S.5 # 11 | In God We Trust

What does it mean to trust G-d? How do we learn to trust G-d? I answer these questions by providing examples from the Torah, from Jewish theology and from my own experiences. 

Mentions:

House of David - series on Netflix

Nachum Ish Gamzu - Jewish sage

Quote by Alan Watts 

Transcript

Trust in G-d

“In G-d we trust” - this is written on every dollar bill. The phrase was originally used on coins during the Civil War, and then in 1956, Congress adopted it as the official motto of the United States. The phrase signifies that the nation's economic and political prosperity is in God's hands. On an individual level, for those who believe in G-d, it is safe to state that everything is in God’s hands - our health, our wealth (or lack of it), our success and failure, our relationships, everything. In fact, this concept is one of the fundamental principles of Jewish belief. The Torah instructs us to trust G-d as we would a parent and to strengthen our relationship with Him through the continuous building of trust.

 It is precisely in difficult times that we should have the most trust in G-d. It’s easy to even forget about trust when everything is fine and dandy, but during tough moments, if we turn to G-d in prayer and trust that He will turn the situation into good, miracles are bound to happen. It takes patience and practice to become proficient at this trust thing, but believe me, once you do, life will seem so much easier, meaning, obstacles will become mere detours leading to either something better or to another valuable lesson learned. When you trust G-d, you view the world differently. You view it as a safe place in which everything has a reason and purpose for existing and occurring; you see every event as leading you to something good, even if it may not seem that way at the moment, you understand that G-d has a bigger plan that will be revealed to you at the correct time and place. 

The personal example that I will share with you is one about my career. I was never very successful in my professional life. I’ve always taught languages and dance part time, I never made good money and I became sort of stuck career-wise. I did work for a large software company before having kids for a couple of years, and I was fairly successful, but I quit because the constant travel, often overseas, did not make sense for me once I became pregnant and then had my first child. Basically, no matter what I did in life, I always came back to teaching part time. On the one hand, I’ve been feeling a bit disappointed with my inability to progress in my career, seeing my friends and family occupy important positions in their place of work, but on the other hand - I’ve had the most amazing seven, almost eight, years of raising my children, of being with them, watching them grow, and being the mom that I always aspired to be! I feel extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to build my own schedule basically and to be there for my kiddos for all school events or be with them when they were sick. The flexibility I’ve had has been priceless. Equally important, too, is the fact that had I been successful in my career and worked full time, I wouldn’t have had the time, the energy or even the need for starting this podcast. Now that my kids are growing up, though, I feel that I can start thinking about my career and my calling more in depth again. Except that now I look at things differently. I now trust divine timing. I can see that G-d had this plan all along for me - you know, to be a mother, a wife and to find myself in something new for me - spirituality. It’s not by accident that I started this podcast, and I trust that this project of mine will lead me to something incredible. It already has, no complaints, but I know there is more to it, I just can’t see the finish line, only G-d can. Even when I sometimes doubt myself - when I start to wonder why I don’t have as many listeners as I’d like to, why I’m not this or that, comparing myself to other podcasters, I make sure to remind myself that I must continue doing what my soul desires, because this brings me true happiness. And, hey! Rome wasn’t built in a day! So I must be patient and also realize that the pace at which I am moving and growing is the right pace for me right now. Because, let’s face it, if I were to become super successful right now, I would have to juggle family life and career, something that I’ve been avoiding and something that G-d took care of for me by sending me an incredible man, my husband, who not only provides for our family but also fully supports me in my endeavor. G-d always provides one way or another, this is something I’ve learned throughout the years.

 I am currently watching the Netflix series “House of David” and this story actually also demonstrates very well the concept of trust in G-d. The series depicts the rise of David, tracing his journey from being a shepherd to his battle against the giant Goliath and eventual kingship with the House of David. The actual Bible story of David and Goliath, found in 1 Samuel 17, tells of a young shepherd boy, David, who bravely confronts and defeats the giant Philistine warrior, Goliath, using only a sling and stone, showcasing faith and courage against seemingly insurmountable odds. While the series took some creative liberties to portray David, I love seeing the confidence and bravery of this young shepherd ready to take on the world because he trusts that G-d is by his side. Despite his being the youngest of Jesse’s sons, the weakest, really a nobody, he knows G-d had a bigger plan for him. I especially remember this one scene from the series when one of David’s brothers threatens him to stay away from King Saul’s daughter, but David is in love with her and keeps meeting with her one-on-one. So one night, David’s brother who works as a sort of body guard for the King, corners David and vows to throw him out of the window hundreds of stories down where already bones of many other men collect dust. At this point, we see David almost falling out of the window being held by his brother’s arm, nothing else, and David says to this brother confidently, “try me” and of course the brother pulls him back out of the window. But to see that confidence in David is awesome and inspiring because he is so sure that he has a purpose, a mission in life, he has no doubt he will live and be saved by G-d in any difficult situation. And in the story of David as it is written in the Torah, we can find many instances of David’s unshakeable faith too. Let me give you an example. When King Saul asked David  "Do you think you could take up Goliath's challenge and defeat him?" 

David replied, "No man could defile G‑d's name and get away with it. I trust in G‑d to fight the battle for me."

"But what chance have you - an inexperienced young man - against a tough and seasoned warrior, a giant at that!" asked the king. To this David replied: "G‑d has never forsaken me in the time of need. Once, as I was tending my father's sheep, a lion attacked my flock and made off with a lamb. I gave chase and saved the lamb from his very teeth. And when the beast charged at me, I slew him with my bare hands. The same thing happened again when a hungry bear attacked my flock. Surely, G‑d who protected me when I went to save a lamb, will protect me when I go to save the dignity and fate of my people, in a fight with a vicious heathen who dared profane G‑d's holy name!" 

