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Chovos Halevavos - Shaar Habitachon Chapter 3 - חובות הלבבות שער הביטחון פרק שלישי

מי שיבטח על הבורא והוא ממרה אותו, כמה הוא סכל וכמה דעתו חלושה והכרתו! כי הוא רואה כי מי שנתמנה לו מבני אדם על דבר, כשהוא מצווה אותו להתעסק בצורך מצרכיו או מזהיר אותו מדבר, ויעבור על מצוותיו ויגיע לממונה עוברו על מצוותו - כי יהיה הסיבה החזקה להימנע ממנו להיעשות מה שבטח עליו בו. כל שכן מי שעבר על חוקי האלוהים ומצוותיו אשר יעד, והועיד עליהם שתהיה תוחלת הבוטח עליו נכזבה כשימרהו, ולא יהיה ראוי להיקרא בשם בוטח באלוהים.

But, if one trusts in G-d and rebels against Him, how foolish is he, how weak is his intellect and his understanding! For he can see in this world that if an employer appoints a man to do something or refrain from doing something and the man disobeys the instruction, this will be the strongest factor in the employer's refusing to fulfill his side of the deal. All the more so, for one who disobeys the commandments of G-d, for which G-d Himself testified that one who trusts in Him and disobeys Him will have his hopes foiled and his trust will be considered hypocritical. And he is not even worthy of being called one who has faith in Hashem.

This seems to be in contradiction of the Following Medrash:

Yalkut Shimoni Tehillim 32 / #719 - - ילקוט שמעוני תהילים לב רמז תשיט

רבי אליעזר ורבי תנחום בשם רבי ירמיה אפילו רשע ובוטח בה' חסד יסובבנו

Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Tanchum in the name of Rabbi Yirmiya: Even a wicked person who has faith in Hashem will be surrounded with favor.

How can the words of the CHOVOS HALEVAVOS be reconciled with the YALKUT SHIMONI?

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    I'm reading the first source in a practical sense (i.e. 'No True Scotsman' argument, the fact that someone is going against the word of Hashem is indicative of one's lack of Bitachon), and the second source as being more of a 'theoretical' statement (i.e. if one is a wicked person who also has Bitachon, however that might possibly occur, then they will still be 'surrounded with favor'). Jul 9, 2018 at 14:49
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    Perhaps they disagree?
    – Alex
    Jul 9, 2018 at 15:47
  • @Salmononius2 1- The first says does not say that "someone is going against the word of Hashem is indicative of one's lack of Bitachon". It says that "one who trusts in Him and disobeys Him will have his hopes foiled and his trust will be considered hypocritical". This means that they surely will not be rewarded for it. That obviously contradicts the second statement that says "He will still be 'surrounded with favor'. Jul 9, 2018 at 18:22
  • @Alex The CH cannot disagree with a Midrash unless he has another Midrashic or Talmudic source to side with. Jul 9, 2018 at 18:24
  • @RibbisRabbiAndMore מהיכא תיתי? Especially considering that Yalkut Shimoni actually postdates Chovos Halevavos.
    – Alex
    Jul 9, 2018 at 18:48

1 Answer 1

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see commentaries here

Marpe Lenefesh: Even though G-d has compassion on all His creations, including the wicked, as he explained earlier, even so, for this, one should not think that G-d will forever tolerate him, and trust that G-d will continue bestowing good to him always despite his wickedness. And even though things are going well now, there is no escape from His judgments, and eventually, when He wishes, He will choose a time and place to collect His debt (of justice). Rather it is proper for a man to endeavor to fulfill all of G-d's commandments.

Matanas Chelko: ... And even though G-d also does the will of the wicked sometimes, nevertheless, they cannot trust in this because they cannot know for sure how long G-d will hold back retribution from them. Unlike the righteous, who can rest assured.

thus, the wicked can trust on God's kindness since He is merciful to all, even the wicked. But he cannot trust in G-d in the way laid out there in the Gate of Trust, whereby the truster rests assured 100% that God takes care of him in the best way possible in all matters.

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