Bitachon Chapter 4

We find similarly regarding Yosef that he was punished due to his concern for the future. As Chazal says, “Yosef was punished with an extra 2 years in prison for imploring the wine steward with ‘remember me’ and ‘mention me to pharaoh’” (ברשאית מ יד & ילקות מקץ מא קמז).

We have to analyze this further. Surely, Yosef’s efforts to escape from prison were not based on his desire to improve his material lot or because he found it too difficult to endure his life in prison. For Yosef certainly accepted all of his suffering with love of Hashem and he rejoiced in them. Rather, Yosef desired to leave jail because he missed the Torah learning that he had studied when he was with his father. Yosef longed to reach those heights in Torah that had been available to him when they were together. Accordingly, we must ask: What is the sin in attempting to gain freedom? His intentions were solely focused on attaining spiritual benefits rather than material benefits. It is reasonable to say that this should be, in fact, a mitzvah. Even according to Chazal’s explanation that Yosef sinned, it is difficult to understand why Chazal find fault that Yosef doubled his entreaties to the wine steward. How was the sin compounded by asking twice? If asking one time does not indicate a sin of lacking of Bitachon, it should not be considered a lack of Bitachon when asking a second time either! And if one time was enough to betray a lack of Bitachon, then he should have been punished for asking the first time alone, regardless of whether or not he asked again. Besides for the above, it seems astonishing that he should be held liable for retribution because of a minuscule shortfall of Bitachon. Why didn’t the greatness in Bitachon that he achieved protect him from being punished from such a minor imperfection?

Now, we find two kinds of stumbling in a person’s climb for greatness. The first, seven times a Tzadik falls and he [still] gets up (משלי כד טז). And the second, one who sins and then repeats his sin, it becomes as if it’s permissible to him” (קידושין כ). The explanation of this matter is the Chazal’s statement: “If you see a Talmid Chacham sinning at night, do not look negatively at him by day because he certainly did Teshuva” (ברכות יט). The matter is clear and there is a difference between a “Chacham” and a “Talmid Chacham.” These two categories are entirely different from each other. For when a talmid chacham stumbles, the obstacle happens to come upon him. Even a person who is punctilious and attentive that all of his actions should conform precisely to the dictates of the Torah and proper Middot, cannot possibly escape this. Sometimes, an essentially good person stumbles — not because he ascertained it was what he wanted, but rather due to doubts. He chose this path in order to experiment and to discover if this path is the right one or not. He didn’t choose, however, with the conviction that this is how he will live his life. These obstacles present themselves even before those who truly seek to do Hashem’s will. They arise in man’s quest to find the right path, and while searches for the way that is right for him and his temperament, he is danger of stumbling.

Similarly, when a person seeks to erect barriers against his flaws, and before he settles on the the exact barriers that he requires, which is neither too extreme or too lax, his inquiry can lead to errors. However, these errors are not absolute errors; they cannot fool him into thinking that they are actually the correct path. The stumbling that occurs to a “Chacham” who nevertheless considers himself a “Talmid,” he still seeks personal development which will be a learning experience that enables him to grow. For in one sense, an error is a bright light that imparts to him the true path (מבחר הפנינים). Since he conducted a great experiment, without which a person cannot determine the correct path or answer the questions of life. He can now attain a lofty spiritual standing with the knowledge that if he strays from his path even a hairsbreadth, he will descend to awful depths.

It emerges that a stumbling block before a seeker is, in fact, a light illuminating the proper path. As Chazal said, "A person cannot fully understand something unless he stumbles in it" (שבת קכ). Through stumbling, he realized that if he veers slightly from the truth, he descend from his level. Therefore, he knows how to rise from such a fall. As the Pasuk says, "Seven times the Tzadik falls and he still gets up" (משלי כד טז). The fall does not carve out a new path for him, rather, on the contrary, the fall itself clarifies for him that this path is the wrong path. Therefore, the Tzadik falls and rises, because the fall does not decrease his desire for seeking glue. Instead, he returns to seek and then his falling is a great help for it educates him in what is strong, what is week, what is proper, and what is improper.

However, a "Chacham" who considers himself above learning and seeking, when he falls, he suffers a double shortfall. Besides for the sin itself, he transforms his sin into policy and is left devising all sorts of imaginary justifications for his actions. The result of his fanciful thinking is that he goes on a wrongheaded path, while distancing anyone who might criticize himself and he associates only with people who support him. The man who is wise in his own eyes disparages anyone who chooses a more religious lifestyle and praises those who follow him. The results is that his stumbling darkens his path, for he is so lost that it is exceedingly difficult for him to abandon his path. He concludes that since it is difficult for him to change his path, his path must be correct otherwise it wouldn't be so hard to change. Setting aside his justification, his transgressions define his lifestyle and he finds it difficult to separate from that road since he desires to sin. But even more damaging than the sin itself, is the path created by the sin. Since he sins repeatedly, it appears permitted in his eyes.

