Emunah, faith, is generally more abstract and somewhat passive; we learn about the miracles of the world, we understand that there has to be more to this life.
Bitachon, trust, is more personal and requires more active effort. It’s something that is built every day through all the little interactions, thoughts, feelings and words. It requires connection, safety, clarity AND a little bit of faith.
I think this is part of the reason people struggle with understanding suffering in the world.
We have all had times in our relationships with loved ones where we “know” intellectually that they love and care about us but we don’t necessarily feel it at that moment. We may even question it all together based on their actions. We don’t understand why they are doing what they are doing.
We can have this same experience with our trust in G-d. I have faith that He’s in charge and I don’t trust that He is taking care of me/us right now.
All this to say, it makes sense if you are struggling with bitachon right now. We know Hashem is running the world, but we also feel hurt and confused by some of the current events. It’s ok to ask the questions and express the hurt. Lean in to the faith and remember that it’s okay to feel despair and sadness. Please reach out to a spiritual mentor and/or listen to shiurim on this topic.
