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Trust:
- Those with deep trust in God are the `organs of conception and birth,'
as it were. Everything that is born in this world, all the blessings that
flow into it, everything comes about through trust. The way to develop trust
is through listening to the stories of the Tzaddikim. There are many people
who sleep away their days. They need to be aroused, and the way to arouse
them is by showing them the radiance of Torah. But because they are asleep,
it could be damaging to expose them to the full light of Torah too suddenly.
The Tzaddikim veil the wisdom of the Torah in stories which have the power
to arouse those who are asleep. These people are literally like the dumb.
They are totally incapable of uttering a single holy word. But when they
are roused from their sleep, the power of speech is liberated. Then they
begin to speak with tremendous force. Holy speech strengthens our trust in
God. Those who were barren are able to give birth and attain true awe of
Heaven (60:6-8).
- When you trust in God and you look to Him alone for all your needs,
a vessel is formed with which you can receive His blessing. What you need
will be sent to you as and when you require it (76).
- There are higher and higher levels of trust reaching to Infinity. The
greater a person's wisdom and understanding the deeper his trust. The more
trusting he is, the more generous he will be in giving charity. Charity is
the gateway to the perfection of the faculty of speech, which is the essence
of man's superiority over the animals (225).
- Besides trust in God there is the trust of the Other Side, which is
`trust in a trickster' (Proverbs 25:19). The making of marriage bonds in
holiness and purity causes this false trust to be broken like a piece of
earthenware. This is the meaning of the custom of breaking a piece of earthenware
at the marriage ceremony (60:8).
- To explain the concept of trust a little more fully: the essence of genuine
trust is summed up in the words of the Psalm: `Trust in God and do good'
(Psalms 37:3). One should never let oneself be diverted from Torah study,
prayer or devotion because of worries about not having enough to live off.
A man should continue to serve God in the confidence that God will always
send him whatever he needs. Not everyone has such absolute trust that they
are prepared to separate themselves completely from the concerns of this
world. But even those engaged in business or work of some kind must make
sure to fix regular times for Torah study, to pray at the appropriate times,
and to carry out all their other religious obligations. They should not allow
themselves to be pushed off course by worries about earning a living. They
should trust in God to give them their livelihood. When it comes to giving
charity and helping others or paying whatever is needed for the various mitzvoth,
they should trust that God will provide them with whatever they need and
bless them in the merit of their deeds. Sometimes people are aware that their
behavior is not what it should be and they feel that their ways do not find
favor in God's eyes. Still, they should not let this feeling become a barrier
to trusting in God. No one should say, `Who am I to trust in God and rely
on His help seeing that I have done so much that was wrong.' God is good
to all: `His love never fails, nor does His kindness cease' (from the Amidah).
A person may be small in his own eyes, but he should not let this worry him.
He should remain firm in his trust no matter who he may be. The main thing
is that he should always have in mind that his intention is for the sake
of Heaven. This is the meaning of genuine trust in God. It is the complete
opposite of the false confidence that leads people into wrong-doing, be it
stealing, cheating, forging documents, lying, smuggling contraband or whatever
- in the hope that God will protect them and help them succeed and not get
caught. This kind of confidence is the trust of the Other Side, `trust in
a trickster' (Proverbs 25:19). It is no better than a broken potsherd which
cannot be repaired. Even if a person simply takes big business risks and
borrows heavily to do so, trusting that God will bring off the business venture,
this is also the trust of the Other Side. Even if a person's business is
not on a large scale he should still trust that God can give him whatever
income he needs. Anyone with intelligence will understand from what we have
said that the way to avoid the trust of the Other Side, which is contrary
to the teachings of the Torah, is to remain firm in genuine trust in God,
regardless of his own opinion of his merits.
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