The Torah tells us that Yitzchak dug wells, and then the Pilishtim came and claimed the well was theirs. This happened twice, but when Yitzchak dug the third well, it states (26:22) עָל ֶיהָ ר ָבוּ וְלֹא אַחֶרֶת בְּאֵר וַיַּחְפ ֹּר ָּׁםמִש וַיַּעְת ֵּק בָאָרֶץ וּפ ָרִינוּ ל ָנוּ 'ה ה ִרְח ִיב עַת ָּה כִּי וַיֹּאמֶר רְחֹבוֹת ּשְׁמָה וַיִּקְרָא, "He moved away from there, and he dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. He named it Rechovos, and he said, 'For now Hashem has made ample space for us (ה ִרְח ִיב), and we will be fruitful in the land.'"
What did Yitzchak do differently this time that he was able to keep his well? Mishmeres Issamar zt'l writes that the key lies in the words ָּׁםמִש וַיַּעְת ֵּק, "He moved away from there." It means that he moved his thoughts away from his tzaros. He didn't think about the troubles that the Pilishtim were causing him. That enabled him to receive his salvation. For when one thinks about tzaros, it draws the tzaros onto him, and when one ignores them, they disappear.
This is an important segulah to remember. If one wants to remove all tzaros, he shouldn’t focus on them. Mishmeres Issamar writes that he learned this concept from his Rebbe, the Chozeh of Lublin zt'l. It states (Shemos 14:15) בְּנֵי אֶל דַּבֵּר אֵלָי ת ִּצְעַק מַה ֶׁהמֹש אֶל 'ה וַיֹּאמֶר וְיִס ָּעוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל, "Hashem said to Moshe, 'Why do you cry out to Me? Speak to Bnei Yisrael and let them travel." The nation was at the Yam Suf, and the Mitzrim were pursuing from behind. The Zohar explains that at this time, Hashem said to Moshe, "Why are you praying to Me? מילתה תליה בעתיקה, the matter is dependent on Atika."
The Chozeh explained that Atika is to turn the mind away from thinking about the tzarah. It is similar to the words ָּׁםמִש וַיַּעְת ֵּק, "He moved away from there." Hashem told Moshe to stop thinking about his fears, and the nation would be saved. This is how the tzaros ended, and the sea split for the Jewish nation.
This is because focusing on problems and worries enhances and increases them, and when one pushes the thoughts out of his mind, salvation can come.
Chazal say that parnassah is compared to Kriyas Yam Sum. What is the similarity between the splitting of the sea and parnassah? The Chozeh explains that the sea split when the people stopped thinking about the tzaros. This is also the segulah for parnassah. When one is worried about his financial situation, it can cause the problem to intensify. But when one doesn't focus on the problems, things can become better, and salvation can come.
People ask, "How can I take my mind off my tzaros? They are so great!" Answer them, "Since you believe that everything is for the good, think about the good that will come, and don't focus on the tzaros of the present."
Rebbe Zusha was sitting in the Magid's beis medresh, and they asked him their question. Rebbe Zusha replied, "I don't understand why the Magid sent you to me? I never experienced anything bad in my life. I recommend that you find someone who has experienced bad and ask him. But how should I know? I never experienced anything bad."
Rebbe Shmelke and the Hafla'ah received their answer. If you don't see the bad, you will be able to praise Hashem with joy. Rebbe Zusha was extremely poor, and there were days when he went hungry. He didn't have an easy life. Nevertheless, he couldn’t identify any bad in his life.
How did Rebbe Zusha reach that level? How does one not see the bad? We'll answer that in two ways. One is with emunah. When you have emunah that everything is pure chesed, you never complain. Or, because he was so focused on the good, that he hardly saw the bad.
We will explain this concept with a mashal: There was a person who always complained. He focused on the half-cup that was empty. Nothing was ever good enough for him. His mentor, wanting to help him change his outlook on life, handed him a cup of water and threw in a handful of salt. "Drink it," he instructed. "I can't," the student replied. "It's bitter." The mentor then brought the student to a river, threw in a handful of salt, filled a cup with water from the river, and said, "Drink this," and this time, the student drank it. "I don't understand," the mentor said. "I put the same amount of salt into the river as in the cup. Earlier, you refused to drink the water, but now you drank it happily. What's the difference?" The student answered that a handful of salt is a lot in a cup of water. But in a large river, that amount is insignificant." The mentor explained that the same is true with life. A person who focuses on all the good in his life will not be bothered by bitter experiences as much. The bitterness will be batel and almost indiscernible among all the good.