And so David’s miracle of a win turns him into a hero in Israel, and his story becomes a testament to the power of faith and courage.

Another important example of trust in the Bible is the manna - a miraculous food that fell from heaven to sustain the Israelites during their 40-year journey in the desert. What’s important to note here is that the portions of manna that fell from the sky were daily, in other words manna could not be stored. If stored, it would turn rancid overnight, except for the portion gathered on the day before the Sabbath - G-d would give a double portion on the day before shabbat so as to observe the day of rest. So the fact of not having any reserves taught the Israelites to have full faith in G‑d, trusting that He would provide their needs each day. This biblical story is of utmost importance when learning to trust G-d. We may not see what tomorrow has in store for us, but we must trust Hashem to provide for us in terms of health, wealth, and security, for instance. G-d wants us to rely on Him, and the more we do, the stronger our relationship. We and G-d are co-writers of our lives, and yes, we must do our part like work, study and do mitzvahs, but without G-d’s help we are not complete and neither are our lives. Just like when we grow up and still respect and care for our parents, we must do the same with our heavenly Father who, unlike humans, will always be there for us no matter what and will help us throughout life till the day we die.

 Finally, I’d like to give you one more example of the concept of trust. There exists a notion and saying in Judaism - “Gam Zu L’Tova”. Translated from Hebrew, the phrase means "this too is for the good" or "even this is for the best," and is often used to express optimism and resilience in the face of adversity. You’re probably wondering where this phrase came from. Well, many years ago, when the Jewish people lived in the Holy Land under the rule of the Romans, there lived among them a great and saintly sage, named Nachum. Rabbi Nachum used to say that everything HaShem does is for the good. Therefore, even if something that happened to him did not appear so good, or even seemed so bad that others would call it a misfortune, he  would say "this, too, is for the good." He used to say it so often that people began to call him Nachum Ish Gam Zu, meaning "Nachum the Gam-zu Man."

Once, the Jews wished to send a gift to the house of the emperor. They said: Who should go and present this gift? Let Nachum of Gam Zu go, as he is accustomed to miracles. Under Roman control, Eretz Yisrael’s Jews periodically bribed the government to mitigate the terrible Roman oppression. The trip to the Emperor’s palace in Rome was fraught with danger since a Jew transporting precious metals and stones in the Roman Empire could easily be robbed and abused. Therefore, the Sages chose Nachum Ish Gam Zu, whom Hashem supported with miracles, to execute this exceedingly difficult task.

They sent with him a chest [sifta] full of jewels and pearls, and he went and spent the night in a certain inn. During the night, these residents of the inn arose and took all of the precious jewels and pearls from the chest, and filled it with earth. The next day, when he saw what had happened, Nachum of Gam Zu said: This too is for the good. When he arrived there, at the ruler’s palace, they opened the chest and saw that it was filled with earth. The king wished to put all to death. He said: The Jews are mocking me. Nachum of Gam Zu said: This too is for the good.

The gift appeared to backfire terribly. The Roman emperor understood the gesture as a slap in the face and even an indication of rebellion. It was not beyond the Roman emperor to decree the Jewish people’s destruction (see Avoda Zara 10b). Nonetheless, Nachum Ish Gam Zu’s bitachon (trust) remained unblemished and undiminished.

Elijah the Prophet came and appeared before the ruler as one of his ministers. He said to the ruler: Perhaps this earth is from the earth of their father Abraham. As when he threw earth, it turned into swords, and when he threw stubble, it turned into arrows. There was one province that the Romans were unable to conquer. They took some of this earth, tested it by throwing it at their enemies, and conquered that province. When the ruler saw that this earth indeed had miraculous powers, his servants entered his treasury and filled Nachum of Gam Zu’s chest with precious jewels and pearls and sent him off with great honor.

And this is how trust in G-d works!

Now think about your life. Look back at the difficult moments, at the times when you thought your life was over, you wouldn’t be able to go on, or those times of heartbreak when you thought you would never meet anyone else and die alone. I’ve certainly been there. But looking at your life now, can you see that things worked out? Can you realize that everything happened for a reason and brought you to where you need to be today? If so, then you can see for yourself what it means to trust G-d. And if you learn to always trust Him, like Nachum did at all times, no matter how bad the situation seemed, you will change your life forever. You will never look at a problem with the same eyes. This trust is one of the main keys to internal peace and happiness. When I look back at my life, I can truthfully say that all the things that happened to me were for the best. They were lessons and they prepared me for what would come next. It was of course hard to see the silver lining when I was going through difficult times, but this is exactly what the Torah teaches us - to see the good in everything that occurs, even in tragedies. If you are like me and learning to trust G-d, I recommend you to look in the rear-view mirror once in a while, analyze your life lessons and see where they took you. Remember yourself as a small child, when you trusted your parents blindly. You would go with your parents wherever they took you, no questions asked, not a worry in your mind, because you never doubted that your parents wanted the best for you. And even when they did take you to the doctor’s to get a shot and you cried and were mad at them, you know it was all for the best. So continue to build trust in G-d because remember, G-d loves us all as a parent does his children and He wants only the best for us!

Thank you for listening. I will leave you today with a quote by Alan Watts, a British and American writer, speaker, and self-styled "philosophical entertainer”

• "To have faith is to trust yourself to the water. When you swim you don't grab hold of the water, because if you do you will sink and drown. Instead you relax, and float."
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