Rabbi Yisroel Salanter once delivered a shiur on the subject of bitachon in which he took the position that if you have “trust in God” that he will give you ten thousand rubles He will surely give it to you. A plaster worker sitting in the audience heard the talk and was inspired. He promptly quit his job, and began to spend his days in the study hall studying Torah while he waited for the money to just roll in. The money never materialized, and a few weeks later he had used up the family savings and had nothing left in the house with which to feed his wife and children.
At this point, the plaster worker’s wife, who had waited patiently till now, sent him back to Rav Yisroel to complain that the promised rubles had never arrived. Rav Yisroel told him that he happened to have five thousand rubles and offered to buy the anticipated ten thousand rubles for five thousand rubles cash on the table. The plaster worker jumped at the deal.
Rav Yisroel pointed out to him that he obviously did not have the requisite bitachon in God to ensure the delivery of the ten thousand rubles without effort. If he did, he would never trade ten thousand rubles for five. Without such bitachon, however, he could not get any money from God without putting in any effort. Rav Yisroel advised him to leave the study hall and go back to work.
We got to hold on to our Bitachon until the very end!
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 81.