It states (Tehillim 19:3) דָּעַת יְח ַוֶּה לְּל ַיְלָה וְל ַיְלָה אֹמֶר יַבִּיעַ לְיוֹם יוֹם, "Day to day utters speech, and night to night tells knowledge." What does one night tell the other? I heard from a talmid chacham that לְּל ַיְלָה וְל ַיְלָה means that one night speaks to the next night, and it tells the night, "I was here yesterday. It became night, and it was dark for me, too. But then the morning came, and everything became light. Now you are worried because it has become dark. Don't worry. Soon it will be morning, and the night will disappear."
Reb Chanoch Orenstein z'l was a chasid of the Sfas Emes zt'l. His emunas chachamim was exemplary. His every move was in accordance with his rebbe's guidance. When the Sfas Emes was niftar and his son, the Imrei Emes zt'l, became rebbe, it was, at first, difficult for Reb Chanoch to get used to the new rebbe and his style of leadership, but he adapted well and became a fiery chasid of the Imrei Emes.
Once, Reb Chanoch was presented with a lucrative business opportunity. An enormous glass manufacturing plant became available for sale. Reb Chanoch had several other businesses. He would have to sell them all and also borrow money from the bank to buy the glass factory. But if the glass business succeeded, he stood to become fabulously wealthy, among the wealthiest people in the world. His friends advised him not to take the risk. They argued, "If this opportunity were as lucrative as it seems to be, why is the owner selling it? Apparently, the owner knows that the business will soon go bankrupt."
Reb Chanoch, who excelled in emunas chachamim, asked his rebbe, the Imrei Emes, how to proceed. The Imrei Emes encouraged him to take the risk and to buy the factory. "It is a great opportunity", the Imrei Emes said. "Sell all your businesses, borrow money, and jump into this venture." He did so, but soon afterwards, the warnings of his friends came true. The glass project was a flop.
He went to the Imrei Emes, and the Imrei Emes accepted him warmly. Reb Chanoch told the Imrei Emes what occurred. The Imrei Emes said, "Sell the factory, and pay up all your debts. With the money that's left over, move to Eretz Yisrael and begin your life anew there." Shortly afterwards, the gates of Poland were sealed. Hundreds of thousands of Yidden living in Poland were burned and murdered al kiddush Hashem. Reb Chanoch was miraculously spared because he was living in Eretz Yisrael. Had Reb Chanoch and his family remained in Poland with his old businesses, he would have been one of the first victims because the Germans targeted the wealthy people first.
Let us learn two lessons from this story: One is that we don't know what is good and what is bad. Reb Chanoch thought that it was a bad thing that he bought the factory, but it turned out to be his salvation. Secondly, let us learn the trait of emunas chachamim. One gains immensely by asking and following the counsel of our chachamim.
A Sephardic Yid, a ben Torah, lived in Har Hof, Yerushalayim, and studied in kollel. One day, a fire broke out in his apartment. Renovations would cost more than two hundred thousand shekels. He went to the home of the gaon Reb Ovadia Yosef zt'l and poured out his heart before him. He said, "I can barely pay the mortgage. How will I pay for the renovations?" The rav felt very sorry for him and offered to write a letter (המלצה) to encourage people to help him. The man replied, "How will a letter help me? Maybe I will raise ten thousand shekels from the letter, but I need twenty times that amount!"
As they were speaking, a very wealthy person walked into the room. He told Rav Ovadia that he had his first grandson, and he wanted to invite the rav to be the sandek at the bris. Reb Ovadia graciously accepted and asked where the bris would be held. The man replied that it will be in Bnei Brak. Reb Ovadia Yosef said, "Please forgive me, but I made a kabbalah not to leave Yerushalayim to attend a bris. I am busy with the community, preparing shiurim, and writing sefarim. I don't have time to travel outside the city. Do you have any idea how much Torah I will lose if I take on such a trip?"
