Sefer Otzar Hasipurim relates that there once was a very rich man who owned a lot of fields. However, he didn’t have any oxen to plow his fields, so he stuffed his wallet with cash and went to a market in a nearby city to buy some.
This man was very generous and gave a lot of tzedakah but his emunah in Hashem’s Divine Providence left something to be desired. Unfortunately, he took credit for his own success and thought his wealth was the result of his own intelligence.
On the way to the market, he met Eliyahu Hanavi, who was walking in the same directions. Eliyahu was dressed like a simple merchant and the man did not know who he was.
Eliyahu asked him, “Where are you headed?”
The wealthy man answered that he was going to buy some oxen and Eliyahu told him, “You should have said that you were going to buy oxen ‘im yirtzah Hashem’ – if it is Hashem’s will.”
The man replied, “I have the money in my pocket. It’s up to me whether I buy oxen or not.”
Eliyahu then said, “If that’s what you think, you will be unsuccessful.”
Later, the money fell out of the man’s pocket without him realizing. Eliyahu came along and picked up the wallet, and he placed it on top of a stone in the forest, in a hidden place where no one would find it. When the man went to pay for the oxen he had selected, he realized that he had lost his money, and he was forced to go home without them.
The rich man took some more money and set out again for the market. Again, he met Eliyahu Hanavi who was disguised as an old man this time. When Eliyahu asked him where he was headed, he gave the same answer as before. When Eliyahu told him that he should say “im yirtzah Hashem”, he again said that he saw no reason why he needed Hashem’s help.
Eliyahu made the man feel very tired and he sat down to rest. As he slept, Eliyahu took his money without him realizing, and he put it with his other money in the forest. When the man woke up, he saw that his cash was gone, and he sadly went home.
On his way home, he finally realized that this must be the hand of Hashem. He recognized that because he did not believe in His Hashgacha Pratis, he was being punished. He decided that from then on, he would always say “im yirtzah Hashem” whenever he wanted to do something.
He took some more money and set off a third time. Again, he met Eliyahu, who was disguised as a young lad this time. When Eliyahu asked him where he was going, he replied, “I am going to buy oxen im yirtzah Hashem.”
Eliyahu blessed him to have hatzlacha and he said, “I just want to make one request of you. If you need a helper to help you bring the oxen to your house, please hire me for the job.”
The man agreed and said, “If Hashem helps me to purchase the oxen, I will hire you to be my helper.”
He was able to purchase the oxen and he hired the lad – who was Eliyahu Hanavi in disguise – help him bring them home. As they traveled, they passed the forest where the money was hidden. Suddenly, the animals broke free and ran into the forest. The two men chased them and came to the rock where the money had been placed. The rich man saw that it was his money, and he thanked Hashem for returning it to him.
From then on, the oxen went peacefully and followed the men’s lead until they arrived at their new owner’s house. The lad then suddenly disappeared, and the man realized that this was not a natural occurrence. He then said about himself the words of the verse (Tehillim 92:7): “A foolish man doesn’t know and an unintelligent person doesn’t understand this.”
