Chasidut
is the Jewish understanding of Mercy (Chesed) in action and is linked
to the 13 Attributes or Aspects of Mercy. It is also linked to the 10
Sefirot and the three lights within the Godhead. By meditating on the
Godhead and his Attributes (Sefirot) one is graced with merciful
qualities (chasidut) to use in merciful service (avodah) towards God and
man. In order to attain these qualities one needs to acquire certain
spiritual traits or levels of spirituality which are linked to the 10
sefirot. Rav Phinchas ben Yair lists these traits or levels as recorded
in the Talmud (Avodah Zera 20b). The third stage on the journey of the soul of the Chasid is to the level of sincerity (temimut). This is the level of the Tam (simple, down-to earth person), who is also considered as ‘complete’. Temimut has a Trinitarian application of sincerity of will (a trace of the Father), sincerity of heart (a trace of the Son) and a sincerity of action (a trace of the Spirit). The Baal Shem Tov, Rebbe Nachman and Jacob Frank all stressed their desire to be ‘tam’ or a simple Jew (poshuter Yid).
Bitachonis a powerful sense of optimism and confidence or boldness based not on reason (higayon) or experience (nisayon), but on emunah (trusting faith). Gevurah can also have the meaning of courage and boldness. Emunah is thus total trusting faith that even if things get to the worst in the world, even worse than the murder of millions of Jews in the Shoah, then one with boldness believes in the coming of the Divine Will on earth and an era of peace and holiness.
The old Testament spiritual way was to try on working and struggling to overcome these faults through the keeping of the commandments. The new Testament way was to struggle and to overcome these faults with the help of grace and the sacraments, but the new sanctity is to desire to live in God's Will and all of these things shall be added unto you. then one really finds their true place both here and in the world to Come.
Bitachon is confident boldness in the spirit. It is a filial trust in the goodness and love and kindness of the Father. It is expectant faith and is connected to spiritual warfare as a spiritual warrior that attains through endurance the victory (netzach). This grace of Bitachon allows us to withstand challenges and set backs, as we know that all works together for good for those who love HASHEM. It allows us to be a constant and faithful friend and support to others, rather than giving in to our moods and feelings.
HASHEM, may you fill me with Bitchon shebeChesed so that I can be a warrior soldier and knight for the Kingdom of the Divine Will. May I be one who battles and struggles for the salvation and sanctification of all souls from Adam till the last man. Let us proclaim Thy Word with bold confidence and prophetic insight. Through the Mashiach the Son of Avraham, answer our prayer with Thy Chesed.
Moshe Rabbeinu, thou who embodiest the grace of Bitachon shebeChesed pray for us not to give in and compromise out of weakness but to endure all trials and to proclaim the mysteries of the Kingdom with confidence and boldness in the Divine Will. Amen
Marian Invocation: Our Lady, thou who art the Daughter of the Father, the Daughter of Avraham and Sarah, the Artificer of All, Our Loving created Sophia and Shekhinah, Queen of Mercy (Chesed), our Intercessory Prayer Warrioress the Matronita in whom Elohim delights (Hephzibah), pray for us to receive Bitachon shebeChesed. Amen.
When we discipline those in our care we should be consistent and do it with bitachon and not be weak and inconsistent in how we apply reparative discipline. We should also be confident that when HASHEM disciplines us, it is always just and fair and for our higher good and is therapeutic for our soul, even when our emotions and reason are saying otherwise. After being disciplined by HASHEM we should retain our bitachon, so that we can enter into prayer with this confidence and boldness to intercede for others and to tikkun haOlam.
HASHEM, fill us with Thy bitachon so that we may participate with Thee in the tikkun of our world and the souls in our world, especially for those most lacking in bitachon and who feel unworthy to approach Thee. May we in Thy Divine Will (yehi ratzon) intercede and repair for all and on behalf of all. Through the Mashiach the Son of Yitzach, answer our prayer with Thy Gevurah.
