The three pillars of emunah past present future

במדרש שמעי בת וראי כו' תאמר שעוה"ז בלי מנהיג הציץ עליו הקב"ה אני הוא בעל הבירה כו'.

In the Midrash: "Hear, O daughter, and see…" (Tehillim 45:11) — would you say that this world is without a ruler? The Holy One looked out upon him [Avraham and said]: I am the Master of the palace.

The Midrash recounts Avraham's discovery: seeing the orderly "palace" of the world, he sought its master, and Hashem revealed Himself as the One in charge — the foundation of emunah.

כי עיקרי האמונה הם שלשה כמו שביאר החסיד ז"ל הי' הוה ויהי'.

For the fundamentals of emunah are three, as the Chassid [the author of Chovos HaLevavos / the Yesod V'Shoresh HaAvodah], of blessed memory, explained: "He was, He is, and He will be."

Emunah has three pillars, corresponding to past, present, and future: that Hashem created all, that He sustains all now, and that He will ultimately be revealed as One.

שצריכין להאמין כי השי"ת ברא הכל.

That one must believe that Hashem created everything.

The first pillar (the past): Hashem is the Creator of all that exists.

ושהקב"ה הוה. ומנהיג ומהוה ומחי' את הכל.

And that the Holy One "is" — He guides, sustains, and gives life to everything.

The second pillar (the present): Hashem did not merely create and withdraw; He continuously governs, maintains, and enlivens all of creation at every moment.

כמ"ש אתה עשית וכו' ואתה מחי' את כולם וזו היא עיקר הידיעה בעוה"ז ועל הראשונה נאמר שמעי בת כי שמיעה היא אמונה מה שאינו יכול לראות רק להאמין ואאע"ה האמין בו ית' כי ברא הכל ועי"ז זכה לבחי' וראי.

As it is written: "You have made… and You give life to them all" (Nechemiah 9:6); and this is the essential knowledge in this world. And concerning the first [pillar] it is said "Hear (shim'i), O daughter," for hearing is emunah — that which one cannot see, but only believe; and Avraham Avinu believed in Him that He created everything, and through this he merited the aspect of "and see (u're'i)."

The first pillar, that Hashem created all, belongs to "hearing" — emunah in what cannot be seen. Avraham began with this faith, and because he believed, he advanced to "seeing," a higher, more tangible perception of Hashem's governance.

והוא בחי' ההנהגה שהקב"ה מנהיג העולם ובחי' זו יכולין לראות בעין מי שזוכה רואה בחוש כי כל ההנהגה מאתו ית'

And this is the aspect of the [present] governance, that the Holy One guides the world — and this aspect one can see with the eye; one who merits sees with his senses that all governance is from Him.

The second pillar, Hashem's ongoing hashgachah, is something one can actually perceive: one who is worthy comes to see, palpably, that everything that happens flows from Hashem.

ובכלל הוציאו האבות ובנ"י בחי' זו מכח אל הפועל עד שזכו שהקב"ה עשה להם נסים ונפלאות ושינה את הטבע וזכו לתורה מן השמים אשר בכח התורה ומצות זוכין לידע כל הנהגה שבעולם כמ"ש אתה הראת לדעת.

And in general, the Avos and Bnei Yisrael brought this aspect from potential into actuality, until they merited that the Holy One performed for them miracles and wonders and changed nature; and they merited Torah from Heaven — for through the power of Torah and mitzvos one merits to know all the governance in the world, as it is written: "You were shown, to know" (Devarim 4:35).

The Avos and Bnei Yisrael actualized this perception of Hashem's governance, to the point that He worked open miracles and altered nature for them, and gave them the Torah — through which one truly comes to "know" how Hashem directs the entire world.

וז"ש לך לך כו' אשר אראך שיראה בעין כל ההנהגה שבעוה"ז.

And this is "Go forth… to [the land] that I will show you (ar'eka)" (Bereishis 12:1) — that he would see with his eye all the governance in this world.

"That I will show you" hints at Avraham's elevation from mere belief to actual sight — he was promised that he would come to perceive Hashem's hashgachah in the world.

אכן אח"כ כתיב והטי אזנך שהוא האמונה השלישית שלבסוף יהי' ה' אחד ושמו אחד ושיהפוך לכולן שפה ברורה.

However, afterward it is written: "and incline your ear" (Tehillim 45:11) — which is the third [pillar of] emunah: that in the end "Hashem will be One and His Name One" (Zechariah 14:9), and that He will turn all [the nations] to a pure speech.

The third pillar (the future) returns to "hearing"/inclining the ear, because the ultimate revelation — when Hashem's Oneness is openly manifest to all the world — is still a matter of faith, not yet seen.

והשבת הוא ג"כ יסוד אלה ג' אמונות וג' סעודתי דמיהמנותא וכן שלש תפלות נתקנו על אלה הג'.

And Shabbos, too, is the foundation of these three [pillars of] emunah — the three "seudos of faith" (seudasa di-mehemnusa), and likewise the three [Shabbos] tefillos were instituted corresponding to these three.

Shabbos embodies all three pillars: its three meals are called the "meals of faith," and its three prayers (Maariv, Shacharis, Mincha of Shabbos) align with the three dimensions of emunah.

אתה קדשת שהוא בריאת שמים וארץ.

"Atah kidashta" (You sanctified) — which is the creation of heaven and earth.

The Friday-night tefillah, which recounts the completion of creation, corresponds to the first pillar: Hashem created all.

ישמח משה על התורה שהיא התגלות הנהגת העולם.

"Yismach Moshe" (Moshe rejoiced) — concerning the Torah, which is the revelation of the governance of the world.

The Shabbos-morning tefillah, centered on Moshe and the giving of the Torah, corresponds to the second pillar: Hashem's present governance, which the Torah reveals.

אתה אחד ושמך אחד כמו שיהי' לעתיד:

"Atah Echad u'Shimcha Echad" (You are One and Your Name is One) — as it will be in the future.

The Shabbos-afternoon tefillah, which speaks of Hashem's Oneness, corresponds to the third pillar: the future revelation when "Hashem will be One and His Name One."

Summary: Avraham's discovery that the world has a "Master of the palace" is the root of emunah, which has three pillars — "He was, He is, He will be": that Hashem created all (past), continuously sustains and governs all (present), and will ultimately be revealed as One to the whole world (future). The first and third pillars belong to "hearing" (faith in what cannot yet be seen), while the present governance can actually be "seen" by one who merits — which the Avos and Bnei Yisrael actualized through miracles and the Torah ("Atah hare'eisa lada'as"). Shabbos is the foundation of all three: its three "meals of faith" and three tefillos (Atah Kidashta — creation; Yismach Moshe — Torah/governance; Atah Echad — the future Oneness) correspond precisely to these three pillars of emunah.