Now when it comes to a "Chacham" that stills considers himself a "Talmid," if he sins at night, do not think negatively of him by day, because he certainly did teshuva already (ברכות יט). This is because he does not allow himself to sink into the sin to the paint that it becomes his ideology. As soon as he recognizes that it is a stumbling block, he recoils from it and he makes a safeguard greater then before to ensure he doesn't stumble again. However, when a "Chacham" who doesn't consider himself a "Talmid" stumbles, since he doesn't rush to separate himself from the sin, he steeps himself in it until he creates a new path based on it. His seeking is limited, for he doesn't see the need to seek further. Instead of being a person who seeks out and chooses his path in life, he has become one who the path in life chooses. The sin attaches itself to him like a dog.

With this preface, we can understand the considerable difference between requesting only one time "remember me" and repeating the request a second time. The first time might have been a fluke, since Yosef was very advanced in Bitachon. We see this when Yaakov sent Yosef to find his brothers. The man said, "For I heard them say, 'Let's go to Dothan'” (ברשאית לז יז). Rashi explains that while en route, he met a man who warned Yosef that the brothers wanted to harm him. Nevertheless, he sought to find them because he was certain no harm would befall him without the permission of Hashem. Therefore, he forged onwards completely unafraid. We see the same throughout all of the Torah -- he didn't place his trust in himself, rather he followed whatever Hashem commanded him to do. For example, when Potifar's wife demanded he sin with her and even grabbed his clothing to that end, "He got away and fled outside" (ברשאית לט יב). He didn't trust himself that he could withstand the test, rather he acted purely by the Torah's guidelines. Therefore, after he sat in jail for ten years, when the opportunity to be released came to him, he should've dismissed it since without the Creator's permission, it would lead to naught. If the Creator wanted it to pass, it would happen without any involvement on Yosef's part. Thus, he should have refrained from engaging in Hisdalut.

Therefore, when Yosef said, "Remember me" twice, it was a failing in Bitachon. The first time he mentioned "remember me," it might have been accidental error in passing. However, since he repeated it a second time, it made clear that it was not a mistake but rather it was an ideology about Bitachon. He must have been convinced of his ideology, because he had the opportunity to renege on his request for help. The first time he said simply, "But remember me" and he did not go into details of his imprisonment. The second time, however, he elaborated on it. This is because the first mention was said in passing, but the second time was an expression of his belief that such was the way to accomplish Hisdalut. Therefore, he was punished.

Yosef's punishment was warranted, possibly, for the following two reasons. The first, he was destined to be king and a king must follow an elevated path. As it is known, he must have two Torahs and one on his body at all times. Additionally, he must bow more during praying. Since his high elevated station requires him to lower himself more than an ordinary man, a king, once he bows, does not rise until after praying (ברכות לד). That is, he does not stand erect until he has completed his prayers. Anyone who is exalted more than others, must humble himself (רש״י לברכות לד) and his Bitachon must be more complete than others.

Additionally, Yosef achieved outstanding greatness in Bitachon. And Hashem "guards the feet of the righteous," so they don't trip and descend from their level. Therefore, had Yosef not been punished with the extra two years of prison for the sin of engaging in extraneous Hisdalus, it is possible that he would have erroneously think that the Hisdalut itself helped him escape prison and he would be convinced from then on that such diligence was appropriate. Therefore, Hashem protected him from such a mistake, letting Yosef see with his own eyes that Hisdalut does not accomplish anything. In fact, Hisdalut causes one's goals to move even further from his grasp. People assume that avoiding extensive efforts makes the goals more elusive, but it fact, it brings it brings it closer for: "In the way a person measures is how matters are measured for him” (סנהדריון ק).

Thus, we see that if Yosef had ignored his future needs, he would not have toiled for release and would have been released immediately. But since he worried about the future, he remained incarcerated for an extra two years.

This is the main principle of Bitachon: A person should not trouble himself over tomorrow. If he exerts himself over the future troubles, he gains nothing and will even lose out. His exertion actually makes his goals harder to reach. For such is the nature of life: That one who chases after a goal, it flees from his grasp. As the Gra explains: That just as the rule is that whoever flees eminence, eminence flees from him, and whoever flees from eminence, eminence pursues him (אבן שלמה פב י). The same applies to all Middot, including Bitachon.