Moshe Rabbeinu, thou who embodiest Bitachon shebeGevurah when you interceded for Israel before HASHEM with the thirteen aspects of Mercy taught to thee from the mouth of HASHEM himself, give us this confidence and boldness to approach to the Throne of Glory on behalf of our brothers and all sinners. Amen
Marian Invocation: Our Lady Miriam, thou who art the Mother of the Son, the Daughter of Yitzach and Rivka, the Mother of Sorrows, Our Just created Sophia and Shekhinah, Powerful Queen and Our Lady of Confidence the Queen of the Angelic Hosts, pray for us to receive Bitachon shebeGevurah. Amen.
The soul that has confident boldness in the promises of HASHEM and believes with total emunah (faith / trust) in the compassionate mercy of HASHEM shines with the Beauty of the Mashiach Himself. The soul that has the Divine Beauty is the one who endures and overcomes all trials and sufferings and attains victory over his temptations and weaknesses through desiring to live in Divine Will.
HASHEM, with Bitachon shebeTiferet I approach the Divine Throne to pray and intercede for all those who seek beauty that they will find its source in Thee. In Bitachon shebeTiferet I make tikkun for all creation and all creatures with an "I love Thee, I bless Thee, I adore Thee and I glorify Thee' enscribed on all in Divine Will. Through the Mashiach the Son of Yisrael, answer our prayer with Thy Tiferet.
Holy Yudit (Judith) Matriarch and Defender of Israel and Simeon, thou who embodieth the trait of BitachonshebeTiferet, by using thy beauty to defend Israel and crush the enemy leader, pray that like Thee we will go forth with confident boldness in the service of HASHEM. Amen
Marian Invocation: Our Lady of Yisrael, thou who art the Spouse of the Holy Spirit, the Daughter of Yacov and Leah, the Supernal Rachel, Our all beautiful created Sophia and Shekhinah, our Beautiful Mother and bold Battle Maiden our Matronita who crushes the enemy, pray for us to receive Bitachon shebeTiferet. Amen.
Netzach whichis associated with the concepts of Endurance, Victory, Patience, Long Suffering, Overcoming, Eternity and Triumph is the Sefirah of Week 4 of the Counting (sefirat) of the Omer. The fourth week of Netzach
is associated with the Messiah as the new Moses and the Suffering
Messiah in his role as prophet like unto Moses with the right foot or
leg of the Mashiach and his Resurrection light (Bahir). Netzach and its middah (quality or measure or trait) Bitachon are associated with the colour Yellow in the Celestial Rainbow.
On a Marian level the fourth week of Netzach alludes to the Mother as a type of Miriam (the sister of Moses) and the Red Heifer. This is connected to of Song of Miriam which is a song of victory after Miriam has led the Children of Israel step by step across the Sea while in mystic vision she beholds the God of Salvation as a prepubescent boy-child.
Simon Jacobson in his meditation of Netzach in regards to the Counting of the Omer writes:
...Netzach means endurance, fortitude and ambition and is a combination of determination and tenacity. It is a balance of patience, persistence and guts. Endurance is also being reliable and accountable, which establishes security and commitment.
Without endurance, any good endeavor or intention has no chance of success. Endurance means to be alive, to be driven by what counts. It is the readiness to fight for what you believe, to go all the way. This, of course, requires that endurance be closely examined to ensure that it is used in a healthy and productive manner...
Rabbi Ginsburgh writes about Netzach:
Netzach is associated in the soul with the power to overcome those obstacles which stand in the way of realizing one's chesed aspiration to bestow goodness upon Creation. Insofar as the word netzach denotes both "victory" and "eternity," it can be said that the ultimate victory of netzach is that over death itself, the final impediment to the pursuit of chesed.
Before killing Agag the King of Amalek, the prophet Samuel said: "and also the Netzach of Israel [God] shall not deceive and not regret for He is not a man who regrets" (Samuel 1 15:29). "To regret" means to change one's mind. The sefirah of netzach stands firm forever and never regrets. Netzach is not a mortal ("not a man") who fears death and is thereby likely "to regret" in the face of death.
