I would like to share a beautiful Rabbenu Yonah in Mishleh , ( perek י , pasuk כח ) This will give hizuk to people waiting for something, which sometimes takes a while. They are hoping and waiting, and really working on their Bitachon, but it seems very drawn out. So get ready for this pasuk in Mishleh . תּוֹחֶ֣לֶת צַדִּיקִ֣ים שִׂמְחָ֑ה The hope of the righteous brings happiness Rabbenu Yonah quotes another pasuk in Mishleh , ( perek י״ג , pasuk יב ) תּוֹחֶ֣לֶת מְ֭מֻשָּׁכָה מַחֲלָה־לֵ֑ב A drawn-out hope causes heartache If you keep hoping for something, and wanting, and you don’t get it, it just breaks your heart. So what does it mean that the “ hope of the righteous brings simcha/happiness? ” It does not bring heartache, but the opposite ששון ושמחה ימצא בה Joy and happiness will be found there, he says. The reason is, they aren’t hoping and trying for their own success, they aren’t hoping on their own strength, power or wisdom. They are hoping to Hashem’s mercy. Therefore, they aren’t disturbed by the drawn-out waiting. They get happiness from it. Why? Rabbenu Yonah says, כל מה שנמשכה ומתאחרת תוחלתם הם מתענגים על העבודה אשר יעבדון את האלהים The longer their hopes get drawn out, they become delighted because they know they are serving G-d with their Bitachon. This is a tremendous Hiddush . We are supposed to know that what makes us happy is serving Hashem. That is the one thing that lasts forever. No one can take that away from us. That is sheer accomplishment. The Gemara in Masechet Berachot tells the following story, which I recently quoted in the Torah Center, when we happened to pray Netz one morning. (Netz was 7:17am and we started at 6:55am) I heard this from Rabbi Ades: The Gemarah, in Berachot, refers to Rabbi Bruna as an Adom Gadol - a great man . Why? Because on a day that he prayed Netz , he smiled all day. He knew it was a great accomplishment. Similarly, the Rambam quotes a pious man who was asked what the happiest day of his life was. As the Pele Yoetz explains, the man said that he couldn’t answer without an introduction- that he didn’t know what was good or bad in his day-to-day physical life. It’s possible that his happiest day was actually the saddest, or vice versa. The only way he could answer, he told them, was to name the day of his greatest spiritual accomplishment. That is the way Sadikim think. So therefore, says Rabbenu Yonah, regarding a Sadik ( not an easy level), if it’s taking a long time, he says, hold on. Tell yourself, “ I am serving Hashem with my hope and Bitachon. I am counting on Him, and every time I count on Him, I’m serving Him. It’s a beautiful and dear service to G-d, because Avodat HaBitachon is a service no different than bringing a korban on the Mizbe’ach , wearing Tefilin or lighting the Menorah in the Bet HaMikdash. We are serving G-d with our Bitachon. Furthermore, Rabbenu Yonah tells us another big Hiddush : ואם לא יגיע הענין שמיחלים עליו Maybe the person didn’t have the maximum super-duper Bitachon that guarantees that they’ll get what they’re supposed to get. תהיה צדקת התוחלת But the righteousness of that hope, סבה לתועלת ולחסדים רבים ונכבדים Will cause kindnesses that are even greater and more honorable. מן הענין אשר בקשה נפשם Than what they want right now. This is a big Hiddush Your bitachon reward goes in your Bitachon-reward bank! It’s not wasted. No Bitachon is wasted. It will open showers of greatness later on. Like the story of Miriam, who took care of her brother and got paid back eighty years later. We don’t know what’s happening with the Bitachon that we put in our Bitachon bank. Rabbenu’s Yonah then contrasts this with a pasuk in tehilim that says ותקות רשעים תאבד The hope of the wicked is wasted. Because when they don’t get what they want, the hope didn’t do anything. But hope to Hashem, Bitachon- that is not wasted. That goes in the bitachon bank forever. These are two gorgeous Hiddushim, from Rabbenu Yonah in Mishleh, for the person who is waiting and hoping not to get down. Hiddush #1 is that you are serving Hashem with your waiting. Hiddush #2 is that the waiting is creating tremendous bounty that gets sorted away forever and ever, to be used by G-d at the right time, for your children, your grandchildren or for who knows what. We don’t know what it’s doing. But it is all an opportunity from Hashem, to give us kindness in the future, if maybe not for right now. Have a wonderful day.