Hishtavus or Hishtadlus: The Proper Attitude for the Year Ahead

As the High Holidays approach, it is easy to become confused between two seemingly conflicting ideas. On the one hand, there is the common conception of the Day of Judgment as a time of strict reckoning in which we are to search our past deeds with trepidation, to plead for forgiveness, and to resolve to be better in the year ahead. On the other hand, there is the consciousness of G-d’s unstinting love and beneficence and the recognition that whatever He decrees is absolutely for the best, even if it may seem in the moment to be challenging and severe.

Do I focus at this time on G-d’s judgment, or on His love? Do I wail and beat my chest and appeal for His mercy with promises of better behavior and compliance in the future; or do I breathe deeply and relinquish all fear with the awareness of His parental compassion and the certainty that “ein ra yored milemaala/no evil descends from above”?

Am I to let go of desires and expectations and welcome whatever G-d deems best for me in the year ahead? Or am I to visualize exactly what I desire for myself, my loved ones, and my world in the coming year and vow to G-d that I will do His will in hopes that my prayers will be fulfilled, as Rabban Gamleil says in Pirkei Avos, “do His will as though it were your will, so that He will do your will as though it were His” (Avos 2:4).

The attitude of acceptance, surrender, and confidence is called Hishtavus, or equanimity. The attitude of personal accounting and labor is called Hishtadlus, or exertion.

Hishtavus, the Baal Shem Tov teaches, is exemplified by the verse “shiviti Hashem l’negdi tamid” (Psalms 16:8). The phrase is simply translated as “I place G-d before me always.” But the Baal Shem explores the double meaning of the first word, “Shiviti,” which derives from both the root “shivah” which means “to place” as well as “shaveh,” which means “equal.” In this second rendering, the verse becomes “all is equal to me because G-d is before me always.”

This sense of equanimity derives from the constant awareness of G-d’s infinite and eternal presence. Though He is concealed, He is always with me. Therefore I am confident that whatever I encounter is ultimately for the best because I am never alone and He is directing everything with His loving providence.

Hishtadlus is the recognition that I was created with both agency and responsibility. I am not here to be passive, and I am not powerless to navigate and even regulate the currents around me. G-d is kind and compassionate, but I am not to sit back and rely on His generosity without applying myself to the extent of my capabilities.

So which approach am I to take on the coming High Holidays, hishtavus or hishtadlus? This week’s Torah reading provides an answer.

This Shabbos, we read both parshas Nitzavim and parshas Vayelech. In some years, these two portions are read separately. But the sages teach that they are truly one, as Rav Saadia Gaon writes in his siddur “Among [the 53 portions of the Torah,] there is a parshah that, when necessary, is divided into two and read on two Shabbosos, i.e., Atem Nitzavim, which is divided and Vayeilech Moshe.”

At first glance, the two parshas seem to be contradictory. “Nitzavim” means “standing” and thus connotes stasis, and “Vayelech” means “and he went” and thus connotes motion and progression.

The stillness of “Nitzavim” relates to the concept of “hishtavus/equanimity.” Rather than exerting oneself and fighting against the current, one is content to surrender oneself and remain motionless because he trusts in G-d and he is not afraid of where He will be conducted.
The motion of “Vayelech” relates to the concept of “hishtadlus/effort” and toil. One focuses on the mission that he has been assigned, and he makes determined and persistent strides to get where he is expected to go.

The fact that Nitzavim and Vayelech are, as Rav Saadia Gaon indicates, truly one indicates that these seemingly distinct and opposite orientations are not in fact conflicting or divergent. They are complementary and they are both necessary. One must first be still, and then he can properly and confidently proceed. One begins by gathering himself, centering himself, and remembering who he is, why he is here, and what he is aiming to achieve. Only then can he be assured that his subsequent movement will take him closer to his intended destination.

Similarly, we need not choose either “hishtavus/equanimity” or “hishtadlus/effort.” As the new year begins, we can and must adopt both the attitude of acceptance and the attitude of personal agency and responsibility. We must quiet ourselves and meditate on G-d’s absolute unity, His divine providence, and the loving care with which He conducts every aspect of His creation. Thus we will be confident, positive, and unafraid.

And with this sense of serenity and gratitude, we will reciprocate to God’s love with an outpouring of love of our own. With devotion and fervor, we will work harder than we have in the past, and we will resolve to do our utmost in the time ahead to fulfill the mission for which we were created.

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