Thus, the power of mesirut-nefesh, one's readiness to sacrifice his life for God and the Torah, latent in every Jewish soul, finds its ultimate expression in the sefirah of netzach.
Netzach can also mean "to conduct" or "orchestrate" (as in the word which begins many of the Psalms of David, lamnatzeiach). Hence its consciousness is pragmatic by nature, as reflected in its correspondence to the right leg–which is the first limb of the supernal body to "touch ground."
Ginsburgh associates Netzach in a special way with the Divine Bridegroom (Chatan) and Hod with the Divine Bride (Kallah).
...In the "lower union" of tiferet (the Divine groom) and malchut (the Divine bride), the union of emotion (the heart) and expression (the mouth)–"He [the groom] is in [enters into a state of consciousness of] netzach, and she [the bride] is in [enters into a state of consciousness of] hod."
The experience of the groom, in the union with his bride, is one of netzach, a sense of eternal life and timelessness within the finite parameters of time itself...
The spiritual state identified in Chassidut as corresponding to the sefirah of netzach is that of bitachon (confidence).
We can all manifest at times willpower and determination so that we seem confident and bold. But is this a false confidence rooted in our own self-focused willpower which will not last? It is only when are confident in God's grace and Will and bold to apply those promises that our achievements are for Eternity. When we embrace this divine bitachon we have the capacity and ability to endure and suffer much more than we can imagine, and to triumph and attain victory under the most trying of circumstances. As the old chorus says:
I'm a conqueror and victorious, I'm reigning with Yeshua, I am seated in Heavenly Places, with Him, with Him and the Kingdom of God is within me, I know no defeat only Victory!Do I with bitachon charge into the Battle of Prayer like a Crusader Knight shouting "Deus Vult!" (God Wills It!") to claim the Kingdom of the Divine Will down on earth as it is in Heaven?
HASHEM, Let us in Thy Divine Will (yehi ratzon) receive the grace of Bitachon shebeNetzach, so that I can be a true Israelite that struggles and wrestles with Elohim in prayer in the hour of Battle. The mystical Book of the Zohar teaches that the hour of Battle is the hour of Prayer! We ask this through the Mashiach as the Suffering Servant, the Prophet like unto Moshe and the Celestial and Eucharistic Bridegroom, please answer our prayer with Thy Netzach.
Holy Gideon, thou who embodiest the concept of BitachonshebeNetzach, by your trust in the discernment of the fleece and your confident trust in HASHEM to grant thee a sign and to deliver Israel from their enemies by thy hand.
Marian Invocation: Our Lady of Zion thou who art the Celestial and Mystical Bride and the Daughter of Moshe Rabbeinu and our Suffering Mother of Sorrows, who with Bitachon accepted the Will of God and gave thy fiat for what seemed impossible, pray for us to receive Bitachon shebeNetzach. Amen.
Historians tell us that in 1936 King George VI was a man who was terrified of becoming King and wept in his mother's arms when he realised he had to become King due to his uncrowned and unanointed brother Edward VIII abdicating. However, King George VI put great store in his anointing and crowning as a being transformed by God for his calling. He then went on to be the bold, confident and very dignified and regal, as he led our peoples of the British Empire through the great battle against the Nazis and the Japanese during World War II. He gave the whole of the Empire hope and confidence, even in the darkest moments by his presence in London, even when the bombs were falling. He had the boldness to proclaim a day of intercessory prayer for Britain deliverance in the midst of the War, which some historians said was the turning point when victory started to look possible. Even the least of us should pray for that boldness to approach the Divine King with Bitachon shebeHod. HASHEM loves it when we have the trust, faith and love in Him to approach him in prayer with Bitachon.
HASHEM, Let us in Thy Divine Will (yehi ratzon) receive the grace of Bitachon shebeHod so that we may approach you with great emunah and be expectant that Thou wilt hear our prayer and grant our request in the perfection of Thy Will. Let Thy people roar like the Lion of Judah with bitachon in the battle of prayer for the protection of Yisrael. Through the Maschiach our High Priest and Intercessor, please answer my prayer with Thy Hod.
