People who are anxious or hoping for something are often encouraged to “have bitachon” in Hashem, but what does that mean?
Generally, bitachon is used interchangeably with “trust” or “faith” in English, and the phrase in Tehillim “va’ani evtach bach” lends itself to that translation. If you look at other instances where the shoresh bet-tet-chet is used in Tanach, however, it is commonly in reference to a sense of security, a stability, a settledness. Compared to security, trust or faith sounds a little abstract – a little more desperate, like a leap into the unknown or a prayer in the dark. Security evokes action plans, tangible measures, and a sense of preparedness and safety.
For this reason, in the context of bitachon in Hashem, I would translate bitcachon as security. It’s true that faith can be blind, trust can be baseless, and it is even possible to have a false sense of security. Hashem’s assurances, however, are supported by covenants universal, national and individual. He spells out His role in creation and how to navigate in His world according to His will explicitly in the Torah. Reminding myself of these things makes life seem less out of control and makes me, for one, feel more secure.
