The Sefer HaIkkarim brings another powerful example of hope that is rooted not in personal merit, but in Kavod Shamayim—the honor of Heaven. In Tehillim (115:1), the psalmist declares:

“Not for us, Hashem, not for us, but for the sake of Your Name, give glory.”

אמר המשורר לא לנו ה׳ לא לנו כי לשמך תן כבוד, כלומר אין אנו מבקשים ממך זה לשכר זכיותינו, כי מה יזכה ילוד אשה, ולא מצד תועלתנו, אבל בעבור כבוד שמך

The Ikkarim explains that this verse expresses a unique kind of prayer and hope. The psalmist isn’t asking for salvation because he thinks he deserves it. He openly rejects that approach—“not for us”. He also isn’t asking out of personal need or desire. Rather, the request is made entirely for the sake of Hashem’s honor: “for the sake of Your Name, give glory.”

This is the essence of hope based on Kavod Shamayim: the desire that Hashem’s Name be elevated, that His greatness be recognized in the world, regardless of the person’s own standing or merit.

The Sefer HaIkkarim offers another powerful example of a hope rooted not in personal merit, but in Hashem’s honor—this time drawn from the words of Moshe Rabbeinu himself.

When the sin of the spies threatened the fate of Bnei Yisrael, Hashem declared His intention to destroy them. But Moshe did not simply beg for forgiveness based on the people’s worthiness or even out of compassion. Instead, he framed his plea in terms of Kiddush Hashem—the sanctification of God’s Name:

“The Egyptians will hear… and they will say to the inhabitants of the land, ‘It is because Hashem lacked the ability to bring this people into the land that He slaughtered them in the wilderness.’”
(Bamidbar 14:13–16)

Moshe was saying: If You destroy them now, the nations will misunderstand. They will say You failed. And that will lead to a desecration of Your Name.

In response to this plea, Hashem answers:

“סלחתי כדברך – I have forgiven, as you have said.”

The Sefer HaIkkarim explains that this means: I will forgive, not because they deserve it, but because you appealed to My honor. I will act in a way that protects My Name from desecration. However, Hashem clarifies that this doesn’t mean the people will escape consequences—He will still punish them in a way that preserves His Kavod:

“ואולם חי אני וימלא כבוד ה’ את כל הארץ… כל מנאצי לא יראוה – But as I live, the glory of Hashem will fill the earth… all those who have angered Me will not see the Land.”

In other words, Hashem agrees to spare the people from immediate destruction in order to protect His reputation among the nations—but still ensures that justice is carried out, in a way that upholds His glory rather than diminishes it.

The Lesson

Moshe’s prayer teaches us a profound model of hope: when we appeal to Hashem not for our own sake, but for the sake of His honor, that hope becomes deeply powerful. Hashem responds to such hope because it aligns with His own desire—that His Name be glorified, not profaned.

This is the kind of hope the Sefer HaIkkarim elevates: not self-centered hope, but selfless, sacred hope, motivated by a yearning to see Hashem’s greatness revealed in the world.

In Tehillim 25:2–3, King Dovid calls out:

אֱלֹקי–בְּךָ בָטַחְתִּי, אַל-אֵבוֹשָׁה;    אַל-יַעַלְצוּ אוֹיְבַי לִי.  גַּם כָּל-קֹוֶיךָ, לֹא יֵבֹשׁוּ;    יֵבֹשׁוּ, הַבּוֹגְדִים רֵיקָם.

“In You I have trusted; let me never be put to shame. Let not my enemies triumph over me. Indeed, none who hope in You will be put to shame.”

At first glance, this might seem like a personal plea—for safety, for success, for protection. But the Malbim reveals something much deeper: David isn’t only asking for his own needs to be met. He’s begging that his trust in Hashem be vindicated. Because if that trust were to fail—if David were to fall in defeat while publicly placing his faith in Hashem—it would lead not just to personal pain, but to Chilul Hashem, a desecration of God’s Name. His enemies would mock, and others might begin to question whether faith in Hashem is truly secure.

That is why David anchors his hope not in his own merit, but in Hashem’s honor. He’s saying: “Hashem, I placed my trust in You so the world would see Your greatness. Don’t let that trust be shattered.” His hope is not selfish—it is sacred. It flows from a desire to see Hashem glorified in the eyes of all.

אלקי, (בענין צרכיו הגשמיים) הנה בכל עניני בך בטחתי, ולכן אבקש אל אבושה, כאילו אין תכלית בקשתו השגת הצרכים רק השגת הבטחון בל יתבייש על בטחונו בה’ עת יהיה לו מקור אכזב, ובעבור תכלית זה אני מבקש אל יעלצו אויבי לי שבזה יגיע חילול ה’:

From David we learn a powerful lesson: we can place our hope in Hashem with confidence when that hope is rooted in bringing Kavod Shamayim. When our deepest desire is that salvation will lead to a greater recognition of Hashem’s presence in the world—then we are never hoping in vain. That kind of trust will never end in shame, because it aligns with the very purpose of creation: to reveal the greatness of Hashem.

