We're now in a pasuk that's familiar to all, that we say in Hallel 115, 8, כְּ֭מוֹהֶם יִהְי֣וּ עֹשֵׂיהֶ֑ם כֹּ֖ל אֲשֶׁר־בֹּטֵ֣חַ בָּהֶֽם׃ Those that make the idols should be like them, whoever relies on them. Those that rely on idols should be like idols. Idols have no energy, they have no ability to sense anything, etc. Now we'll flip to the positive side. The Midrash Rabba in Devarim discusses this in two places- 1:12, and 5:8. In the first, it makes a kal v’homer of sorts ( an example of a Kal V’Homer -If I can lift a 10 pound weight, then surely Arnold Schwarzenegger can lift a 10 pound weight. I'm the lightweight, he’s the heavyweight.) So says the midrash : If someone who worships idols becomes like the idol, then someone who worships God surely becomes like God. And that's what בָּר֣וּךְ הַגֶּ֔בֶר אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִבְטַ֖ח בַּיהֹוָ֑ה וְהָיָ֥ה יְהֹוָ֖ה מִבְטַחֽוֹ means: The one that relies on Hashem is like Hashem. The second midrash actually says, Whoever relies on Hashem becomes like Him. This is a powerful concept. The Chatam Sofer in Devarim 4:4 explains the pasuk: You that cleave to Hashem your God, are alive today and forever. And the Meshech Chochma tells us that the source for bitachon is U’Bo Tidbak/Cleave to Hashem So by cleaving to Hashem, you are relying on Hashem, and you are like Him, connected to Him, and alive forever, the opposite of those that connect to idols. The Elder of Kelm, in his sefer Or Rashaz on Bereshit , 74th essay, cites Yirmiyah 2 ,5 which tells us that God says about the people that went after the idols: They followed the hot air, they followed the vanity, and they themselves became hot air. Whatever you connect to, that's what you become like. If you connect to the fantasy world, you become a fantasy, and the opposite- If someone is connected to Hashem, connected to Torah, and connected to reality, he becomes reality. This is an unbelievable concept. This was said when the Jewish people said Hallel , when they left Egypt. The Sefer Bigdei Sarad on Hagaddah shel Pesach says that they saw what happened to the idols and what happened to the Egyptians. The idols were wiped out, and the Egyptians were wiped out. And the whole time that the Jews were enslaved, the Egyptians were asking, as they do today, “ Where's your God?” We know where our God is. He's high up and lofty and he is going to eventually save us and wipe them out. The S efer Shem Yishmor on Bo says something fascinating. He says the Jewish people were on the 49th level of Tumah . They were not ready for the Geula . So, what did Hashem do? He put them through difficult situations that forced them to have Emunah and Bitachon They slaughtered the Egyptian’s god and put the blood on the doorstep. They relied on Hashem, and he says that's what pulled them out of the contamination of Egypt . They became connected to Hashem, and If you're connected to purity, you are pure. He says that's what redeemed them and that's what took the Tumah off. Unbelievable! Bitachon creates a connection to God that rids one of sin. And just like when we got out of Mitzrayim, that's what Hashem is going to do at the end of time. We too will be put into situations that force our bitachon and that allow us to rejuvenate and renew ourselves and get a new life. That's why we go through challenges in life. It gives us the opportunity to connect to Hashem, to rely on Him- it’s a purifying experience. The sefer Seder HaYom at the end of his commentary on Minha , talks about Alenu Leshabe’ach, which we say at the end of our prayers, happy that we're connecting to Hashem. We say, “ They pray to hot air and emptiness and pray to a force that can't help them.” He says that at the end of our prayer, we're reminding ourselves of כְּ֭מוֹהֶם יִהְי֣וּ עֹשֵׂיהֶ֑ם they are connecting to hot air, to fantasy, to nonsense. And when you go after nonsense, you become nonsense. But we're praying to God, therefore we have hope. We know we'll be pulled out of this mess. That's a powerful co