The Trust Factor
A daily lesson that focuses on achieving unparalleled success in life using ancient wisdom in modern times.
We will be discussing critical concepts as they are laid out in the book Sha'ar Habitachon - The Gate of Trust. Written 1000 years ago, the author reminds us of the values and wisdom that have allowed humanity to thrive throughout history.
The concept of trusting in a higher power that exists purely for our benefit, puts us in the drivers seat with absolute confidence to achieve greatness.
Eliminate: Fear, Hatred, Anxiety, Depression, Jealousy, Greed...forever!
* Note that some terminology will be in the original Hebrew or Aramaic which I will always follow with the English translation.
The Trust Factor
Episode 61 - How God Works Through Others: Balancing Faith in a Human World
Have you ever considered what it truly means to place your faith in something—or someone? On the eve of Shavuot, we explore one of Judaism's most profound paradoxes: how to maintain complete trust in God while navigating a world that constantly demands we rely on others.
The Torah, whose very name derives from the Hebrew word for "instruction," serves as humanity's divine manual for achieving our highest potential. Just as manufacturers provide user guides for their products, God has equipped us with comprehensive guidance for navigating existence. Tonight marks the celebration of Shavuot, commemorating when God presented this extraordinary gift before millions of witnesses over three millennia ago—a moment so significant that all major religions acknowledge its historical impact.
Delving into the third fundamental principle of complete trust, we confront an uncomfortable truth: our tendency to place faith in other people undermines our relationship with the divine. Through striking examples—from those who bow before wooden figurines to our everyday reliance on doctors, employers, and family members—we uncover the solution to this apparent contradiction. True wisdom lies not in refusing human assistance but in recognizing that when we "trust" others, we're actually trusting God to work through them. By making this subtle yet profound shift in perspective, we align ourselves with the ultimate reality behind all worldly interactions.
As you celebrate Shavuot through Torah study tonight, consider how this principle might transform your approach to challenges. How might recognizing God as the source working through your circumstances change your response to life's uncertainties? Join us again Wednesday as we continue exploring these timeless teachings that guarantee success when implemented faithfully in your daily life.
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Trust Factor for Sunday, the Sunday that is the night of the holiday of Shavuot that is coming up tonight. I hope you had an amazing Shabbat. It is incumbent on me to remind you that this podcast is the only one that guarantees your success in life if you implement the teachings of divine age-old wisdom. My friends, tonight starts a holiday that revolves around learning, sitting and learning the beautiful Torah that God gave us and understanding its contents, what it tells us how to operate, what to do and what not to do the Torah. The root word of Torah is Hora'ah. What's a Hora'ah? The Hebrew speakers already know those who don't speak Hebrew. Hora'ah is instruction. So when it says Torah or Torah Chaim, it's saying this is your instruction manual.
Speaker 1:My friends, god is certainly no worse than an average manufacturer today who gives us a manual for whatever it is that we've purchased today? Who gives us a manual for whatever it is that we've purchased? God put us in this world. We are the highest order of creation. Everything around us was given for us, to cater and serve us so that we can reach the pinnacle of achievement. All of creation, my friends, nothing withstanding, it's all here for our benefit, for each and every single one of us on an individual basis. We're going to learn from that manual well into the night and into the morning tonight, so that we can take away some ideas. And, more importantly, we're going to show Hashem. We're going to show God that we are grateful that 3,300 so years ago, he gave us the Torah in front of millions of witnesses. The whole world stopped and understood what was going on. Every major religion that followed attests to the fact that we are the nation of the book, that God gave the Torah to the Jewish nation and that we are charged with keeping the Torah, learning it and teaching it and protecting it and enacting it. Those are our jobs and tonight, when we sit and we learn from it well into the morning, we are reminding ourselves and God that we are fully committed even in the year 2025, to be able to make these precepts a part of our life.
Speaker 1:Now we're getting back into the book, the Third Principle of Having Complete Trust in God. Very interesting. Let's read a little bit. The third fundamental principle for full trust in God is that one should place his trust exclusively with God. In any area where he's obligated to trust God. He should not make another being a partner with God, placing trust in him and also in one of his creations for his trust in his God will be undermined by his making someone else a partner with him. We talked about this in the past. It's time to review it.
