See through the Facade

Living Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear

One of the main jobs of a person in this world is to see through the facade of nature and recognize Hashem's absolute control over everything. It is not the food that we eat that keeps us alive. But rather, as the pasuk says, כי על מוצא פי ה' יחיה האדם - we live because Hashem says so. It is not the clothing that we wear which keeps us warm. It is Hashem who keeps us warm. Although if we go outside without a jacket, we're cold and if we go out with a jacket, we are warm, we must believe it's not the jacket that provides the warmth, it's the word of Hashem. But He makes it appear that it's the jacket in order to balance our free will. The more a person recognizes this with everything in life, the stronger his bitachon will be. And when someone truly believes this deep in his heart, it's a tremendous zechut and could bring about wondrous salvations. In any area that a person needs help in, one of the greatest ways to get it is to believe that it's completely in the hands of Hashem and the hishtadlut he is going to make is just a camouflage. The Mabit writes, one of the purposes of prayer is to ingrain in us the realization that it is Hashem Who is providing everything we are asking for. Therefore, the more things we ask for help with, the more it shows we recognize that we need Hashem's help for them. Rabbi Avigdor Miller writes in his sefer Or Olam , when we say the words רפאינו ה' ונרפא , we are supposed to think, we need You to heal us, Hashem, because there's no other way to be healed – it's רפאינו ה' ונרפא – You heal us and then we will be healed, and that's it. When we involve ourselves in hishtadlut to become healed, like going to a doctor or taking medication, it's very easy to forget that it's really Hashem doing it. And that is why the Shulchan Aruch writes, there is a special Yehi ratzon we are supposed to say before taking medication to remind us at the time we need it most that it is really Hashem who is going to heal us. Yes, we must do hishtadlut to be healthy, which includes eating right and taking care of ourselves, as well as controlling our inclinations of getting angry or being jealous, because in the natural way of the world, those things cause the body to get sick. But throughout our hishtadlut , we must remind ourselves, we will only be healthy if Hashem says so. One of the many reasons why a person may need to get sick is because the person is losing his connection with Hashem. The Or Olam gives a mashal of a father who sends his son, who lives abroad, money every month. As time goes on, the son forgets to thank his father, and so one month the father doesn't send the money. Immediately, the son calls his father asking him where the money is. The father says, "Why don't you call me when I'm sending you money? Why do you only call me when you don't get it?" Hashem wants us to have a relationship with Him for our own good. When our relationship is strong, we don't need to be reminded about it. That is why we say, הושיענו ונוושע , that refers to preventing us from getting sick in the first place. We tell Hashem, "We know You are the One who keeps us healthy and we appreciate it," and therefore there's no reason for us to get sick. When someone is close to Hashem when he has it all, that is the greatest segula to keep what he has. When the wealthy man asks for parnasa from Hashem with sincerity, that shows he knows he has nothing without Him, and he needs Hashem constantly. That is such a beautiful avodah . We need Hashem for everything, and we have nothing without Him. We need to remind ourselves again and again of this idea. If we pray properly with kavana, recognizing that we need Hashem for each thing we're asking for, then each time we pray, we'll be growing in emunah, and we'll become true ba'aleh emunah and bitachon , seeing through the natural way of the world, and recognizing that everything is from Hashem.