The Steps of Bitachon

The steps of trust.

There are ten expressions connected to trust in Hashem with which the author of Duties of the Heart closes the Gate of Trust. He writes that they correspond to ten levels of trust, and about each one he says: "A person who trusts in Hashem cannot fail to relate to at least one of them."

From this we see that the author of Duties of the Heart regarded these expressions as an essential foundation of the mitzvah of trust. We can also understand that each one carries its own particular meaning and reveals a different facet of this mitzvah.

Since the author did not explain them in detail, we will try, with Hashem's help, to understand them by gathering the words of our sages that relate to each one. Perhaps this is exactly what he had in mind. May it be Hashem's will that we succeed in uncovering and correctly grasping at least part of their meaning.

May it be Hashem's will that what is written here matches the true meaning of these words, that no error occur through my fault, and that Hashem's favor rest upon us. Amen!

Bitachon (trust) is complete inner certainty, free of doubt and wavering. A person who has bitachon looks at the world calmly, without anxiety or fear, because they hold firmly to faith and view reality through it.

As long as a person lacks absolute certainty in the foundations of faith, it will be hard for them to rise to the level of bitachon. That is why trust is the child of faith: you cannot truly rely on something you are not inwardly convinced of. That's why the best path to the mitzvah of bitachon is deep study and reflection on the foundations of faith, along with the words of the sages of Torah about it.

Trust is the root of all the mitzvot and the foundation of a person's conduct in the mitzvot between a person and Hashem, as well as between a person and others. Because someone who has perfected the quality of bitachon will be able to fulfill all the mitzvot and the Torah far better.

As the author of Duties of the Heart writes:

"It (bitachon) brings a person great benefits both in matters of Torah and in matters of this world... Among them is peace of mind and a person's confidence in Hashem, blessed be He."