Yacov Avinu, thou who embodiest Bitachon shebeHod, in thy willingness to struggle and wrestle in the Night with HASHEM and demand with bitachon His blessing, prayer for us to receive this grace of Bitachon shebeHod so that we may battle in intercessory prayer for our brothers of sisters and for the tikkun of the world.
Marian Invocation: Our Lady Ark of the Covenant, thou who art the Celestial and Mystical Bride and the Daughter of Aharon and Our Lady Queen of Victories and our Perpetual Succour, pray for us to receive Bitachon shebeHod and thus be bold and confident intercessors and prayer warriors on behalf of Yisrael and for all men from Adam to the last man. Amen.
In order to reach out to others to connect with them and begin bonding with them, we need bitachon, which is that confidence to initiate contact and to begin that relationship and bonding with the other. The prophets of Israel demonstrated that bitachon when they boldly approached HASHEM in prayer and even bargained with him and complained to him. It was with this boldness that Moshe gained mercy for Israel after its sin. We remember Avraham bargaining with HASHEM over Sodom and Gomorrah and Jacob wresting with the Angel who was HASHEM. When we approach God or others, we should be humble but not timid or fearful, which demonstrates a lack of trust (emunah). When we have true emunah, we become valiant and brave Warriors of the Divine King that march against the enemies of HASHEM with bitachon. It is with bitachon that one transform a weak "may it be thy will" into a rousing and bold "Deus Vult!" or "God wills it!" of the Crusading Knights that captured the Holy Land and established the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Bitachon is the middah of Netzach or Endurance or Overcoming Victory. An important part of bonding is its endurance. We don't want to be a fair weather friend. Bitachon and Netzach gives us the capacity to
withstand challenges and setbacks of our friendships. Without bitachon and netzach
we will not develop deep and true bonding in our relationships with
either God or man. We should be totally dedicated, with appropriate
prudence and balance, to the ones with whom we are called to bond. We
should do this with no expectation that the other will return our
dedication or have the same level of commitment as we do.
HASHEM, Let us by Thy Divine Will (yehi ratzon) receive Bitachon shebeYesod, so that we can become confident and bold in all our relationships especially with Thee. Help us to build our spiritual life with Bitachon shebeYesod as Warrior Knights of Intercessory Prayer and a boldness in our relationships and connections with others. Through the Mashiach ben Yosef who is the Incarnate Truth and the Truth of the Ages, please answer our prayer with Thy Yesod.
Queen Esther of Persia the Redemptress of Judah and Benjamin, thou who embodiest Bitachon shebeYesod when you prepared to confront Haman and the King by three days of fasting in order to give you the bitachon to carry out your plan and the plan of Mordechai. Please pray that we may receive Bitachon shebeYesod, so that we may boldly prepare in prayer and then carry out with confidence God's will for us and our life.
Marian Invocation: Our Lady, Mystical Womb and Mother of the Kehilla (Church), thou who art the Immaculate Heart of the Mystical Bride and the Daughter of the Supernal Joseph, our Mother and Queen of Trusting Confidence, thee who boldly gave thy Fiat at the Annunciation, pray for us to receive Bitachon shebeYesod so that we too may join thee in thy work as Advocatrix on behalf of all from Adam to the last man. Amen.
Are you lacking in bitachon which is confident boldness and not achieving at your best for the Kingdom of God, due to timidity of spirit and action? The grace of BitachonshebeMalkhut will enable you to take those leaps of confident and bold faith (emunah) and do the work of building the Kingdom in your neck of the woods. Bitachon shebMalkut is connected to a person's dignity and the concept of Netzach or endurance until the victory is achieved for the kingdom.
Simon Jacobson in his mediation on the Counting of the Omer states:
Will and determination reflect the power and majesty of the human spirit. How determined am I in reaching my goals? How strong is my conviction to fight for a dignified cause? How confident am I in myself? Is my lack of endurance a result of my low self-esteem? Do I mask my insecurities by finding other excuses for my low endurance level?
