Think Good and It Will Be Good: Chizuk on Bitachon טראכט גוט וועט זיין גוט: א ווארט חיזוק אויף ביטחון

Everyone knows the feeling: the bill is on the table, the phone doesn't ring, and the mind starts counting everything that could go wrong. Exactly then a Jew needs a word of chizuk.

A thousand-year-old sefer

"Shaar HaBitachon" is the fourth gate of Chovos HaLevavos, written by Rabbeinu Bachya ibn Pekuda in Spain in the 11th century. It has an introduction and seven chapters: the first defines bitachon, the second lists seven qualities that make Hashem worthy of our trust, and so on, step by step.

What is bitachon?

In the first chapter Rabbeinu Bachya writes that bitachon is "menuchas hanefesh," peace of mind: the one who trusts relies in his heart that the One he trusts will do what is good and proper for him.

That doesn't mean sitting with folded hands. We make the effort, go to work, open the store, but the heart knows that parnassah comes from Above.

"Tracht gut vet zein gut"

In Chassidic circles one often hears "Tracht gut vet zein gut," think good and it will be good. It is told that a Chasid came to the Tzemach Tzedek, the third Lubavitcher Rebbe, because his son was very ill. The Rebbe told him, "Think good and it will be good," and the son recovered. It is said the recovery began the moment the father started thinking that way.

Three small steps for today

• Learn a piece every day. Many Jews learn a short piece of Shaar HaBitachon daily; a few minutes in the morning set up the whole day.
• Give thanks for what you have. Before worrying about tomorrow, count today's good.
• Talk to Hashem in your own language. A few heartfelt words in Yiddish are also a tefillah.

In the end

Hashem runs the world, and He loves us more than we love ourselves. When you think good, it will be good.