Excerpting: “Rabbi David Chai Abuchatzeira on Emunah and Bitachon.” Artscroll Mesorah Publications. 2025. 316 pages. ISBN-10: 1422644529.
Avodah in Times of Darkness And Concealment
(Courtesy of Artscroll) Chazal attached great importance to maintaining emunah in all situations, even when we do not see the goodness in what is happening. In fact, the main expression of “faith” is when things seem dark, and one could think, Heaven forbid, that Hashem is no longer in our midst, yet one bolsters and clarifies his recognition that even now Hashem is showering him with great kindness, and if that kindness is not evident, it is just because Hashem’s Providence is concealed. We must believe that Hashem supervises every single person and every action, and since “the way of the Good One is to do goodness,” it must be that everything that occurs is for our ultimate benefit. The avodah of emunah at times like this is more significant and lofty than at other times, when the person perceives Hashem’s revealed goodness.
In this vein, the Gemara teaches (Berachos 12a): “One has not fulfilled his obligation unless he has recited Emes V’yatziv in the morning and Emes Ve’emunah in the evening, as it is written (Tehillim 92:3), “To relate Your kindness in the morning, and Your faith in the nights.” Morning refers to a time when all is clear. At times like that, we easily recognize Hashem’s guiding Hand, and proclaim Emes V’yatziv — it is true and established. Nights, however, are dark; this refers to our time in exile, when Hashem’s presence is concealed from us. At these times, we must maintain the same recognition of the truth through our emunah — Emes Ve’emunah, recognizing that Hashem’s goodness is still present, only that it is concealed. There should be no difference between our recognition of the true reality in the “morning” and at “night”; all that has changed is whether we see the truth clearly or perceive it through our faith. The psalm continues (ibid. v. 6), “How great are Your deeds, Hashem, exceedingly profound are Your thoughts.” The first phrase refers to the time of morning and clarity: “How great are Your deeds, Hashem!”
During times of concealment and darkness, however, we remain cognizant and faithful that “Your thoughts are exceedingly profound” — all that occurs in the world is planned and arranged by Hashem, and it is all for our benefit, as the pasuk says, “Your wonders and thoughts are for us” (ibid. 40:6). Thus, Psalm 92 concludes: “To declare that Hashem is just; my Rock in Whom there is no wrong.”
Whether in the morning, when all is bright and revealed, or when everything is dark and concealed, we must know that everything comes from the Merciful, Loving King, as the Chovos HaLevavos explains (Shaar HaBitachon, Chs. 2-3) that one should not trust that Hashem will certainly change matters for his benefit. Rather, he should trust and rely that Hashem surely wishes to benefit His creatures more than they seek their own benefit, and all that He does for him is in his best interests, even if he cannot perceive or recognize the goodness of it. Were he aware, he would have chosen this himself!
During times of exile and concealment, we serve Hashem through faith, for in the dark when everything is hidden, it is only through emunah, bitachon and hope that we are able to strengthen ourselves and believe that it is all for our benefit. Through this, we will merit to truly “relate Your kindness in the morning”; at the time of the geulah it will be revealed that all that befell us during the exile was sourced in Hashem’s kindness due to His compassion for us.
This, it seems, is the reason Chazal limited the time for reciting Shema in the morning to the first three hours of the day, while the nighttime Shema may be recited throughout the night: In the morning, and in times of redemption, when all is revealed and bright, a period of three hours suffices for reciting Shema. In times of darkness, however, when Hashem’s kindness is hidden from us, we must exert great effort to strengthen our emunah — repeating, again and again, that all that Hashem does is for the best, and that His way is to seek our benefit, and that no evil emanates from Him, Heaven forbid. Thus, the time for this Shema is throughout the night, for as long as there is darkness and concealment.
Every day, in the Ahavas Olam blessing, we beseech Hashem “for the sake of our forefathers who trusted in You.” “Our forefathers” refers to the holy Patriarchs, as Chazal taught (Berachos 16b): “Only three are referred to as fathers.” Yet of all the achievements and positive attributes of the Avos, the only one we mention is the merit of their bitachon in Hashem! The Shem MiShmuel (Mikeitz 5675; Beshalach 5676) derives from this that the greatest merit and praise of the Avos was their bitachon, and no other positive attribute approaches the level of this one! We therefore beseech Hashem: “For the sake of Your great Name, and for the sake of our forefathers who trusted in You, and to whom You taught the dictates of life, to perform Your Will wholeheartedly, so may You favor us, our Father, merciful Father.” We are asking that in the zechus of our forefathers who trusted in You, and merited that You taught them rules for living by giving them the Torah, may we, too, merit that the zechus of their bitachon should endure forever on our behalf, and that You favor us by teaching us Torah.
