A Lack of Bitachon Is the Greatest Impediment to Avodas Hashem
The Third Benefit of Bitachon for the Eved Hashem
We have been learning the introduction to Chovos HaLevavos Sha’ar HaBitachon in which the author enumerates the benefits of bitachon for a person wishing to learn Torah and serve Hashem. He writes: Bitachon is the first yesod in Yiddishkeit, and a person cannot serve Hashem properly if he does not have adequate bitachon. Therefore, he continues, I will first enumerate the benefits of bitachon as it relates to Torah—enabling a person to draw Torah from the proper source, and bringing him serenity and peace of mind, good feelings and thoughts to serve Hashem properly, and afterward, I will show you how even in regular worldly matters, there are very great benefits to having bitachon. Now we come to the third benefit regarding Torah: The Chovos HaLevavos, in his great wisdom, understood that one of the great impediments that destroy the avodas Hashem of a person is the issue of money. Yes, the drive to earn money destroys our avodas Hashem in myriad ways. Therefore, the Chovos HaLevavos tells us that if a person were to have the proper bitachon, it would help ensure that the issue of money will not be an obstacle in his avodas Hashem.
The Importance of Bitachon for a Person Who Does Have Money
The Chovos HaLevavos says: Let’s divide the world into two sets of people, those who do have money and those who don’t. He writes, “For one who trusts in Hashem, if he is wealthy, he will hurry to fulfill his obligations to Hashem... with a willing soul and giving spirit.” That is, for one who doesn’t possess adequate bitachon, his money will be a terrible impediment in his avodas Hashem, and create a barrier between himself and the Ribbono shel Olam. Because if he is overly connected to his money, it will be difficult for him to fulfill his obligations that involve spending his money. Whereas, if he is a ba’al bitachon, his money won’t create any impediment at all! He will hurry to fulfill obligations—even those that cost a great deal of money. He won’t hold back.... He will purchase the most mehudar tefillin, even at great cost. He will honor Shabbos, even at great expense, and so forth. Similarly, when there are she’eilos in halachah such as ribbis concerns, and so forth—the ba’al bitachon will have no problem parting with his money, including money that he already possesses, as well as money that he could potentially earn. Money doesn’t talk to him! Because he knows that the Aibishter is the One Who provides for all his needs, and he can calmly spend on everything that the Torah asks of him. The same will apply to obligations to others, such as doing chessed and giving tzedakah. He will part with his money with joy! It won’t irk him at all. It won’t be bitterly difficult for him to give money to others; rather, he will do it נדיבה וברוח חפיצה בנפש, with a willing soul and giving spirit.
Someone Who Doesn’t Have Money Has Fewer Obligations
Now, the Chovos HaLevavos turns to a person who does not possess money: “If he is not wealthy, the ba’al bitachon will see that this dearth in money is one of the great favors that Hashem did for him.” His lack of money won’t bother him at all—because he knows that this is a remarkable kindness that Hashem did for him.
The poor ba’al bitachon will dance for joy at the great service the Ribbono shel Olam did for him. Why? Because he feels keenly that Hashem tells him: “I am giving you an unburdened life. I want you to be able to dedicate yourself to Torah and tefillah, to spend time with your family.... I don’t want you to have to deal with all the obligations and worries that come with money, disturbing and impeding your peace of mind. I’m absolving you from all the responsibilities that I expect from those whom I have given wealth.” The Ribbono shel Olam tells the pauper: I am not obligating to you to do big things with money for Me—you don’t have to build shuls and yeshivos—and you have no obligation to others; you don’t have to spend hours distributing money to the poor. Likewise, you won’t have any of the responsibilities necessary to guard and preserve the money. You won’t have any of these worries.
The True Menuchas HaNefesh of Having Less
The Chovos HaLevavos is teaching us here that when we look at it with the proper perspective, the fact is that those with less money have fewer worries! Some may think that the opposite is true, such that someone who doesn’t have money worries about borrowing and repaying — but the Chovos HaLevavos is telling us, no! The proper outlook is that a person with less money has fewer worries. He needs only the things that the Ribbono shel Olam ordained for him! He tells himself, “If I don’t have the money for it, I obviously don’t need it.” The topic of making weddings—and needing to borrow money to do so—is a separate conversation. But overall, when Hashem has ordained that someone have less money, it is good for him. Of course, he fulfills his obligations for hishtadlus... he provides for his family as best he can. But he lives with serenity, secure in the knowledge that he has everything he needs.