When we compare the Torah's perspective as personified by he way Rishonim used to live with how our generation conducts itself, we see that the level of Bitachon has descended astonishingly to the point that nobody is even interested in it. The same is true for fear of Hashem and improved Middot, where there is a paucity of personal growth. The deficiencies is not due to a lack of discerning people who recognize that Bitachon, fear of Hashem, and improved Middot are the fundamentals of a Torah lifestyle. Although many understand that these traits are crucial, there are a precious few who actually seek to acquire it. When a person sees how the world conducts itself in direct opposition to the elevated path, he becomes filled with fear that he will not be able to withstand its pressures forever. He will be forced to arrange his life in a way that he will ensure that he obtains his bodily needs. He finds himself adrift in a sea of confusion. How can he continually cling to a higher road? He cannot ignore his material requirements forever and pursue only Torah. Eventually, he will have to face reality -- otherwise, he apt to lose all of his spiritual strivings as well. Therefore, he chooses the lesser of the two evils and first prepares his material needs, so they will not haunt him in the future. Although this will cut into his time for spiritual pursuits, he justifies to himself that this will better enable him to grow in Torah in the future. Then he sees that despite all of his efforts and planning, his material needs are not under his control and he is forced to depend on Bitachon for all of his material needs. As a person examines his options, he changes his mind from one moment to the next. First, he'll resolve to live a life completely devoted to the Torah and throw himself on the decrees of Hashem. But as soon as he's confronted with a challenge, he changes his mind due to the difficulty; he realizes that he cannot stick to this path indefinitely, so instead, he chooses to prepare himself for the future challenges that will come his way. Nevertheless, after the moment of crises passes and the thief is no longer there to steal, he feels comfortable once more. Then, he returns to his original, idealistic ways and he ponders his true obligations and yearns to become an elevated person who follows in the path of our forebears. He feels deeply motivated to ignore all of the disturbances in this world and to live a resolute life. He will fix every aspect of his life, he will perfect his Middot, and he will accomplish everything for the sake of Heaven without a taint of self-interest. He wishes at that moment to seize that path forever and he will respond to every difficulty of life with Bitachon alone. Still, he lacks the strength to muster these feelings and thoughts when faced with adversity, so eventually all of his idealism melts and his certainty becomes riddled with doubts. He realizes that he will never determine the correct approach and hold onto it his entire life. He will instead vacillate from one side to the other. This is not the result of insufficient clarity, but rather of a deficiency of personal strength to withstand tests.

This applies to general life improvements, as well as individual areas of growth. For example, how can a person recover from a tendency to flatter people? That is, he flatters and always agrees with their points of view, selling out his positions for others because he wished to curry favor with them or because he is frightened by them. Afterwards, his conscience storms relentlessly against him. He decides to change his way and he commits strongly to act only according to the dictates for the Torah. He will be afraid of no man and he will stand firm in his convictions. He will not bend to another's will at all, he will resists all seductions and intimations, and he sticks to his commitment for bit. However, his commitment does not last forever. He is too afraid of the future, and the challenges of life wear him down bit by bit. First, he comes across a powerful person and becomes frightened -- that he has no choice but to flatter him; otherwise, he fears, he will not be able to attain his needs. With time, he falls back into being a great flatterer, who bends and belittles himself before each and every person. He loses all of his convictions of what the Torah demands from him. All of his days he has a strong war and he is defeated on both sides. At times he manages to hold firm, but most of the time he cuts corners when doing Mitzvot to curry favor with people whom he believes have power over him. After all, in his opinion and imagination, he must do so in order to solve the questions of life and future life. On the other hand, some people have the tendency to put down people -- everyone and everything -- including great people. They cast aspersions on others, seeking to subjugate others to their own perspective and they never praise anyone. The root of his corruption is that he holds himself above all people, including those greater than him. Sometimes he may regret his behavior, but he finds it too difficult to change courses, for he thinks he will social credibility and he will end up with a harder lifestyle. As a result, he vacillates about the correct way to act and the correct way to answer the questions of life. Then, suddenly, he will have a brilliant insight and this pushes him to the extreme and starts telling stories of praise about other people. However, once he praises too much, he begins to worry that people might think higher of the person he is praising -- more than himself. He then returns to his decadent habit of belittling everyone. This dynamic is particularly true regarding Bitachon, where seizing the Middah fully requires great strength of character. At the very outset, you must abandon your calculations and machinations for material needs and throw yourself completely on Hashem. Even if one's recognition of the rectitude of Bitachon is solid, it is very hard for even the seeker to give himself over entirely to Bitachon. Anyone who desires to reach the heights of Bitachon will find himself in an immense battle surrounded by doubts; he can be victorious only with an incredible reserves of strength. He must be absolutely convinced of the truth of Bitachon and never let go.