Chavakuk came and established the entirety of Torah on one
principle: “And the righteous will live within one’s faith.”
(Chavakuk 2:4, Makos 24a)
What does “live within one’s faith” – upon which the Navi, Chavakuk, established entire Torah – mean?
The Chazon Ish (Emunah U’Bitachon 2:2) explains the difference between emunah and bitachon as follows: “Emunah is the general outlook of the believer whereas bitachon is the outlook of the believer upon himself. Emunah is the halachic aspect whereas bitachon is its actuality.” In other words, emunah is the theory, bitachon is actualizing this emunah in one’s day to day life. Based on this, it would seem that “living within one’s faith” is in fact what we generally refer to as bitachon.
This idea can be found explicitly in the words of the Vilna Gaon in his work on Mishlei (22:19) where he says: “The primary reason for the giving of the Torah is so that we will have bitachon in Hashem.”
We see clearly from the Gaon, that through us placing our trust in Hashem, “living within our faith,” we are bringing out the primary purpose of the giving of the Torah.
Other parts to this series: Inspiration in Bitachon