ערך בטחון

Our Sages of blessed memory said: "One who does not leave children is called dead." And this is also cited concerning the verse: "A man who dies and has no son" [Numbers 27:8]. But one who leaves upright children is called alive even after his death — for the essential death derives from the blemish of faith in the sages, as explained in the inner teachings. And therefore when he leaves children after him — which is the aspect of the repair of faith in the sages — he is not called dead. Rather, he is alive even then, through the repair [embodied in] his upright children, who engage in the repair of faith in the sages — which is the sum total of all of Torah. The essential sadness and worry about livelihood comes from having no bitochon [trust] in G-d. And the essential blemish and deficiency of bitochon derives only from the aspect of time [zman] and place [mokom]. For in truth G-d constantly bestows His good bounty without interruption for even a moment — but when the flow of bounty enters this physical world, which exists in place and time, then the bounty is necessarily clothed in place and time. And therefore the flow of livelihood and wealth is drawn only in a known place and time — as is plainly felt: for there is a time when a person earns, and there is a time — to the contrary. And likewise regarding place — in one place people earn, and in another place — to the contrary. And because of this, the essential worry about livelihood comes — because sometimes the flow of his livelihood is delayed. Therefore the worry about his livelihood rises in his heart, and he worries about what he will eat tomorrow. And because of this he chases after his livelihood with great toil. And in the end he only obtains his livelihood when its time and season has come. And if he had true understanding and believed in G-d — that everything is from Him, blessed be He, only one must wait and hope to G-d until his time and season comes — then he would not run and toil after his livelihood so much. For G-d will give him his livelihood in its time through a simple means. For even though a person is necessarily obligated to perform some slight action for the sake of livelihood — as our Sages of blessed memory said on the verse: "And He will bless you in all that you do" [Deuteronomy 15:18] — for it is impossible to draw down the flow into this world except through vessels [kailim]. And therefore one is obligated to engage in some business and commerce — for through this one makes vessels and channels to receive the bounty. But in truth the business is not the essential thing at all — rather, the essential livelihood is from G-d and through His Providence alone. For no person knows through what he will earn. And therefore it is forbidden for a person to press the moment and chase after livelihood with great toil — as if, G-d forbid, livelihood depended on this alone. For on the contrary — through this his livelihood is diminished. For "whoever presses the moment — the moment presses him." For he has no need to engage in business and commerce except to fulfill the commandment of conducting business with honesty — in order to make some vessel and channel to receive the flow as above. And whatever he does — he thereby fulfills this. And this is: "And He will bless you in all that you do" — that is, in whatever you do, whatever it may be, even something light and small, G-d will bless you. As is plainly seen with the majority of people — that many times they run and chase very much after livelihood for a great period of time with great toil, and no profit comes into their hands and they take nothing from their labor. And then G-d has compassion upon them and sends them livelihood — and sometimes even great wealth — through a very simple means that is almost entirely without any natural course [derech hateva]. And the entire world is filled with such stories — which are very common in the world, with almost every single person involved in commerce. And if he had had understanding and had relied from the outset upon G-d and had not worried at all — then he would not have needed at all those toils that he went through in vain. And when the time came, G-d would have sent him his livelihood through a simple means, as above. And not only does he gain nothing at all through — [through] — his worry and his sorrow and his numerous — [numerous] — toils and his enormous — [enormous] — exertions — on the contrary, through this he loses much of the flow of his livelihood. For in truth the essential flow of livelihood derives from the aspect of above time and above place — only in this world livelihood is necessarily clothed in time and in place. For this reason one must engage in some business and commerce for the sake of livelihood — in order to make a vessel, so that the bounty can clothe itself in this world as above. And therefore when he believes that everything is from Above — through this time and place are bound to the aspect of above time and above place, and then he has abundant livelihood. For he is connected to the root of all flows through his faith and trust in G-d. But when he runs after his livelihood with great toil — he is drawn and bound more and more to the aspect of place and time, and separates between time and place and the aspect of above time and above place. And through this he is distanced from the root of all flows — and therefore it is difficult for him to find his livelihood. And even when a little livelihood does reach him, it necessarily comes with very great and enormous toil. And this is: "Whoever presses the moment — the moment presses him." For the more one is drawn after time and presses the moment, the more he is bound and seized within the aspect of time and place — and the more he is distanced from the root of flow, which is in the aspect of above time and above place. And therefore the moment presses him — specifically the moment — because he has become more bound to the aspect of moment and time, and therefore he has greater hardship: for his livelihood is pushed to a more distant time and a more distant place — until sometimes he must travel through this to exceedingly distant places and over a great stretch of time for the sake of his livelihood. But one who steps back before the moment and believes that everything is from G-d — and trusts in G-d that He will certainly give him his livelihood in its time through a simple means — this person is more bound to the aspect of above time and above place. And then the moment steps back before him — for he thereby merits to diminish and nullify the aspect of time and place. And G-d sends him his livelihood in minimal time and in a near place. And if a person were to merit very strong bitochon — he would not need to do any means at all for livelihood. And the vessel and channel for livelihood would be made through the bitochon itself — for through bitochon a vessel is made to receive the flow that descends from Above, as is explained elsewhere.

