Trusting Hashem Without Pushing
Part of trusting in Hashem is not “pushing one’s luck”. On this topic, the following story is related by the Ben Ish Chai zt”l (Sefer Niflaim Masecha, Ois 4):
There once were two brothers who inherited a lot of money from their father. Both of them used the money to engage in commerce, and they both were successful and lived the lifestyle of the wealthy.
After a few years, their mazal began to change and they both lost their fortunes. However, they reacted differently to the change in situation.
One of them saw that his savings were dwindling, so he borrowed money to invest in several new business ventures. He figured that at least some of his ventures would be successful, but he was wrong. Every new investment failed, and he was left with tremendous debts.
When the other brother saw that his businesses were failing, he realized that it was time to leave the business world. He liquidated his remaining assets and put away whatever money he made from the sales. He then took a job working in a store for a low wage. He lowered his lifestyle accordingly and lived very simply, keeping his savings stored away for a rainy day.
After several years, his boss told him that he had made a nice profit that year, so he gave him a bonus of 100 gold coins. The next day, he passed the marketplace and noticed some merchandise being sold for a bargain of 50 gold coins, and he purchased it. A week later he happened to buy an old garment for fifty perutos, and he brought it home. Inside the stitching, he found a bundle of pearls worth a thousand gold coins. Since these successes happened to him three times in a row, he realized that his luck had changed for the better. He then took out his savings and used it to engage in business. He saw tremendous success, and he soon became very wealthy again.
Thus, the brother who pushed his luck by borrowing money ended up with less than nothing, whereas the brother who accepted his situation and didn’t push it ended up finding success.
