Mivtacho מבטחו

The sefer

Mivtacho is a sefer of sources on bitachon. It begins with Tanach and goes on through Chazal, the Rishonim and the Acharonim, in the order in which the Torah was handed down. Each source stands in its own Hebrew, with our English on the facing page.

Every source carries its exact mareh makom. Above each one is a single line that restates what it says and adds nothing of our own.

The index at the back gathers the sources by subject, so that a subject such as bitachon and hishtadlus can be read straight through, from the pasuk to the Acharonim.

The texts and the translation

The Hebrew is taken from editions that are in the public domain or openly licensed, named on every page, and is checked against the printed seforim. The Name is written ה׳, and אלקים with a kuf, as is customary in printed source sheets.

The translations are our own. They aim to read as plain English while keeping close to the Hebrew; words we have supplied for the sense stand in square brackets. Where the author writes Hashem, so do we; where he writes אלקים, we write G-d.

A page marked as a draft has not yet been reviewed against the printed text, and should not be quoted until it has.

Where the texts come from

Each sefer below is named with the edition its Hebrew is taken from, and its licence. Most were taken from Sefaria’s free library (sefaria.org); the Talmud Bavli there is the Hebrew Wikisource edition. Every source page also names its edition at the foot of its first page, with a link.

• Tanachתנ״ךHebrew Tanach with Nikkud (public domain), via SefariaEnglish our own translationDevarim 20:1–4 · Devarim 32:4 · Yeshayahu 12:2 · Yeshayahu 26:3–4 · Yirmiyahu 17:5–6 · Yirmiyahu 17:7–8 · Tehillim 13:6 · Tehillim 32:10 · Tehillim 37:3–5 · Tehillim 40:5 · Tehillim 55:23 · Tehillim 62:9 · Tehillim 112:7–8 · Tehillim 125:1 · Tehillim 131:1–3 · Tehillim 146:3–5 · Mishlei 3:5–6 · Mishlei 3:26 · Mishlei 29:25 · Iyov 13:15 · Koheles 9:11
• Talmud Bavliתלמוד בבליHebrew Talmud Bavli, Wikisource edition (CC BY-SA), via SefariaEnglish our own translationBerachos 10a · Berachos 35b · Berachos 60a · Berachos 60b–61a · Shabbos 32a · Beitzah 15b–16a · Sotah 48b · Kiddushin 82a, Mishnah · Niddah 70b
• Chovos HaLevavosחובות הלבבותRabbeinu Bachya ibn PakudaHebrew Vocalized edition of Ibn Tibbon's Hebrew (public domain), via SefariaEnglish our own translationShaar HaBitachon, Introduction · Shaar HaBitachon, ch. 1 · Shaar HaBitachon, ch. 3
• Rabbeinu Yonah on Mishleiרבינו יונה על משליRabbeinu Yonah of GeronaHebrew Al-HaTorah edition (in preparation), as printed by permission in Rabbeinu Yonah on Mishlei: An Elucidated English Edition, ch. 3 (2026)English Rabbeinu Yonah on Mishlei: An Elucidated English Edition, ch. 3 (2026)3:5 · 3:6 · 3:26
• Kad HaKemachכד הקמחRabbeinu Bachya ben AsherHebrew Kad HaKemach, Warsaw 1872 (public domain), via SefariaEnglish our own translationErech Bitachon, beginning · Erech Bitachon, s.v. VeInyan HaBitachon · Erech Bitachon, end
• Sefer HaIkkarimספר העיקריםRabbi Yosef AlboHebrew Sefer HaIkkarim, National Library of Israel edition (CC BY), via SefariaEnglish our own translationMaamar 4, ch. 46 · Maamar 4, ch. 47
• Mesillas Yesharimמסילת ישריםRabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, the RamchalHebrew Mesillas Yesharim, Sefaria vocalized edition (public domain), via SefariaEnglish our own translationch. 21
• Marpe LeNefesh on Chovos HaLevavosמרפא לנפש על חובות הלבבותRabbi Refael ben Zechariah Mendel, the Marpe LeNefeshHebrew Chovos HaLevavos with commentaries, Warsaw 1875 (public domain), via SefariaEnglish our own translationShaar HaBitachon, Introduction · Shaar HaBitachon, ch. 1 · Shaar HaBitachon, ch. 3
• Pas Lechem on Chovos HaLevavosפת לחם על חובות הלבבותRabbi Chaim Avraham Katz, the Pas LechemHebrew Chovos HaLevavos with commentaries, Warsaw 1875 (public domain), via SefariaEnglish our own translationShaar HaBitachon, Introduction · Shaar HaBitachon, ch. 1 · Shaar HaBitachon, ch. 3
• Nefesh HaChaimנפש החייםRav Chaim of VolozhinHebrew Nefesh HaChaim, Vilna 1874 (public domain), via SefariaEnglish our own translationShaar 3, ch. 12
• Beis HaLevi al HaTorahבית הלוי על התורהRav Yosef Dov HaLevi Soloveitchik, the Beis HaLeviHebrew Beis HaLevi al HaTorah, Warsaw 1884 (public domain), via SefariaEnglish our own translationParshas Mikeitz
• Pesukei Bitachonפסוקי בטחוןin the name of the Maharal of PragueList Pesukei Bitachon, a three-page list scanned by hebrewbooks.org (5763)Hebrew each pasuk as it stands in Tanach, from Tanach with Nikkud (public domain), via SefariaEnglish our own translationThe pesukim

Works that guided our choice of sources

These seforim and collections pointed us to many of the sources gathered here. Their texts and translations are not used on this site.

• Sefer Mitzvas HaBitachon, Rav Shmuel Huminer
• Chovos HaLevavos, Shaar HaBitachon, in English, translated by Rabbi Yosef Sebag
• Beis HaLevi, Essay on Bitachon, in English, Ghermezian Edition, MoneyHalacha
• Faith in G-d Versus Human Effort (Bitachon VeHishtadlus), Avraham Weinroth, translated by Dov B. Lederman, Feldheim
• Bitachon: Actualizing Our Faith (Da Es Bitachoncha), by the author of Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh
• Two Minutes to Bitachon, Rabbi Ben Tzion Shafier, The Shmuz
• The Bitachon Reader, Rabbi Shaya Cohen, Priority-1
• The Limits of Religious Optimism, Rabbi Daniel Stein, Tradition 43:2
• Source sheets on bitachon and hashgachah, JewishClarity.com

Typefaces

The Hebrew is set in Frank Ruehl CLM and Drugulin CLM from the Culmus Project, the English in Spectral and Instrument Serif, all under open licences and served from this site.