In honor of Israel’s 75th birthday, Israel365 is excited to launch a new series of essays that will unlock the secrets of the Hebrew Bible!Excerpted from Rabbi Akiva Gersh’s forthcoming book, 75 Hebrew Words You Need to Understand the Bible (available soon!) these essays illuminate the connection between related Hebrew words, revealing Biblical secrets only accessible through Hebrew.Enjoy the series – and happy 75th birthday to the State of Israel!

בִּטָּחוֹן

BITACHON

BEE-TA-CHON

TRUST

“Trust in Hashem and do good, abide in the land and remain loyal.” (Psalms 37:3)

בטח ביהוה ועשה טוב שכן ארץ ורעה אמונה.

“Behold God is my salvation; I will trust and will not be afraid; for Hashem the Lord is my strength and might, and He is my deliverance.” (Isaiah 12:2)

הנה אל ישועתי אבטח ולא אפחד כי עזי וזמרת יה יהוה ויהי לי לישועה.

Bitachon, “trust,” is the backbone of our relationship with God. No matter what is happening in one’s personal life or in the broader world, one who possesses bitachon trusts that everything comes from God. And because God is purely good, everything that happens is ultimately for the good. Acquiring bitachon requires internalizing the belief that there are no coincidences in the world. It is the denial of randomness and chance in our world. It means that whatever happens is a function of God’s will and God’s decree. 

Bitachon, however, is different from faith. It’s faith put into practice. “Trust in God and do good” (Psalm 37:3). The “doing good” that comes after one has trust in God is the overcoming of fear and worry that naturally results from experiencing a challenging experience or situation.

“Behold the God Who gives me triumph, I will trust, I will not be afraid” (Isaiah 12:2). When we trust in God we are not afraid, because we know that no matter what happens, God is there. We are not alone!

Bitachon means trusting in God’s plan for humanity, even as secular culture grows more influential and many people turn away from God. “For My plans are not your plans, nor are My ways your ways, declares Hashem” (Isaiah 55:8). We must trust that salvation will one day come as promised.

There was a well known 1st century Jewish sage with an unusual name: Nachum Ish Gamzu, meaning “Nachum the ‘also this’ man.” He was given this name because he was famous for always saying, “Also this is for the good.” For one who has bitachon knows that no matter what happens, it is for the good.