you” (Tehillim 55:23); and it is written [there], “He will never let the tzaddik stumble.” And Chazal said on the matter of bitachon: Whoever has bread in his basket and says, “What will I eat tomorrow?” is one of those of little faith (Sotah 48b).

For this reason the manna came down to Yisrael each day’s portion on its day, not for one month and not for two, so that they would find themselves without food and always lift their eyes to their Father in Heaven, and so that the middah of bitachon would grow strong in their hearts. None of them could leave any of it over until the next day; and you already know that those who left some of it over were of little faith, of whom the pasuk says, “And it bred worms and became foul” (Shemos 16:20).

In the merit of bitachon Yisrael were redeemed from Egypt. So they said in Midrash Tehillim (22): “They cried out to You and were saved” (Tehillim 22:6). And why all this? “They trusted in You and were not put to shame”: all in the merit of bitachon. And because the middah of bitachon is a great foundation among the foundations of the Torah, we find that the Torah is founded upon it, and is called bitachon, after the middah of bitachon; as it is written, “A wise man went up to the city of the mighty, and brought down the strength of its trust” (Mishlei 21:22).

“Now it will be said to Yaakov and to Yisrael what G-d has done” (Bamidbar 23:23): that the ministering angels will ask Yisrael what G-d has done; because, since they do not practice divination, they are brought into a partition that the ministering angels cannot enter. And it seems to me that this too is measure for measure: since he does not go seeking omens to know the future, but trusts in HaKadosh Baruch Hu, therefore HaKadosh Baruch Hu reveals to him the secrets of the world that are not revealed to the ministering angels.

But trust: there is no virtue like it, as it is written, “Fortunate are all who take refuge in Him” (Tehillim 2:12); for he believes that there is in the world a G-d who is able and who watches over [all]. And it is written, “Blessed is the man who trusts in Hashem, and Hashem will be his security” (Yirmiyahu 17:7). And he is assured that his food will not be lacking, as it is written, “Cast your burden on Hashem, and He will carry [it for] you” (Tehillim 55:23); on condition that it be in truth and with all his heart, without any wavering. And further, since he trusts in Hashem, he will occupy himself with Torah and mitzvos with all his heart, without any [worried] thought at all.

Yeshayahu

12:2See, G-d is my salvation: since the G-d of my salvation is with me, I will dwell securely and will no longer be afraid.

12:2For the strength, etc.: the strength and the praise of the Omnipresent became my salvation; that is, the salvation came in order to show His might, and so that I would sing His praise.

26:3The mind that leans: the thought that was leaning on G-d, peace will guard it, so that it will not tremble; and he doubled the word “peace” to strengthen the matter.

26:3For it trusts in You: that is, so it is fitting, since it trusted in You.

26:4Trust in Hashem: as though they urge one another on and say, “Trust in Hashem forever,” for on Him depends the strength of this world and of the World to Come, and everything comes from Him.

Yirmiyahu

17:5Who trusts in people: that is, and they will not find help from flesh and blood, for “cursed is the man, etc.”

17:5And makes: and places his strength and his trust in flesh and blood, and turns his heart away from trusting in Hashem.

17:6He will be: one who trusts in people will be like a lone tree growing in the desert.

17:6And he will not see: he does not see when good comes to the world, which is the rains; that is, the rains will not fall on him.

17:6He will live in the parched places: he lives there in the dry places, from the great heat in the wilderness.

17:6A salty land: a land whose soil is salty and which is not inhabited; and it is the same matter doubled in other words.

17:7And Hashem will be his security: that is, as he trusts in Him, so will He be his trust and his help.

17:8He will be like a tree planted: he will be filled with good, like a tree planted by the water, whose roots spread out by streams of water.

17:8It will not notice: that is, it will not feel it when heat and scorching wind come, since it is planted by the water, which keeps it moist.

17:8Its leaves will stay fresh: the leaves on it will be moist.

17:8In a year of drought: in a year when the rains are held back, it will not worry; that is, it will do it no harm.

17:8It will not stop: it will not cease growing fruit. That is: so will it be with one who trusts in Hashem: he will lack nothing, and he will not worry over the troubles that stir in the world.

Tehillim

3:6I lay down: when I lie down and fall into a deep sleep from great anguish,

3:6I woke up: that is, I relieved my anguish, remembering that Hashem supports me.

3:7I will not be afraid: for this reason I will not be afraid of the great number of people who are with Avshalom, who have set their faces to fight me.

13:6As for me: always, when I trusted in Your kindness, my heart rejoiced in the salvation that came from You.

13:6I will sing: now too, I will sing to Hashem when He deals kindly with me.

22:9One who turns over: but one who rolls and turns his trust over to Hashem, He rescues him.

22:9For He is pleased with him: with one who trusts in Him as he should.

31:25Be strong: all who hope to Hashem, be strong and make your hearts courageous, and be confident; for surely you will see that there is hope.

32:10The wicked have many pains, etc.: for the wicked man who kicks against suffering, many pains come upon him; but one who trusts in Hashem, and understands that they are for his good, for through them sin is scoured away, and does not kick against them, kindness from Hashem surrounds him, for He removes them from him, and he is left clean of sin.

37:3Trust in Hashem: therefore do not mingle with them; rather, trust in Hashem and do good, and then you will live in the land for long days.

37:3And be nourished by faith: you will be fed and sustained by the faith with which you believed in Hashem, and did not act like the wicked, to rob and to cheat.

37:4Take delight [relying] on Hashem: you will enjoy luxuries, relying on the support of Hashem, and He will give you what your heart asks; that is, He will supply what you lack, even in luxuries.

37:5Turn over to Hashem: roll your need onto Hashem and trust in Him, and He will do what you need.

37:34Hope to Hashem: that He will rescue you from the hand of the wicked.

37:34And keep His way: without doing to them as they do.

40:5Fortunate: and they will say, “Fortunate, etc.”

40:5And has not turned: to trust in them.

40:5And those who stray after lies: who incline after thoughts of vanity and falsehood.

46:2A help in troubles: He is a help to us in a time of trouble, and is very easily found by us whenever we call to Him.

46:3When the earth is changed: when the earth changes from calm to quaking, and when the mountains move to fall into the depths of the sea; and it is a parable for the downfall of Gog.

46:4Roar: the waters of the sea roar with their many waves and cast up mire and mud, and the mountains quake continually at the majesty of Hashem; and of all this we will not be afraid.

46:8Hashem, Master of Legions: because Hashem will be with us, and the G-d of Yaakov is our stronghold forever, and He will not let those who love Him be frightened.