Bitachon and Emunah
Bitachon and Emunah 17 Shiurim
Bitachon – Trust in G-d: Part 1
Why does the Torah command us to be certain Hashem will help, even though we may not deserve it? A look at the real difference between emunah (belief) and bitachon (trust) — and why Yaakov and Moshe, despite Hashem's own promises, were still afraid.
Bitachon – Trust in G-d: Part 2
If Hashem controls everything and isn't limited by nature, why does He want us to hold a job instead of just providing for us directly, the way He did with the manna in the desert? A look at why working through nature, and recognizing Hashem within it, is actually the deeper level of connection.
Bitachon & Emunah: Part 4
Based on Likkutei Sichos vol. 3: how bitachon — certainty that Hashem will bring visible good — coexists with emunah that everything, even suffering, is truly good. Since Hashem is nosei hafachim, a Jew connected to Him can hold both.
Bitachon & Emunah: Part 8
From the Rebbe's farbrengen of Parshas Devarim 5734: speaking about bitachon itself strengthens Hashem's protection — illustrated by mentioning the zechus of the Avos during the Temple service, and the manna that fell closer to those with greater bitachon.
Bitachon & Emunah: Part 9
Part of an ongoing series on bitachon: a letter from the Rebbe to a Yid drowning in debt, on why real trust in Hashem means feeling certain of good even when nature shows no way out.
Bitachon & Emunah: Part 12
Part of an ongoing series on bitachon, based on the Rebbe's 1952 maamar on "Bitchu BaHashem Adei Ad": why trusting Hashem because He loves you is real, but not yet the highest level of trust.
Bitachon & Emunah: Part 14
Continuing the same maamar: the deepest level of bitachon isn't based on any reason Hashem might love you, but on an unconditional bond, like a covenant between two people who promise to love each other no matter what.
Bitachon & Emunah: Part 16
The Rebbe returns to the same three levels of bitachon in a later farbrengen (Parshas Pekudei/Shekalim 5744), this time mapping them to three levels of Divine providence, from Hashem within nature to Hashem entirely beyond it.
Bitachon & Emunah: Part 17
Why the Alter Rebbe recommends saying Parshas HaMan daily for bitachon, and how the manna's unlimited nature reflected the Jews' trust — teaching that complete bitachon makes a person a vessel for blessing beyond natural limits.
Bitachon & Emunah: Part 21
A story about Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev and a chasid on the brink of bankruptcy, illustrating a promise Hashem made to Yaakov Avinu: that help arrives in stages, a small yeshuah before the big one.
Why Business Shouldn't Live in Your Head
A mussar talk on keeping business thoughts from consuming a person's inner life, built around the Baal Shem Tov's teaching on working with the body versus the soul, and the story of the wagon driver's timely hospitality.
Why the Jewish People Are Compared to a Reed, Not a Cedar
A classic mussar reading of Bilam's blessing comparing Yidden to a flexible reed rather than a rigid cedar, built around Rabbi Elazar's encounter with an unattractive man and the lesson in humility that followed.
Why Anger Is Compared to Idolatry
A mussar-style sugya on the Gemara's warning that anger pushes away the Shechinah like idol worship, the three classes of people prone to it, and a fantastical tale of a giant snake.
Why Every Jew Has Their Own Personal Mitzrayim
Explores how each of the Avos represents an individual path, and why every Jew is meant to experience a constant, daily Yetzias Mitzrayim within their own limitations.
Why Seeing Someone Else's Flaw Really Reflects Your Own
A chassidic class on the Baal Shem Tov's teaching that noticing another's fault points to a flaw in yourself, exploring the Torah's careful avoidance of the word 'tamei' in sensitive contexts.
Why Anger Is Treated Like Idol Worship
Aggada on why children sometimes die for the sake of the righteous, and a halachic look at destructive acts driven by anger.
Does Tzedakah Really Save You From Death?
The story of Shmuel outwitting an astrologer's death prediction through giving charity, Rabbi Akiva's teaching on tzedakah, and the importance of wearing a yarmulke.