HASHEM, let us in Thy Divine Will (yehi ratzon) attain to Bitachon shebeMalkhut, so I may embrace the values of thy Kingdom boldly and leap like the stag in the Song of Songs, over the obstacles to the Kingdom and desire to live in the Kingdom of the Divine Will on earth. Though the King Mashiach the Tzemach Tzaddik riding humble on a donkey into Jerusalem as Mashiach ben Yosef and as the Divine King Mashiach ben David coming in the glory of His Kingdom a second time, please answer my prayer with Thy Malkhut.
David haMelekh, Mighty Warrior King of Israel and Judah, thou who embodiest Bitachon shebeMalkhut when thou tooketh thy sling and boldly confronted the Giant, please pray that I might receive Bitachon shebeMalkhut, so that I might with confidence, trust in the promises and teachings of the Divine King and overcome all obstacles I encounter on the way to living in God's Divine Will.
Marian Invocation: Our Lady, Heavenly Ark of the Covenant and Queen of the Kingdom of the Divine Will, thou who art both Mother and Queen and the Queen-Mother of Israel and Judah and of Heaven and Earth, the wife of the Tzaddik Joseph, thou who with confidence trusted with bold faith the promise given to thee at the Annunciation, pray for us to receive Bitachon shebeMalkhut so that we might with boldness wrestle with God in prayer for the Kingdom of the Divine Will on earth as it is in Heaven. Amen.
From Luisa Piccarreta's Hours of the Passion with a Hebrew Catholic focus we meditate in Divine Will:
O Yeshua, together with Thy Imma, I kiss (n'shekah) Thy left foot (regal), asking Thee to forgive me and all souls, for all the times we have not walked toward Elohim. [Sefirah (Attribute)- Hod (Majesty-Glory), Middot (Quality) - Temmimut (Sincerity)]
I kiss Thy right foot (regal). Please, forgive me and all souls for all the times we have not followed the perfection Thou desired from us. [Sefirah (Attribute)- Netzach (Victory-Endurance), Middot (Quality)- Bitachon (Confidence-Boldness)]
I kiss Thy left hand (yad). Please, communicate to us Thy purity (tahor). [Sefirah - Din-Gevurah (Judgement-Justice-Power-Strength), Middot - Yirah (Fear-Awe)]
I kiss Thy right hand (yad). Bless all of my heartbeats, thoughts, affections, so that, given value by Thyb'racha, they all may be sanctified. And with me, bless all souls (nefeshot), and seal the salvation (yeshuah) of their souls with Thy b'racha. [Sefirah - Chesed (Lovingkindness-Mercy), Middot - Ahavah (Love)]
O Yeshua, I embrace Thee together (yachad) with Thy Imma, and kissing Thy Heart [Sefirah - Tiferet (Beauty), Middot - Rachamim (Compassionate Mercy], I pray Thee to place my heart between your two Hearts, that it may be nourished continuously by Thy love, by Thy sorrows, by Thy very affections and desires, and by Thy own Life (Chaiim). Amen.[Sefirah - Yesod-Tzaddik (Foundation-Righteous One), Middot- Emet (Truth)]
...At Thy words, the Apostles (sh'lichim) become sad and silent, not knowing what to answer. However, Thou addest: “Courage (Bitachon), do not lose heart! I will not leave you, I will be with ye always. But it is necessary that I die for the good of ye all.” In saying these words, Thou art emotionally moved, yet with a trembling voice Thou continuest to instruct them. Before enclosing Thyself in the Cheder Aliyah b'Tzion (Cenacle), Thou lookest at the sunset, just as Thy life (chaiim) is setting, then, Thou offerest Thy steps (tzadim) for those who find themselves at the sunset of their lives, giving them the grace to let them set in Thee, and doing tikkun (repairing) for those who, in spite of the hardships and disillusionments of life, are stubborn in not desiring to surrender and submit to Thee.
