One day a woman came to Rebbe Shalom with some personal problem.
“I did everything I could, rabbi,” she complained, stating the essence of the problem. “Now everything depends on the grace of God, and I can only secure it through you, rebbe.” Please pray to the Lord for me!
The Rebbe immediately refused this request:
“Faith is the most important thing, dear one.”
The visitor was deeply depressed. This honest, godly woman was in dire need of help. From her point of view, the rebbe had no reason to refuse. Plucking up her courage, she said:
- How can I argue with you, rebbe?..
“And yet you argue,” he answered sharply. “Don’t you think you understand this situation better than me?”
“I am an unlearned woman,” she answered calmly, “but I know something from the Torah.” So, it says that when our ancestors were almost overtaken by Pharaoh’s army on the shores of the Red Sea, God first saved them, and only then did they believe in Him. Salvation precedes faith. I'm exactly the same. If God helps me now, in this situation, I will undoubtedly also believe.
- This was not enough yet! - Rabbi Shalom shouted. “Some illiterate woman is going to teach me Torah!” No one has yet been able to surpass me in interpreting the Torah!
The woman stood silently, not defending her point of view, but she was not going to leave so easily. Suddenly the rebbe’s face broke into a smile, and then he laughed heartily:
- However, what am I saying? No one - until today! Yes, yes, no one but you!
The Rebbe prayed for this woman, and God gave her what she needed.
Commentary by Rami Shapiro There are two types of spirituality. One is based on faith in the saving grace of God. The other is not based on anything. The woman in this parable represents the first type of spirituality, and Rebbe Shalom represents the second. In Hebrew, the two varieties of faith are called emunah and bitachon.
Emunah is faith in something. Bitachon is literally trust. For emunah there must be “something” that a person believes in. Bitakhon is the confidence that everything that happens to us is in itself a path to salvation—you just need to have vigilant spiritual vigilance.
Bitachon is a difficult state to achieve. Rebbe Shalom demanded from the woman who came to him what even Moses’ companions were not capable of. The Israelites could not believe the Lord and fearlessly face the next test, even when God showed His power by sending “ten plagues of Egypt” on Pharaoh. Instead, they began to panic and ask God to save them again.
Asking God for help is a sign of faith, but not the deepest faith. Rebbe Shalom forgot how difficult it is to achieve bitachon. The woman reminded him that such faith was not available to most; we need signs. For a woman, in her situation, emunah was enough.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru