(י) וַאֲנִ֤י ׀ כְּזַ֣יִת רַ֭עֲנָן בְּבֵ֣ית אֱלֹהִ֑ים בָּטַ֥חְתִּי בְחֶֽסֶד־אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים עוֹלָ֥ם וָעֶֽד׃
What does the Book of Psalms say of trust?
Psalm 52:10
"I trust in God’s kindness
forever and ever"
"Batachti b' chesed Hashem
olam va ed'"
What does it mean to trust?
A bird trusts that when it holds apart its wings, the wind will carry it above the rooftops and into the sky above. The flower trusts that when it opens its petals water will miraculously quench its thirst.
The Children of Israel trust when they walk waist deep into the Red Sea, while women lead them with tambourines and songs of joy, somehow the swords and chariots of the great armies of Egypt will not hinder their journey to the land promised by God Himself.
And you and I trust when we hold open the pages of our blessed Torah, miraculously our thirst will be quenched for then our soul may soar. And like the Children of Israel when we walk waist deep into the dangers of the world, that we will sing songs of faith and love.
This is very difficult to do, however.
The Psalmist offers some help in maintaining our ‘trust’ - for the word in this Psalm is ‘I trusted’ which means ‘I trusted.’ This reveals that trust is sometimes temporarily forgotten or lost but always present deep inside.
When we look at our immediate situation however - the flower about to show that it's petals are only paper thin, the bird as it leaps off a rooftop, the Children of Israel when the chariots and swords of the armies are within sight, it is often difficult to trust.
Yet, when we think of the long road our soul has traveled and has yet to travel, when we remember how our soul trusted then as it trusts now deep inside, it may then be possible to reconnect with the trust in God's kindness that is forever.”
(excerpt from "Software for the Soul: Psalms for Everyone - discovering the inner meanings."
Click Here for the link.