Business Problems Don’t Concern the Ba’al Bitachon
When Business Is Bad
The Chovos HaLevavos now lists another area of serenity and pleasantness that comes to the ba’al bitachon. Whereas most businesspeople generally incur aggravation during the course of doing business, the ba’al bitachon will not experience any aggravation.
The way that business often works is that the businessman purchases inventory, and when he resells it, he earns a profit. If the merchandise doesn’t move, it remains in his warehouses, it causes the owner great losses.
Or suppose that he has managed to sell the inventory, but he has many outstanding invoices—the customers aren’t paying their bills. This may cause the person terrible aggravation.
Another possibility is that a person has many good business ideas that would earn him lots of money—but he is stuck in bed with an illness, unable to bring his ideas to fruition.
The Ribbono shel Olam Arranges Your Life Better Than You Can
In general, if one of these things happens to a person, he will become very aggravated—because he has toiled in his business without success.
Says the Chovos HaLevavos: If a person is a ba’al bitachon, he will have no pain and aggravation when such things happen.
It may be that he’s stuck with merchandise, unable to sell it. It may be that his customers are giving him the runaround regarding payment. It may be that he lies in bed unable to work and bring in parnassah. But he will not have any agmas nefesh from this.
For he knows that the Creator arranges his affairs better than he can himself—he knows that the Ribbono shel Olam will put in place everything that he needs. If the person works only with his own understanding, he will surely ensure that the merchandise doesn’t sit around and that he gets paid. But the Ribbono shel Olam knows that right now it’s better for him that he should not be able to sell the merchandise. He knows that it’s better for him not to be paid yet! Why is this better?! We don’t understand. But the Ribbono shel Olam understands much better—and He looks for our good!
Choosing More Good
[...and the Ribbono shel Olam] chooses better for a person than he can choose for himself—the ba’al bitachon is filled with serenity and joy, despite enduring the challenges, because he knows that the Ribbono shel Olam chooses what is best for him, much better than anything he could have chosen for himself.
As it says in Tehillim דומי לאלוקים 2:26)אך( תקותי ממנו כי נפשי, for G-d alone my soul awaits silently, from Him comes my salvation. The word דומי is an expression of silence. A person hopes to Hashem in silence because ממנו תקותי from Him comes my salvation. I don’t understand anything, except for two things: 1) The Ribbono shel Olam has arranged my affairs in this precise way. 2) the Ribbono shel Olam desires my good even more than I myself do, and He can do anything!
If so, it’s clear that my merchandise didn’t get stuck here for no reason. There’s no reason to become aggravated, because there is a reason the Ribbono shel Olam arranged it this way. I can enjoy my life in serenity, despite going through these challenges.
Business Brings Bothers
These scenarios that the Chovos HaLevavos brings here are obviously just a few examples, which are meant to bring out the general point that business very often brings with it some aggravation. But this applies not only to the business owner, but also to those who work as employees. They also need much bitachon not to have agmas nefesh.
But it is most common for those who deal in business—for there are so many possibilities for failure and risk inherent in commercial endeavors. First, he must purchase much inventory, and because he doesn’t have the funds handy, he must borrow large sums of money in the hopes that he’ll be able to sell. Sometimes, a person has already invested in a product, but it turned out that others have already done the same, and now he must sell the product at a much lower price than he anticipated. And so, there are so many possibilities for failure and aggravation when engaging in business.
The Ba’al Bitachon Is Never a Shlimazel
Says the Chovos HaLevavos: The ba’al bitachon will never have such worries and aggravation, because he will always remember that the Ribbono shel Olam is guiding him every step of the way, and He arranges his situation far better than he himself could. He chooses much better for me than anything I could fathom.
“But,” one will say, “look at the other guy who is so successful; I am a shlimazel....” No! You’re no shlimazel! The Ribbono shel Olam is designing your life in the best way for you. The other guy who has seen wild success in the same industry as you isn’t the only יחיד בן to Hashem—so are you! But the Ribbono shel Olam knows that this is what is good for you at this moment.
A Weak Economy Is the Best Thing for Me
The same applies when the entire economy is suffering, and the business world is going through rough times. The ba’al bitachon remains serene through all the stresses—because he knows that everything is being ordained with a precise Hashgachah, and it is ordained for him to struggle with parnassah at this moment.
This yesod is applicable to hundreds, or thousands, of scenarios that affect businesspeople. The ba’al bitachon will spare himself much aggravation, thanks to his emunah that the Ribbono shel Olam is running his life with extraordinary compassion and kindness.