A prerequisite for placing our hope in Hashem, motivated by His honor is recognizing that everything we have comes from Him—and living in a way that reflects this belief. When others look at us, they should see people who trust in Hashem, who give Him credit for everything we have. Only then can our hope truly be rooted in Kavod Shamayim, the honor of Heaven.

This idea is expressed powerfully in Tehillim 44, where the sons of Korach teach us how to place our hope in Hashem because of His honor. They recall a time when Hashem saved them from their enemies and brought shame upon those who hated them. But what stands out most is their humility. They emphasize:

“In G-d we gloried all day long, and Your Name we thanked forever.”

Even in victory, they didn’t take credit. They didn’t say, “We were strong,” or “We were clever.” Instead, they recognized: every success came from Hashem. And that humility—grounded in gratitude—became the foundation for their hope.

The Sefer HaIkkarim explains why this is so important:

ויתחיל לבאר זה ואמר כי הושעתנו מצרינו ומשנאינו הבישות, כלומר כאשר הושעתנו מצרינו והבישות את משנאינו שהיתה עת הצלחתנו לא גבה לבנו ולא רמו עינינו, אבל באלקים הללנו כל היום ושמך לעולם נודה סלה, כשנהיה מצליחים על הדרך שעשינו כבר, ולא בעבור זה יש לך להמנע מלהושיענו להיותך חושש שירום לבנו ונשכח את ה׳ אלקינו.

He explains that one reason Hashem may withhold salvation is the fear that people will forget Him when they succeed. That they’ll say, “כֹּחִי וְעֹצֶם יָדִי עָשָׂה לִי אֶת-הַחַיִל הַזֶּה”—“My strength and the might of my hand made me this success.” That kind of response diminishes His honor.

But the sons of Korach declare: We didn’t fall into that trap. We remained humble. We gave You the credit. And because of that, we now turn to You again—not because we are worthy, but because we know that if You save us, it will bring glory to Your Name.

So too for us: when we train ourselves to see Hashem in everything, to respond to every success with gratitude and humility, then we create a life that reflects His Kingship. That clarity makes us worthy of future salvation—not on the basis of our merit, but because our victories will testify to His greatness. This is the hope that never wavers: not “I deserve to be saved,” but “Saving me will reveal Your glory.”

In Tehillim 44, the sons of Korach cry out to Hashem and beg for His salvation. They say: “You are my King, O G-d; bring about the salvation of Jacob.” אַתָּה־ה֣וּא מַלְכִּ֣י אֱלֹקים צַ֝וֵּ֗ה יְשׁוּע֥וֹת יַעֲקֹֽב׃

The fact that they refer to Hashem as “King” is no coincidence. They intentionally choose this title to emphasize that their hope lies not in their own merit, but in Hashem’s honor—His Kavod. Just as a human king saves his people to uphold the dignity of his throne, they appeal to Hashem’s Kingship, trusting that He will bring salvation not only out of compassion, but because doing so reveals His greatness and brings honor to His Name.

Metzudas Dovid explains that just as a human king comes to his nation’s aid in times of need, so too the sons of Korach place their hope in Hashem’s Kingship, trusting that He will bring salvation to His people.

מלכי אלקים. הלא אתה אלקים ובידך להושיע ואתה הוא מלכי וראוי למלך להושיע לעמו כאשר יש לאל ידו ולזה צוה להביא ישועות יעקב

The Sefer HaIkkarim deepens this idea. Rabbi Joseph Albo teaches that a true king’s greatness lies in how he relates to his people—not merely rewarding the worthy, but sometimes helping even the unworthy when doing so serves a higher purpose. He explains that Hashem, as King, sometimes brings salvation not because of the merit of the people, but because such an act reveals the glory of His Name. Just as a human king might act to maintain his public honor and royal image, so too Hashem may save in order to increase Kavod Shamayim—the honor of Heaven.

צוה ישועות יעקב, כי אין בזה מונע לא מצדך ולא מצדי, כי אתה הוא מלכי, וכמו שהמלך מושיע את עבדיו הן יהיו ראויים או בלתי ראויים כדי לעשות    שם תפארת בלבד, כך ראוי לך להושיענו

In the same way, when we turn to Hashem as our King and recognize that everything we have is from Him, we can place our hope in His salvation—not because of our merit, but because we intend for our yeshuah to bring honor to His Name.