Daily Bitachon: Shaar Habechina Welcome to Daily Bitachon. We are in Shaar Habechina , and we have reached our final category—category number seven—of the areas we are meant to contemplate. While the first five categories dealt with the wonders of creation and the sixth covered man's inventions, the seventh is perhaps saved for last because it represents the highest level: the sign of wisdom found in the Torah and in the chukim (statutes) with which we serve Hashem. The Infinite Depth of Torah When you sit and learn Torah, you encounter a vast wisdom that is beyond human contemplation. Torah is eternal. Anyone who learns a sugya in Gemara sees the complexity and the microscopic detail. Despite the endless sefarim of the Oral Law, the greatest minds continue to toil over it, yet its depth remains bottomless. As we know, istakel b'oraitha u'bara alma —God looked into the Torah to create the world. The Torah is the blueprint of existence. The goal of Shaar Habechina is to see God through His handiwork. When you study Torah, you realize that only something Divine could be so complex, yet so perfectly integrated. Pleasure in This World Additionally, we must appreciate that dedication to Torah and mitzvos brings what the author calls le'hanot ha'olam hazeh miyad — immediate pleasure in this world —as well as the reward of the World to Come. It is a vital principle to understand that "religion" brings joy here and now. It provides a framework for living that allows you to actually enjoy this world. Take the famous story of Rav Shach: he was once asked who had more Olam Haba (the World to Come), himself or the great philanthropist Mr. Paul Reichmann. Rav Shach answered, "About Olam Haba , I cannot say. But as for Olam Hazeh (this world), I can definitely tell you I have more than he does. I enjoy this world more than he enjoys his." We often mistakenly think pleasure comes from material indulgence, but true oneg (delight) is found in a Shabbat table or a Pesach Seder with family. The Prophet Yeshayahu says, "Incline your ear and come to Me... and your soul shall live." He further says, "Listen diligently to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance." The Chazon Ish once remarked that if the secular world knew the sheer pleasure of learning Torah an hour before Shacharit on Shabbat morning, they would convert just to experience it. Shabbat is the "hidden treasure" in God's storehouse. Nature Subservient to Torah Finally, the author makes a powerful statement: madreigat hateva min haTorah, k'madreigat haeved me'adonav — the level of nature relative to the Torah is like that of a servant to a master. The physical world follows the decrees of the Torah. The Ramban writes that the rewards and punishments of the Torah in this world are essentially hidden miracles; everything that happens in nature is dependent on the Torah. There is a classic story of a man with a lung ailment who consulted a great Sage. The Sage told him to move to Safed (Tzfat). The man asked, "Why not the Swiss Alps? The air is just as clear there." The Rabbi explained: "This isn't about the air. In Jewish law, your specific ailment is a dispute. According to the Rema (whose rulings are followed in Europe), such an animal is a treifa and cannot live. But according to the Beit Yosef (Rabbi Yosef Karo), whose rulings are followed in Israel, such a creature is viable. As long as you are in the Rema's territory, nature follows his decree. To live, you must move to the domain of the Beit Yosef." This illustrates that nature is bound to Torah. As the Or Ha-Chayim Ha-Kadosh explains, God set a condition at Creation that the natural world must be "humbled and bent to the Torah and those who toil in it." This concludes our analysis of the seven areas of contemplation. Tomorrow, we will continue with a recap.