Transcript

Rabbi Berman began his benediction at the inauguration by quoting the Pasuk ברוך הגבר אשר יבטח בהשם. It's a most apt Pasuk and theme to focus on in the aftermath of a presidential election and the beginning of a new administration. How to relate to the results of an election is a Sugya B'Halacha and the role of Bitachon, Bitachon is central to that Sugya. So let's try בעזרת השם בלי נדר to briefly explore that Sugya. There's a very profound and central dialectic in Halacha, which we encounter in different Sugyas, in different contexts, and ours is one of them. It's perhaps best illustrated by the comments of the Ramban, we'll begin maybe with the Ramban's introductory paragraph in Parshas Vayishlach. Nichtava Haparsha Hazos, Parshas Vayishlach is recorded in the Torah of how Yaakov Avinu prepares for his encounter, his showdown, or what promised, what seemed to be a showdown with Eisav. Why is it included in the Torah?

נכתבה הפרשה הזאת להודיע כי הציל הקדוש ברוך הוא את עבדו וגאלו מיד חזק ממנו.

So what happened? Hakadosh Baruch Hu, Hakadosh Baruch Hu controlled events. Everything is attributable to Hakadosh Baruch Hu,

כי הציל הקדוש ברוך הוא את עבדו וגאלו מיד חזק ממנו וישלח מלאך ויצילהו.

And then the Ramban continues,

ולמדנו עוד שהוא לא בטח בצדקתו והשתדל בהצלה בכל יכולתו.

So on the one hand, the ink isn't even dry from the Ramban having written the sentence that

הציל הקדוש ברוך הוא את עבדו וגאלו מיד חזק ממנו.

And then the Ramban tells us that Yaakov Avinu Hishtadel. Hishtadel in Rabbinic Hebrew is not the way it is in modern Hebrew. Modern Hebrew it just means to try. Rabbinic Hebrew it means to exert oneself. והשתדל בהצלה בכל יכולתו. That Yaakov Avinu exerted himself to pursue every possible means and avenue of Hatzalah, Bechol Yecholto, every he marshaled every resource, he explored every avenue. וראוי לנו לאחוז בדרכו של צדיק, I'm skipping one line, וראוי לנו לאחוז בדרכו של צדיק. And we are supposed to emulate Yaakov Avinu in this respect. So the dialectic here is as follows: On the one hand, there is a sacred obligation to be Mishtadel Bechol Hayacholet to exert oneself, but Me'idach Gisa, the Hatzalah doesn't ultimately owe to that Hishtadlus. The Hatzalah owes to Hakadosh Baruch Hu. That same dialectic you have the Ramban reflects again in his comments on Parshas Milchama in Parshas Shoftim. The Pasuk

כי תצא למלחמה על אויבך וראית סוס ורכב עם רב ממך לא תירא מהם כי השם אלהיך עמך המעלך מארץ מצרים.

Says the Ramban, Veta'am the meaning, Veta'am in the Ramban doesn't usually mean reason, it means the meaning, the content.

וטעם כי השם אלהיכם ההולך עמכם להלחם לכם עם אויביכם להושיע אתכם יזהירם שלא יירך לבבם ולא ייראו מן האויבים ויאמר שלא יבטחו בזה בגבורתם לחשוב בלבם גיבורים אנחנו ואנשי חיל למלחמה רק שישיבו לבם על השם ויבטחו בישועתו ויחשבו כי לא בגבורת. לא בגבורת הסוס יחפוץ ולא בשוקי האיש ירצה כי רוצה השם את יראיו המיחלים לחסדו.