All the deficiencies and poverty and poverty — [poverty] — and hardship that a person has is only on account of the deficiency of bitochon. For if he had complete trust in G-d, he would not worry at all and would lack nothing — as it is written: "Blessed is the man who trusts in G-d, etc., for in a year of drought he will not worry" [Jeremiah 17:7–8]. And the essential bitochon is the aspect of complete yirah [fear] — that is, being guarded from fallen fears [yiros hanefilos] and having no fallen fear whatsoever — not being afraid of anything, only of G-d. Then he certainly trusts in G-d — for this is the essential bitochon: not to fear or be afraid of anything, only of G-d alone. In the aspect of: "I will trust and not be afraid" [Isaiah 12:2]. The aspect of: "In G-d I trust, I will not fear what flesh can do to me" [Psalms 56:12] — that is, he has complete trust in G-d, and has no fallen fear and no dread whatsoever, and does not worry at all about what he will eat tomorrow. For this [worry about tomorrow] is the aspect of fallen fears — and this is the essential poverty: when one has fallen fears, he is certainly truly poor. Even if he has all the wealth of the world — for even if he is very wealthy, he is full of worries and sorrow and suffering and dreads always. And all his days [pass in] anger and pain — and he has no contentment or rest or any vitality whatsoever. And he lives a life of anguish more than all the poor of the world — because every single day new worries and fears arise for him: from lords and ministers, etc., and from many many varieties of losses — common and uncommon. And he is also pained at all times by the quantity of household expenditure — for it seems to him that the outflow exceeds the income — and the like. Beyond measure is the multitude of worries that each and every person has individually, without limit, each and every day and at every time and every hour, without a moment free of affliction. As our Sages of blessed memory said: "More possessions — more worry." And all of this comes from fallen fears — from having no complete trust in G-d. For if he had complete trust in G-d — certainly he would not be afraid at all. For certainly everything is in the hands of G-d, and wealth and honor are from Him, blessed be He. And if G-d wills that he should be poor, G-d forbid — certainly he will not be able to protect himself from this in any way. And likewise the reverse. Rather, he is obligated to engage in some business and commerce — and G-d, whatever is good in His eyes, will He do. And man d'yahav chayei — yahav mezonei [He who gives life, gives sustenance]. It is thus found: when he has bitochon in G-d and does not worry at all about what he will eat tomorrow — this is the essential wealth, in the aspect of: "Who is wealthy? He who is happy with his portion" [Avos 4:1]. For he has no worry or fear at all — for he trusts in G-d, that certainly He will never abandon him.

But in truth the business is not the essential thing at all — rather, the essential livelihood is from G-d and through His Providence alone. For no person knows through what he will earn. And therefore it is forbidden for a person to press the moment and chase after livelihood with great toil — as if, G-d forbid, livelihood depended on this alone. For on the contrary — through this his livelihood is diminished. For "whoever presses the moment — the moment presses him." For he has no need to engage in business and commerce except to fulfill the commandment of conducting business with honesty — in order to make some vessel and channel to receive the flow as above. And whatever he does — he thereby fulfills this.

And this is: "And He will bless you in all that you do" — that is, in whatever you do, whatever it may be, even something light and small, G-d will bless you. As is plainly seen with the majority of people — that many times they run and chase very much after livelihood for a great period of time with great toil, and no profit comes into their hands and they take nothing from their labor. And then G-d has compassion upon them and sends them livelihood — and sometimes even great wealth — through a very simple means that is almost entirely without any natural course [derech hateva]. And the entire world is filled with such stories — which are very common in the world, with almost every single person involved in commerce. And if he had had understanding and had relied from the outset upon G-d and had not worried at all — then he would not have needed at all those toils that he went through in vain. And when the time came, G-d would have sent him his livelihood through a simple means, as above.

And not only does he gain nothing at all through — [through] — his worry and his sorrow and his numerous — [numerous] — toils and his enormous — [enormous] — exertions — on the contrary, through this he loses much of the flow of his livelihood. For in truth the essential flow of livelihood derives from the aspect of above time and above place — only in this world livelihood is necessarily clothed in time and in place. For this reason one must engage in some business and commerce for the sake of livelihood — in order to make a vessel, so that the bounty can clothe itself in this world as above. And therefore when he believes that everything is from Above — through this time and place are bound to the aspect of above time and above place, and then he has abundant livelihood. For he is connected to the root of all flows through his faith and trust in G-d.