The Balancing Act of Bitachon and Hishtadlut

Parshat Beshalach 5772

It doesn’t matter where you look, there are contradictions.

For just one example, let’s look at an event recorded in Samuel I Chapter 16.

A Lesson From Samuel

Saul / Shaul is king, but he has not fulfilled his potential. God tells Samuel to go to Bethlehem where he will anoint a new king.

We would expect Samuel to say something like, “Great idea! I’m on it today.”

What did he actually say to God? Here’s the translation from Judaica Press:

And Samuel said, “How shall I go? For, if Saul hears, he will kill me.”

What happened to faith and bitachon? Of course, we expect God to straighten him out and remind Samuel Who controls things. But here’s God’s answer:

And the Lord said, “You shall take a heifer with you, and you shall say, ‘I have come to slaughter (a sacrifice) to the Lord.’

It’s as if God said to Samuel, “Oh, you’re right. OK, here’s your cover story.”

So how do we properly balance bitachon (trust) and action (hishtadlut)?

Our Verses

Here are the verses that I used as a basis for my questions earlier this week (translation by Judaica Press):

Some Answers

Verses 10 and 11 seem contradictory. In verse 10 the people are crying out to God. That is an act of prayer which demonstrates their faith and trust in God. But in the next verse they are complaining to Moses. What changed?

Ramban offers two solutions. The second one is applicable to our discussion.

He suggests that both verses refer to the entire Jewish people. They believed God and prayed to Him for salvation. That is a demonstration of their bitachon.

But then a doubt entered their hearts about Moses.

Perhaps Moses just wanted to be a dictator over them. But what about the plagues in Egypt? Yeah, they all happened, but only because the Egyptians deserved punishment. But now that Pharaoh was pursuing them was proof that they weren’t worthy of God’s salvation.

What is Bitachon?

You will sometimes hear people say, “Trust in God and everything will be well.” They seem to imply that only good things happen to a person who trusts in God. But we see with our own eyes that that is not true.

Rather, trust is the awareness that everything that happens, whether it appears to be good or bad, comes from God.

Then, perhaps I could say, “If it all comes from God, then I don’t have to do anything.”

To be more specific, could I say, “On Rosh HaShanah my income for this year was decreed. I’ll just sit back and wait for it to come. No need for me to exert myself.”

Balance

Here is the approach of Rabbi Shmuel Houminer from Sefer Mitzvat HaBitachon (my translation):

So we see that hishtadlut (action) is necessary, but it must never cause us to lose sight of Who is in control.

No Action Possible

Sometimes a person is in a situation where no action is possible. This is what happened to the Jewish people. They were completely surrounded and were not capable of fighting.

In verse 13 Moses told them “Don’t be afraid! Stand firm and see the Lord’s salvation.”

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch compares this to what happened when Moses’s mother put him into the Nile River.

Practical

This interplay of bitachon and hishtadlut is not just for times of crisis. It applies to all situations.

For example, how many hours of hishtadlut (work) should a lawyer / teacher / plumber put in?

I was taught two rules of thumb.

1. What is the norm for this profession, in this city, at this time?

If the only way for a plumber to become successful is to work 50 hours a week and to be on call 24 hours a day for emergencies, then that is what you should expect to do.

2. What will you say if you fail?

Let’s say you’re a lawyer and want to be made partner. For the past decade, everyone who became a partner in your firm worked at least 55 hours a week.

You decide to have bitachon and work only 45 hours a week.

Now try this thought experiment: if you do not become a partner, what will you say to your friends? If you will say, “I should have put in more hours,” then you should put in those hours.

Your act is an act of bitachon when you can accept the outcome, good or bad, as coming from God and not from your effort or lack of effort.

Back to Samuel

So what about Samuel? I would say that he had bitachon. He also knew that in general it is best to act in a natural way. God agreed and told him what to do in those circumstances. There was no need to rely only on Divine protection when such a simple act would suffice.

Back to You

How do you decide when to act and when to be still? How do you balance hishtadlut and bitachon when faced with a difficult decision?

Please share your questions and suggested answers in the comments.

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Picture Credit: from Flickr