I don't know who needs a Bitachon 101 (Trust in God) refresher course for this war with Iran, but Rabbeinu Bachya provides one in his intro to Parashas Shelach.
The media is so focused on Trump and the "Bunker Buster" bombs. This may be the ultimate solution to the problem of Iran and nuclear weapons. But it is hard to believe that Israel (the Mossad in particular) has no Plan B if the US refuses to provide the bombs. No dependence on Trump. No dependence on a miracle. Good planning and execution with Hashem's help will hopefully prevail.
I don't know enough about Rabbeinu Bachya's specific approach to answer that question with certainty. The key Hebrew phrases are כי הנס אינו חל אלא בחסרון הטבע and:
ולכך תצוה התורה לישראל להשתדל בהכנות האלה שיצאו חלוצים בעלותם למלחמה על אויביהם ושישימו אורב ושישלחו מרגלים בערי האויבים, כי כל הענינים האלה הם הכנות לעשות מה שבכח האדם לעשות בדרך המנהג והטבע, ואחר כן יפעול הנס על כל מעשה הטבע
I think it's reasonable to assume he holds that if Bnei Yisrael did NOT send the Meraglim, and just expected Hashem to make them victorious, He wouldn't have done so.
I feel similarly but then how different is it conceptually from the minimum hishtadlus approach? Reason I'm having difficulty is that it's one thing if one asserts (similar to Ran https://www.sefaria.org/Derashot_HaRan.10.2?lang=bi&with=all) that we vanquish our enemies with natural means, with the means themselves deriving from HaShem, then I hear maxing out our preparedness. Or, if one goes the other route (similar to Ramchal https://www.sefaria.org/Mesillat_Yesharim.21.8?lang=bi&with=all), claiming that all is miraculous with our efforts merely a price we pay and/or a mirage to obscure the miraculous then it's quite sensible not to engage in any unnecessary prep (however that is determined). It's quite another to assert that we need max out our material prep with victory still determined by HaShem, which sounds miraculous. If we ultimately require divine intervention to triumph then our efforts aren't causally responsible for the victory but rather indirectly via unlocking God's help which seems close to Ramchal, with the separation a matter of degree. I get that the practical difference is doing all we can do and only then relying on HaShem for the preferred outcome, which apparently we're both on board with hashkafically; I'm just wondering if they differ fundamentally from a theoretical perspective.
The media is so focused on Trump and the "Bunker Buster" bombs. This may be the ultimate solution to the problem of Iran and nuclear weapons. But it is hard to believe that Israel (the Mossad in particular) has no Plan B if the US refuses to provide the bombs. No dependence on Trump. No dependence on a miracle. Good planning and execution with Hashem's help will hopefully prevail.
I'm sure you're very proud of Matt. I'm a big fan of his and greatly enjoy his prodigious, high-quality output.
Amen!
Are you related to Rabbi Matt?
Yes, that's my dad. :)
Quite proud of his intellect and modesty.
This is a very important message to hear in light of current events, though some people still aren't hearing it.
Especially the (alleged) Haredim.
Now now boys, I seem to be detecting slifkinite overtones 😂
Is he saying that even if victory is warranted based on our merits it won't occur if we don't max out our preparation in the natural realm?
I don't know enough about Rabbeinu Bachya's specific approach to answer that question with certainty. The key Hebrew phrases are כי הנס אינו חל אלא בחסרון הטבע and:
ולכך תצוה התורה לישראל להשתדל בהכנות האלה שיצאו חלוצים בעלותם למלחמה על אויביהם ושישימו אורב ושישלחו מרגלים בערי האויבים, כי כל הענינים האלה הם הכנות לעשות מה שבכח האדם לעשות בדרך המנהג והטבע, ואחר כן יפעול הנס על כל מעשה הטבע
I think it's reasonable to assume he holds that if Bnei Yisrael did NOT send the Meraglim, and just expected Hashem to make them victorious, He wouldn't have done so.
I feel similarly but then how different is it conceptually from the minimum hishtadlus approach? Reason I'm having difficulty is that it's one thing if one asserts (similar to Ran https://www.sefaria.org/Derashot_HaRan.10.2?lang=bi&with=all) that we vanquish our enemies with natural means, with the means themselves deriving from HaShem, then I hear maxing out our preparedness. Or, if one goes the other route (similar to Ramchal https://www.sefaria.org/Mesillat_Yesharim.21.8?lang=bi&with=all), claiming that all is miraculous with our efforts merely a price we pay and/or a mirage to obscure the miraculous then it's quite sensible not to engage in any unnecessary prep (however that is determined). It's quite another to assert that we need max out our material prep with victory still determined by HaShem, which sounds miraculous. If we ultimately require divine intervention to triumph then our efforts aren't causally responsible for the victory but rather indirectly via unlocking God's help which seems close to Ramchal, with the separation a matter of degree. I get that the practical difference is doing all we can do and only then relying on HaShem for the preferred outcome, which apparently we're both on board with hashkafically; I'm just wondering if they differ fundamentally from a theoretical perspective.