Speaker 1:I may have alluded in the past to the idea that we can put our faith and our trust in other people. Sometimes we're forced to, or seemingly we're forced to. What Rabbeinu Bachi over here is coming to say is that that's wrong. It's absolutely wrong that the person who's holding on the right level, who knows that there is a God who runs this world and has absolutely no doubt, will come to recognize that there is no point at all whatsoever in putting our trust in another human being None. Now, the reason I alluded to the fact that we have to do that throughout our lives is because nobody is born with complete trust in God. It just doesn't happen. In that case, he wouldn't have to put you in this world, because part of our purpose is to come to recognize that God runs this world. It's a growing process. We have to develop ourselves to be able to establish that relationship and to make that a reality for us that there is only one God and that he runs the world and that he's the only one that I could put my trust in. That takes life lessons, that takes experiences. You have to go through the challenges so that you can come out on the other side and see God's hand in your life, and the more you see it, the more it cements for you what we just discussed. So Rabbeinu Bachia over here is saying that when we're talking about complete, pure trust, you know you've achieved the correct level in this world. When you do not put your trust in any of his creations, what's it like? It may sound silly to you, my friends, but this is a reality.
Speaker 1:Even in the year 2025, we have people in the world who will prostrate themselves. They will bow down to a little figurine that they purchased in a store, that somebody in the back room got paid a few dollars to make. A little figurine out of wood. Little tiny thing that represents an image of something. They'll put it down in front of them on the floor. They will get down on their hands and knees and they will bow down to this little figurine that was just created 15 minutes ago and they will ask from that figurine, all of the wonderful things that they need to get in this life. That may sound ridiculous to you, my friends, but I can assure you it happens all over the world, hundreds of millions of occurrences every single day. That, my friends, for you is a simple illustration of the frailty of man, of humanity. That should demonstrate to you that, at the end of the day, you cannot rely on humanity for your needs. We will make the most ridiculous decisions and we will spend our entire lives justifying our choices, no matter how wonky they are, even bowing down to a little wooden figurine that you just purchased and that was just created 15 minutes ago. Somebody is going to attribute to that figurine all of creation, that that figurine had something to do with your creation and the creation of the universe and the galaxies and the moon and the stars and the planets.
Speaker 1:Somehow, there are people around the world who believe this nonsense. But you don't have to go that far. That's not what Rabbeinu Bach is saying here. What he's saying is you should not put your faith in one of God's creation. Who's God's creation? Us or animals or other inanimate objects or animate objects in the world, whether it be a tree or fire, or the moon or the sun, whatever one of his creations, but I'm sure that he's talking about over here, more specifically, humanity, anybody who knows that if you've put your faith in humanity more times than not, my friends, you come up empty-handed. How do we do this then? How do we conduct ourselves? God put us in this world. He put us in a world where we're surrounded by other human beings and we are forced, we're put in situations where we are seemingly forced to put a certain or any level of faith in a human being. And certainly, sometimes we need to trust.
Speaker 1:What about our parents? We're not supposed to trust our parents. I mean, come on, that sounds a little bit ridiculous, doesn't it? These are the people, after all, especially if they're doing it right. These are the people who live and gave their entire life for your existence. So why, if anybody, why, can't I trust them?
Speaker 1:And the answer is that, once you've learned enough, once all of these teachings have penetrated into your soul and into your mind, you understand that your parents are human beings. You understand that they are creations, that they are faulty, that they are created with the same faults and evil inclination that you are. They're no different, it's just that they sacrificed everything for you, and so they've demonstrated for you a love that is the closest form of love to his love, to the way that God loves us, and so we're obviously compelled, because we understand that, they're going to go above and beyond what everybody else on planet Earth would do for you. But how do you do it then? So if he's saying over here, rabbeinu Bachir, we shouldn't do that, we're foolish to put our trust in humanity. He doesn't exclude your parents. The paragraph over here doesn't say with the exception of it says anybody.
Speaker 1:The answer is as follows when you put your trust in a human being, you are putting your trust that God will function through that human being. God will enable that human being to do his will on your behalf. At the end of the day, we need somebody in this world to do things for us. God doesn't run this world through a system of open miracles. He created a world that runs seemingly through nature, and so we have to understand and respect that.
Speaker 1:In order for something to happen for you, it can't just appear out of thin air. You can't just be diagnosed with a severe critical illness one day that's gonna take your life in a week, god forbid, and the next day you get a clean bill of health. Certainly, that's happened in human history, but that's not the way the world works. The way the world works is you have to go through the motions. You have to go through the motions. You have to go through the processes. You have to have a doctor, you have to go for opinions, you have to get second and third opinions. You have to take active roles and treatments in order to cure yourself and to heal. Once you've done that, then through those operations, he can work his magic, but he uses the doctor and the medical system in order to facilitate. That's how you put trust. You put trust in God that he's going to work through that doctor, or through your parents, or through your boss, or through whoever it is that he's going to work through them in order to give you all the things that you need to receive in order to achieve greatness.
Speaker 1:That's the class for today, my friends. Tonight is Shavuot. That means no class tomorrow and no class on Tuesday. We will pick up again with a podcast on Wednesday morning, after everybody has been firing on all cylinders from this amazing holiday called Shavuot. Have an amazing holiday, my friends.