The Fear of Wealth
The Chovos HaLevavos continues with the example of the pious person who davened to Hashem: “Please spare me from scatteredness of the soul.” People asked him what he meant by this, and he answered, “Scatteredness of the soul means that I would have money and assets all over.” This chassid implored Hashem to spare him from the scatteredness and worry that comes with having too much money... he asked that he shouldn’t have ships filled with merchandise on the waters... he should not have real estate in many locales—because all of these things bring worry.
A Yid related that he came to Eretz Yisrael on business and encountered his relative, the legendary chassid Rav Nuta Freund, who wished him great success in his business dealings, to which he responded, “And Hashem should likewise bless you with wealth.” Hearing this, Rav Nuta literally jumped out of his chair, as if bitten by a snake. “Chas v’shalom!” He exclaimed. “Who knows whether I will be able to withstand the nisyonos of wealth. Don’t give me such berachos!” And Rav Nuta truly meant this with sincere emes and authenticity—as the Chovos haLevavos describes the chassid who davened to be spared from wealth.
“Spare Me from Wealth”
This chassid did not merely daven for peace of mind. He clearly asked Hashem to spare him from wealth which brings all this worry. “Ribbono shel Olam,” he said, “Of course, if it is my mission in life to have wealth, I accept it and all that comes along with it. But please, Ribbono shel Olam, if it’s not my tafkid, spare me from these tremendous nisyonos!” But, one will ask, don’t we ask for עושר וכבוד של חיים, “a life of wealth and honor”?! The Chovos HaLevavos addresses this with the words of Chazal: איזהו עשיר השמח בחלקו, who is wealthy? One who is joyful with his lot (Avos 4:1). This is the true definition of wealth: Trusting Hashem, knowing that He will provide us precisely what we need when we need it. Of course, a person has needs, and Hashem assures us that He will provide those needs. But excessive wealth is an awesome responsibility.
The money isn’t meant to simply sit with you; it’s entrusted to you for a reason, for a mission, and we must merit to carry out that mission to perfection.
The Serenity of Having Our Needs Met Without Worries
Concludes the Chovos HaLevavos: The ba’al bitachon will have all his needs and his parnassah—without worries: he won’t need to worry about his money, as it says in Koheles, מתוקה שנת העבד אם מעט ואם הרבה יאכל והשובע לעשיר איננו מניח לו לישון, Sweet is the sleep of the laborer, whether he eats little or much, and the satiety of the rich does not let him sleep (Koheles 5:11). The ba’al bitachon can sleep serenely, but the rich man who doesn’t have adequate bitachon is kept awake by his worries about his money.
Deveikus to the Ribbono shel Olam Is a Contradiction to Deveikus to Money
Money Is a Barrier to קרבת אלוקים
The Chovos HaLevavos alerts us to the fact that the issue of money can be a strong impediment to avodas Hashem! The entire topic of money seeps so strongly into our essence that we’re not even aware how much the issue impedes us from properly connecting with Hashem—whether we have money or whether we don’t. If we could read minds and ascertain how much any given person is preoccupied with money, it would be quite embarrassing to them....
No One to Talk to...
In truth, we know that a Yid must always have deveikus to Hashem, to be connected and to cleave to Hashem. The first step in deveikus is for our thoughts to always be preoccupied with Hashem, שויתי ה' לנגדי תמיד, I always set Hashem before my eyes. A ba’al bitachon’s thoughts are about Hashem; he thinks constantly about thanking Hashem; he wants to know what Hashem wants from him at any given moment; he learns in order to know the da’as of Hashem; he davens to Hashem; he deals in business because he knows that this is his mission from Hashem, and so on, and so forth. The Chovos HaLevavos tells us, however, that sometimes, there’s nobody home... There is no one to talk to. Where is this person? He has true deveikus—but his deveikus is not to Hashem, but to the issue of money. So, before we can begin to discuss the matter of deveikus to Hashem with him, we must first remove the deveikus to money—and this applies to everyone, to those who have and those who don’t have. Do you want to know why bitachon is the first step in avodas Hashem?! Because if a person doesn’t place his thoughts and his trust in Hashem, there’s nobody to talk to about avodas Hashem!
Bitachon Pulls Us Out of Our Deveikus to Money
The Chovos HaLevavos tells us: Do you know how sweet avodas Hashem is?! It’s mamash ah mechaye! But sometimes there’s no one to talk to! The person spends his days immersed in thoughts about money. All day, he thinks about his money worries... how to get his hands on more money, who owes him money... or how to best watch over the money that he already has... and he simply has no capacity to think about avodas Hashem. Says the Chovos haLevavos: I have a wonderful eitzah for you! Have bitachon in the Ribbono shel Olam! The ba’al bitachon will never be tethered to money—whether or not he has money! He may be rich and it won’t interfere with his avodas Hashem, or he may be poor, and it won’t interfere. Bitachon—complete reliance on Hashem—is the best method by which to remove all barriers between a person and his Creator. It will ensure that money will no longer be a looming issue in a person’s life, and automatically, his heart will be open for avodas Hashem.
