What is emunah and what is bitachon? Emunah is knowing Hashem.
Bitachon is trusting in Hashem.
But what are we supposed to trust?
I once heard an amazing story from Rabbi Paysach Krohn, shlit”a.
When Rabbi Krohn was in his early twenties, he was speaking with Rabbi Shimon Schwab, zt”l. Rabbi Schwab was inquiring about Rabbi Krohn’s sick father.
Rabbi Krohn said: “I have bitachon that he will get better.”
Rabbi Schwab responded: “Bitachon doesn’t mean that you trust that Hashem will make your father better. It means that you trust that Hashem has a master plan.”
Too often we believe we know what is best for us. We have bitachon that our bid on a new home will get accepted. We have bitachon that our child gets accepted into the school that they are applying to.
That isn’t bitachon.
Bitachon is trusting that Hashem is with us all the way.
There will be hardships. There will be times when we hear a “no” when we want to hear a “yes.”
Bitachon means recognizing that G-d’s plan all along was for these nos, and that we will be better in the long run from them.
