Saturday 4 May 2013

Mussar: What is Trust in G-d?

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Chovot HaLevavot, Shaar Avodat HaBitachon, Chapter 1:

What is trust [in G-d]?

It is the tranquility of the mind [literally, nefesh, soul]
of the person who trusts, that his mind [literally, heart]
relies on the One Who he trusts, that He will do that which.is good and correct for him, with respect to the subject with which he trusts Him...

But the root [of trust], which makes trust possible,
is that he [a Jew] trusts in He Who promised will fulfill
what He said, and He will do that which He committed Himself. to do, and that He intends to do good for him [the person who trusts], [even in matters in which] He did not commit Himself to do, and that He will do [for] him generosity
and kindness.

LANGUAGE NOTE:

When words like: He, Him, Himself, One and Who are
capitalized in the middle of a sentence, they refer to G-d.

CHRONOLOGY:

Chovot HaLevavot was written around 1040 of the Common Era by Rabbi Bachya ben Yosef ibn Pakuda, who lived in Saragossa, Spain.

Chovot HaLevavot was written in Arabic and translated into Hebrew.

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Best Regards,
RRW

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