If We Don’t Have, We Don’t Need
When a person merits to have the feeling of poverty—that he truly has nothing, and everything that he has is only because the Ribbono shel Olam has temporarily entrusted it to him—then he can become a true בחלקו השמח עשיר.
Why? Because so long as a person feels that everything is his... he has worked for it with his ten fingers... it’s mine, and no one can touch it... then the old rule, מאתיים רוצה מנה לו יש, one who has 100 desires 200, applies. This person will never be satisfied in any case. When a person always needs more and more, he can never be happy with his lot.
The only way to be a true בחלקו השמח עשיר is when we know that we have nothing—and if so, we don’t need more... because life is good with nothing. We always live with the feeling that the Ribbono shel Olam provides all our needs, and that our situation is perfect the way it is. We are happy and serene—because we feel that we have nothing, and because of this we have everything. The tzaddikim would say נישט א נישט באדארף, a “nothing” needs nothing.
The Pauper Feels Wealthy
When we look at Yidden who have worked on their character, we will see this nature come to the fore: They have nothing and they need nothing. You want to use my tallis and tefillin? Sure. You want my apartment for Shabbos? Of course, bring your children....
He has nothing, and because he needs nothing, he’s fortunate and happy—because on one hand, he has the feeling of poverty, that he’s completely dependent on Hashem... and on the other hand, he has the feeling of בחלקו השמח עשיר איזהו, a great feeling of satisfaction and fullness.
This is what it means that the feelings of poverty and wealth complement each other. The feeling of ...יעטוף כי לעני תפילה that we’re completely dependent on Hashem, and that everything is a gift from Hashem... causes him to constantly feel like the wealthiest person.
The Challenges of Wealth and Poverty Face Every Person
Now, let us go a step deeper:
In the course of a person’s life, there are generally two types of situations that can cause a person to disconnect from the Ribbono shel Olam. The first is when a person is very successful, and the second is when he’s very unsuccessful.
