Do not fear them (Audio)

On emunah and bitachon by Rabbi Dovid Goldwasser (6 min audio)

Excerpts appear below the audio player

In Bereishis, we read, “Vayoimer kach noh es bincho es yechidcho asher ahavto es Yitzchak,” Hashem said, Please take your son, your only son, the one whom you love, Yitzchak,” “vulech lecho el eretz hamoiri’oh vuhaleihu shom lu’oyloh,” and bring him up there as a korbon, “al ached hehorrim asher oimar eylecho, upon one of the mountains which I shall tell you.”

The Alter of Novardok noted that it is for us to imagine the tremendous ahavah, the great love that Avraham Avinu had for Yitzchak, Avraham Avinu was a hundred years old when Yitzchak was born and for Sarah he was a ben yochid, an only child. Yitzchak himself was thirty seven years old and had already achieved greatness in Torah and yiras Shamayim and in all areas of life, and now, Hashem tells Avraham Avinu to go to Har Hamori’ah and offer Yitzchak as a korbon.

We see further in the psukim that Avraham Avinu went to sleep that night, then rose early the next morning to set off for Har Hamori’ah. The Alter asks, how could Avraham Avinu have gone to sleep when he knew what awaited him in the morning?

Rabbeinu Yonah in Shaarei Teshuva sites a posuk in Devarim that explains this. “Ki soimar bilvovcho rabbim hagoyim ho’eyleh, perhaps you will say in your heart, these nations are more numerous than I, how will I be able to drive them out?”

The Torah tells us do not fear them. The Rambam in Hilchos Melochim sites the possuk, “Mi ho’ish hayorei vurach haleivov, the person who’s a soldier and becomes frightened.” The Rambam tells us that the one who is frightened or anxious should know that if anything happens to the other soldiers, he is culpable for their death.

When one fights a milchemes Hashem, he should fear nothing at all. Hashem is leading us in protecting our every step...

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Klal Yisrael is still here. What is it that has shielded us?

We know that all the other nations have disappeared, but Klal Yisrael is still here. What is it that has shielded us?

Reb Moshe Aharon Stern, ztz”l, explains that it is the Ribboino shel Olom. We must remember to learn about emunah and bitochon to know exactly what are the foundations, and what faith and trust in Hashem is all about.

Rabbeinu, Horav Avigdor Miller zecher tzaddik livrocho, commented that when a person has trust in Hashem, and he has bitochon, it is actually an honor to Hashem. Hashem grants the desires and the needs of those that trust in Him.

Rav Miller continues, saying that if the desire was not granted, it is then a blemish on the glory of heaven. Furthermore, Rav Miller says that when a person trusts in Hashem, he is included among the tzaddikim and the noshim tzidkoniyos...

On the day that the Beis Halevi (Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, 1820-1892) was approached by one of the merchants in the city, a special police team was inspecting the inventory of every store. If they would find anything that was not in order, the owner could be sent to Siberia. The merchant was very upset and nervous and he wanted to know what he could do. Who knew if everything was in order in his store? So he pleaded with the Beis Halevi.

The Beis Halevi took down the Nefesh Hachayim from among the other seforim on his shelf, and together they learned about the segulah of having complete bitochon and emunah in Hashem.

After two hours of learning in depth, the wife of the merchant came running in, crying out, “We’ve been saved! The officers went into every store on the entire street, but when they came to our door, they walked straight passed it.”

Emunah and bitochon are the foundation of our lives and the secret of our survival.