The man tried to convince the rav to make an exception, and the rav replied, "I understand that this is important for you, and I feel your distress, but tell me: Do you really want to cause me so much bitul Torah for this bris?" Then Reb Ovadia made him an offer. "In the next room, there is a special yungerman, a talmid chacham, who studies all day in beis medresh. His apartment was ruined in a fire, and he needs a lot of money to fix it. I wish I could help him, but I am not able to. I don't have that kind of money. If you agree to pay for the entire project, I will come to the bris. I will go wherever you call me."
The man asked, "How much will the renovations cost?" The rav replied, "Two hundred thousand shekels." The man replied immediately, and joyously, "I will give it. I will pay for all the renovations." Reb Ovadia was surprised when yungerman came into the room, shaking his head, and saying, "I don’t want to take the money." The yungerman's response was shocking. Reb Avodyah and the wealthy man expected him to dance for joy. Just think about the hashgachah pratis! The wealthy man came just as the yungerman was expressing his financial problems, and the wealthy man agreed to cover the bill. Yet, the yungerman declined to accept the money!
He explained, "I saw the rav's tears, his disappointment that he would lose precious hours of Torah study. Just because I have a problem, why should the rav suffer bitul Torah?" So, Reb Ovadia suggested to this yungerman that he should sell his apartment in Yerushalayim and buy one in Beit Shemesh. (The story occurred when Beis Shemesh was in its infancy). The money from the sale will be enough to buy the apartment, and you will have money left over, too."
The yungerman didn't really like the idea. In those days, there were few very religious Yidden living in Beit Shemesh, and it was hard to find a good cheder. His kollel and his wife's job were in Yerushalayim, and now they will have to go into galus, to a new city, and to start all over again? But he had emunas chachamim, and he did as the rav advised him.
He moved to Beit Shemesh, and at first, it wasn't easy. In the community where he lived, there was no Sephardic beis medresh for him to daven in. He had to walk to the old section of Beit Shemesh, where there were Sephardic batei midrashim. One day, he met a wealthy Yid, and as they spoke together, the conversation was about the many Sephardic Yidden who had recently moved to Beit Shemesh. They didn't have a Sephardic beis medresh to daven in, in their neighborhood. The wealthy person said, "Speak to the city council and arrange a plot of land. I will build a beis medresh on it." The Sephardic yungerman worked with all his energy on the project, and with Hashem's help, succeeded. The wealthy man kept his side of the promise and paid for the beis medresh.
Naturally, our yungerman became the rav of the beis medresh. He was a talmid chacham, a yarei shamayim, and was the one who arranged the plot and helped build it. Since he was now the rav of a community, he had to give shiurim and become an expert in practical halachah because all shaalos were now coming to his door. Years passed, and he became a very respected and scholarly rav.
Now, this rav says: "When Reb Ovadia told me to leave Yerushalayim, I felt my world go dark. Going to Beit Shemesh, for me, was like going to galus. I asked myself: 'Is this my reward for my mesirus nefesh? I had the opportunity to receive two hundred thousand shekels to fix over my home, and I was mevater for the rav's sake, and for his Torah. After so much mesirus nefesh, why do I deserve to suffer so much?' But now I see how much I gained from it, and how much Torah I learned because of this move. I became a rav of a large community, where I teach torah and yiras shamayim."
Let us reflect upon this story. This yungerman seemed to go from one problem to a worse one. His apartment was damaged in a fire, he had to pay for the renovations, and ended up going into galus. He left behind his kollel and his wife’s job. They moved to a place where there wasn't even a suitable beis medresh for him. He had to live in a neighborhood with not-so-religious people. But it was all for his benefit. He earned so much from it. Had he stayed in Yerushalayim, he would have remained a regular yungerman, but due to his responsibilities as a rav of a kehillah, he reached very high levels.
Also, we can learn from this episode the benefit of vitur, especially vitur for the sake of Torah. This yungerman sacrificed a lot for the sake of Reb Ovadia's Torah, and he was rewarded immensely. So, too, there are times when a person is mevater on his needs for the sake of kedushah, and he will gain immensely. For example, let's say there is a store that sells items for cheaper than other stores, but there are challenges with shemiras einayim at that store. He is mevater on the financial gain, and he doesn't go to that store. He is mevater for his kedushah, but he won't lose at all. Because when one is mevater for kedushah, he earns immensely.