So our trust is entirely, exclusively in Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Practically, the Parsha concludes and the Ramban later underscores that as well, the Parsha concludes with ופקדו שרי צבאות בראש העם that they should appoint commanding officers to lead the nation into battle. Our effort has to be maximum effort, 100% if not more in terms of effort and exertion. And yet our trust is not in the effort but in Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Both before and after the fact. Before the fact שלא יבטחו בזה בגבורתם they shouldn't think that they're going to prevail because of their Gevura. And after the fact recognizing that it was Hakadosh Baruch Hu Vayishlach Malach Vayatzileihu. And yet all of this doesn't detract an iota, it doesn't diminish even a Mashehu the obligation of להשתדל בהצלה בכל יכולתו. It's the same dialectic in politics. How much Hishtadlus is appropriate for Jews living in Chutz La'aretz is a separate Schmooze, but certainly the Hishtadlus of voting is appropriate. So on the one hand we look to identify of the candidates put forward which one is best from our vantage point given our values and concerns. But Mideich Gisa in the aftermath the Bitachon is not in the results of an election even if one's preferred candidate wins, the Bitachon is in Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Let's elaborate a little bit בעזרת השם בלי נדר. The Psukim are all known to us from Davening. טוב לחסות בהשם מבטוח באדם. Better to seek refuge with Hakadosh Baruch Hu than to trust in man because man as a rule isn't so trustworthy. טוב לחסות בהשם מבטוח בנדיבים. Even if you have someone who's a Nadiv, a generous, noble person who to the extent that a person can be deemed trustworthy is that, בבן אדם שאין לו תשועה תצא רוחו ישוב לאדמתו man's grip on his resources needed to do good and even his life is very tenuous. So not only טוב לחסות בהשם מבטוח באדם who's not trustworthy, but even טוב לחסות בהשם מבטוח בנדיבים the trustworthy individual because mortal and vulnerable man can't guarantee any results. But in addition to those two call them more pragmatic perspectives the Psukim that the Ramban just quoted לא בגבורת הסוס יחפוץ לא בשוקי האיש ירצה even when man makes puts forth. His effort, an effort which is again necessary, mandated, indispensable, so ultimately it's Hakadosh Baruch Hu who ordains and is responsible for the outcome. The hishtadlus is indispensable, Hakadosh Baruch Hu stipulates that that has to happen, but that notwithstanding, יעקב אבינו משתדל בהצלה בכל יכולתו, how is he saved? Hakadosh Baruch Hu saved him. How do we relate to politics as they unfold? So we certainly again do make hishtadlus again in Chutz La'aretz it's a separate parsha, how much hishtadlus beyond the voting it's appropriate for Jews to make is a separate shmuess, but we make the hishtadlus to elect the preferred candidate. If he's elected, we certainly have a sense of gratitude to Hakadosh Baruch Hu for that for that result. Vis-a-vis the candidate, there certainly should be hakaras hatov for any past tovos for which he's responsible. There should always be, Halacha respects the institution, the office, there should always be respect for the office. But at no point either when making the effort do we rely upon our effort, and even after the, even if the desired outcome has been attained, now that's always a function of one's perspective, whether the desired outcome was or wasn't attained, but even if the desired outcome has been obtained, there's no trust or sense of security based upon the result. It means that someone was elected to office, it doesn't mean that someone was anointed the Mashiach.

טוב לחסות בה' מבטוח באדם טוב לחסות בה' מבטוח בנדיבים לא בגבורת הסוס יחפץ ולא בשוקי האיש ירצה

is both when making the hishtadlus and after that stage of the hishtadlus has been complete, even if the desired result had been obtained, there's no sense of security or result in that in that in that, the result doesn't give us security, the bitachon remains, the trust remains with Hakadosh Baruch Hu. When when the results are again depending upon one's perspective to keep this Halacha and a-political, when the results are what one desires, what one perceives was again best given our values and concerns, so we follow the formula of the Gemara Brachos that a person should always be מודה על העבר וצועק על העתיד. We thank Hakadosh Baruch Hu for all his chasadim, all his benefactions until this point, but tzo'ek al he'asid, but we never can never feel secure in people that have been put in place, the bitachon is with Hakadosh Baruch Hu, not b'adam, not not b'nedivim. You know, in a very different context, not very different, in a slightly different context in Parshas Eikev. When when the Torah warns against

ואמרת בלבבך כחי ועצם ידי עשה לי את החיל הזה

and the Torah pushes back against that almost idolatrous self-perception that

וזכרת את ה' אלהיך כי הוא הנתן לך כח לעשות חיל

so the Ramban writes there that Rachmana litzlan when if we allow ourselves to lapse into a mindset of kochi v'otzem yadi so then the Ribono Shel Olam sends us a reminder כי הוא הנתן לך כח לעשות חיל. He demonstrates to us all too clearly that it's not kochi v'otzem yadi. We shouldn't ask Rachmana litzlan for reminders of the futility of livtoach b'adam even b'nedivim. We should understand that tov lachasos b'Hashem.