Two Types of Faith

The rabbis taught two types of faith. The first one was called emunah and meant faith in something. The second type was bittachon and it meant simply trust. The first type required there to be a "something" that occurred first, such as G-d providing deliverance first before the act of faith. This is seen in Exodus 14:30-31: Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore. And Israel saw the great work which the LORD did against the Egyptians, and the people feared the LORD; and they believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses. (RSV) The Israelites believed in the LORD after the move of G-d. They believed after the "something" of deliverance.

The second type of faith trusts G-d even before He brings deliverance. It is far more difficult to achieve. While asking G-d for help demonstrates faith, it does not manifest the deeper faith seen in bittachon. Which type of faith rules in your life? Or, does it depend on the situation? Which do you want? Are you ready to simply trust without seeing a "something"?