“A righteous person shall live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4), meaning that a righteous person lives by faith. The verse implies that a person who is not righteous has no faith, and this is impossible, because faith is rooted in the heart of every Jew, and actions that occur every day in people who are far from being “righteous” when they are in real trouble, when they are helpless, are filled with faith and speak to God.
For example, look at the story of the survivors of captivity in Gaza, how much faith was fundamental to their survival – so is faith only for the righteous or also for the common people?
Faith is really a very simple thing, but as simple as it is, it is deep and has many degrees. For example, when you are in need of something and ask God, when your request is fulfilled, you feel that God is doing you good, as it is written in the verse, “To say in the morning your kindness and your faith at night.” When everything shines like morning then you certainly see and thank Him, but when night comes, that is, darkness and you need salvation and turn to Him and you don’t get a respond, here you need and your faith at night, to believe that salvation will come, and what doesn’t go well is excellent for me and a kind of trust.
In the incident that happened about a month ago, when the first huge fire raged at the rate of 8 meters every second, the settlements of Mesilat Zion, Eshtaol, and Beit Meir were evacuated until the fire was finally extinguished. The results were that the fire was burning at the foot of the settlements and a lot of natural forest was burned, certainly unpleasant. But a week later, when the big fire broke out and there was a total loss of control and seven people were evacuated, by the grace of God, Mesilat Zion and Eshtaol were not hurt at all, thanks to the preliminary fire of the week before. Sometimes what looks bad is preparation for the good.
Let us look at what true faith is. True faith is to believe that the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world, and that nothing is hidden from Him. At any given moment, He leads the world down to the smallest detail, and His care and love for us is unimaginable! And for those who internalize this, there is definitely someone to rely on. So why are there so many rungs and steps ?
Faith is the strong thought of the heart that characterizes your views and gives you spiritual elevation. But if your connection is down, and you’re attached only to to pleasures and permissiveness, your natural instinct of Emunah is also down, and even if you think, you will see everything with the eye of negotiation, what I give him and what I get in return.
This secret of this faith is mentioned by the Ohr Hachaim in Parashat Beshalach. When Israel left Egypt before the sea was split, the Egyptians were in the back and the sea in front, and there was a feeling of helplessness. Some of the people had diminished their faith, and from those moments the attribute of judgment stood still, their actions were examined, and it was not possible to tip the scales in favor of merit. At that time, the Holy One, blessed be He, told them that there is a counsel to increase the side of mercy, and that is to strengthen in faith, and based on trust and faith, the scales will be tipped for the better. It follows that faith, which always needs maintenance, is what produces salvation According to this, the plain meaning of the verse “A righteous person in his faith will live” is not only a story about the righteous person who lives by faith, but it is a reason why the righteous person is privileged to live because he knows that faith brings life, and the Scripture says that a righteous person in his faith will live.
In conclusion, the believer lowers the Midat HaDin and draws abundance to him, and merits a life in calm and tranquility, and in two words, “the peace of the truster.”
Rabbi Avraham Avitan, shlita, gives a shiur every Tuesday at the home of Hadas and Dudu Zino