Rabbi Isaac Ginsburg writes about Bitachon:
Bitachon is the spiritual state associated with the sefirah of netzach.
There are two forms of bitachon: active bitachon and passive bitachon.
Active bitachon is the confidence one possesses in his own power and ability to succeed in his life's ambitions.
Passive bitachon is the trust in Divine providence, that "all will be good." In particular, it is the active bitachon which is associated with the sefirah of netzach; while passive bitachon is associated with the sefirah of hod (or more precisely, with the interinclusion of hod within the sefirah of netzach). This is so in accordance with the general principle that an active state is relatively "male" while a passive state is relatively "female" (though, needless to say, both male and female possess both psychological states).
Of the pair of sefirot, netzach and hod, it is said "he [in his union with her] is in [the general psychological state of] netzach and she [in her union with him] is in [the psychological state of] hod." The active bitachon of netzach represents the power of the soul to take initiative. God desires of us great, "independent" initiative–the initiative to rectify and bring redemption to the entire world. In our own taking of initiative, we must continually recognize that "it is He who gives us the power to succeed." It is His lifeforce and energy which is the source of our inspiration to achieve. In our active bitachon, Netzach Yisrael–God, the "victory and eternity of Israel"–becomes manifest.
Rabbi David Jaffe writes on his reflection on Bitachon:
Bitachon may be one of the most difficult Middot to acquire. The Hebrew root for Bitachon is ב.ט.ח. (B.T.Ch.) which means to be at ease, to trust and to be confident. In modern Hebrew the word Bitachon also means security and thus the Misrad HaBitachon is the Defense Ministry or Bituach Leumi is the National Insurance system. In classic Jewish literature the ultimate source of this sense of security is God.
There are compelling reasons why Bitachon is so challenging. For Moderns, whose belief in an all-powerful, all-knowing and loving deity has been severely weakened by over two centuries of rationalist, scientific thinking and horrific violence and suffering of two world wars, to simply rely on God to take care of you rings hollow. How can I trust a God who allowed Auschwitz to happen? There is not much stronger a challenge to the idea that we can rely on God than that. However, our post-Holocaust generations were not the first to struggle with Bitachon. Bitachon was also a challenge in Biblical times when Jewish society more readily accepted the idea of an all-powerful God.
Bitachon as a middah does not require that we have absolute trust in an omnipotent God. Like with all middot, there is a continuum and we each get to locate our own souls on the continuum. Some people move through life with an unshakeable belief in God’s goodness and protection. Others are much more anxious and worry fills their days. Neither extreme is necessarily good. Wherever you are on this continuum, working on Bitachon means moving towards balancing trust in a loving God or a good Universe with taking initiative. You never have to believe something you actually don’t believe to grow in Bitachon...
Rabbi Tzvi Freeman a Chabad Rabbi writes in regards to Bitachon:
Generally translated as “trust,” bitachon is a powerful sense of optimism and confidence based not on reason or experience, but on emunah. You know that “G‑d is good and He’s the only one in charge,” and therefore you have no fears or frets.
Like emunah, bitachon is super-rational. The person who holds such an attitude will always be able to point out the positive side of life’s experiences, but it’s obvious that his or her bitachon is not based upon these. It is not an attitude based on experience, but one that creates experience. It says, “Things will be good because I believe they are good.”
On the other hand, bitachon is not a strategy to manipulate the universe. Your belief does not create good—the good in which you are so confident is already the underlying reality. Your belief only provides the means by which that reality can surface...
There are varying degrees of bitachon, according to a person’s degree of emunah. One person may have emunah that although things right now are not good, they are all for the good (eventually). A higher, yet more enlightened emunah is that everything right now is good—even when it superficially looks terrible...
The Chazon Ish writes:
There is more to say about bitachon. On one who trusts rests a holy spirit and a spirit of strength, which proclaims that in truth Hashem will help him. As David Hamelech ע"ה said, "If they camp against me, I will not fear; if a war rises against me [in this I will trust]...". But this is a matter that depends on the [spiritual] level of the one who trusts and his level of holiness.