Vayishlach

After twenty-two years in the house of Lavan , Yaakov is finally heading home. He sends a message to his brother, Eisav, that he's coming back and wants to make peace. However, the messengers come back with the news that Eisav was already heading toward him with a band of four hundred men. The posuk then tells us Yaakov's reaction, ויירא יעקב מאד ויצר לו, and Yaakov became very frightened, and it distressed him.

The commentators debate about what was Yaakov frightened and what distressed him.  Why, after he had a commitment from Hashem that He would be with him, would he have any reason to fear. The Malbim explains as follows, ויירא יעקב, Yaakov was afraid of Eisav, and because of that fear ויצר לו he was distressed, because he understood that the reason he was afraid was that he was lacking in the trait of bitachon and therefore wasn't worthy of a miracle. The Malbim stresses "one who has trust in Hashem has no reason to fear any person;  if one is afraid it shows that his trust isn't complete."

The sefer Panim Yafos takes this a step further and says that when the posuk says הצילני נא מיד אחי כי ירא אנכי , save me please from my brother for I am afraid, Yaakov was saying, why do I need to daven for help only because I'm afraid. Since I fear him, it shows I don't trust with a full heart. As Dovid Hamelech said, ה לי, לא אירא מה יעשה לי אדם, Hashem is with me , I don't fear, what can man do to me. With the merit that I fully trust in Hashem, no harm will come to me.

It's said in the name of the Baal Shem Tov that when a person has misfortune come upon him, the best thing to do is strengthen one’s trust in Hashem. He continues and says don't even daven that the misfortune go away; just strengthen your bitachon. The yetzer hara in times of hardship tries to get a person down and get him to question Hashem and weaken one’s trust.  One must daven not to take away the hardship, rather daven that one shouldn't lose his trust in Hashem and the one will see miracles with Hashem's help, for bitachon, trust, helps more than prayer.  When one davens, in heaven they start to check into the person to see if he's really worthy but one who trusts wholeheartedly is guaranteed Hashem's kindness, no matter what.

Once, while רב יוסף שלמה כהנמן was in New York to collect funds, he was on the train when suddenly he was being surrounded by a bunch of hoodlums that were boxing him in. He took a piece of paper from his pocket that had an address on it and asked one of the guys that were blocking him in, where to get off to get to this address. The guys, thinking they found a real fool, said, “oh that's the next stop; you'll get off with us and we'll show you where to go. The Rabbi says, “great; I'll get off with you.” The doors open; everyone gets up to leave; the Rabbi allows the guys go before him; he hesitates a second,  the doors close and he's safe inside. 

Sometimes need to use different methods to get the desired result, Rav Kahanamen's first reaction was probably to scream, try to run and get away, which is analogous to davening; yet what he did was pretend to put his trust in them and he got away. The Torah is telling us that the key to get out of a problem is bitachon, so let's strengthen our trust and realize that all Hashem does is good!