The Yetzer Hara Attempts to Distract Us with Money
Before leaving the world, the Zlochiver Maggid stated that there are three things that the yetzer hara managed to bring into This World—to his great chagrin. One of them is the fact that the yetzer hara was successful in increasing the need for parnassah. Because the need for parnassah is much greater, people suffer from great confusion and lack of yishuv hada’as, pulling them away from deveikus b’Hashem. “Since I cannot fight him on this, I would rather leave the world,” the Maggid said. The tzaddik saw what had happened: The yetzer hara has managed to raise the standards of every home, and with that come the vast sums of money that are needed to fund the operation of every home. So much so, that every home has become like an institution—just for our wives and children! The Zlochiver Maggid knew of this, and he revealed that this will be one of the nisyonos of our generation. This will be our reality!
Only Bitachon Can Save Us from These Distractions
Now, we can’t go back in time. We can’t manage without electricity and running water, and no one is suggesting that we do. The Zlochiver Maggid revealed to us that this is the new reality; the world has changed: We have entered an era when the needs are great, and it will require a great avodah to extricate ourselves from the confusion and the distraction that prevent us from focusing on what we need to do. The only way to emerge from this בלבול is through bitachon! This is the only eitzah to emerge from this situation. In truth, it is frightening. The Zlochiver Maggid was afraid to see such a world, and this is why he left This World when he did—because he knew that most Yidden will not possess the proper bitachon and thus they will be submerged wholly and completely in their pursuit of money.
“Pursuit of Money Removes All Our Madreigos, R”l”
The holy Bnei Yisaschar (in Maggid Ta’alumah) writes: “I have seen tzaddikim whom I was afraid to approach [due to their sheer holiness], but when they were faced with the nisayon of pursuing money, they failed and thereby were emptied of all of it, and they lost all their madreigos! They didn’t do anything wrong... they weren’t dishonest in money matters. They simply asked for money from others, and this brought about their spiritual downfall! Today, if a person doesn’t ask for exorbitant prices for his goods and services, we call him a shlimazel. “We need to teach you how to demand,” we tell him. But the Bnei Yisaschar saw it differently! Of course, we’re not on that level yet...we must know how to practically apply the words of the sefarim hakedoshim. But the point remains: We must appreciate how low the pursuit of money can drag us down—and what tremendous barriers in our avodas Hashem it can create. To this end, the Chovos HaLevavos teaches: Learn bitachon, and you will see that the kelipah of money will no longer be such a barrier between you and the Ribbono shel Olam.
Bitachon: Drawing Reassurance from Hashem, Not Our Bank Accounts
The Wealthy Person Holds onto His Money for Security
The Chovos HaLevavos teaches us that ordinary people who have money are incredibly preoccupied with their money. We’re talking about good people who give tzedakah... but they also grasp tightly onto their money, even if they do give tzedakah. Every time we want to elicit a bit of a larger donation from him, it is an onerous ordeal. Do you know why? Because this person feels assured due to the fact that he has money. He is set up in life.... He doesn’t need to worry. All his needs are “assured” because he has money in the bank for everything he needs and wants. Deep in his heart, this person has bitachon in his money. He guards it zealously, because this is his source of assurance and security. And it is very difficult for him to part with his money—for it is his source of security.
The First Step: Recognizing How Dependent You Are on Your Money
The Chovos HaLevavos isn’t recommending here that we give away all our money, he’s not suggesting that we give more than a fifth of our earnings to tzedakah, and he’s not encouraging us not to save our money—to the contrary, many tzaddikim encouraged their followers to save money. The Chovos HaLevavos is not belittling money; he is denigrating the deveikus to money, the connection that people have to money. The Chovos HaLevavos says: The first thing is to recognize how deep our connection is to money, and then we can discuss what to do about it. Recognize how deep our reliance is on money, and how much serenity we derive from having it, feeling that through money we can attain all our dreams.
Let Go of Your Deveikus to Money, and Life Will Be Sweet
There are people who grew up in a home without money, and they’ve decided, “I won’t live such a life where everything we want to buy is a major issue. My children won’t live through what I went through.” This is definition of bitachon in money! So strongly does he rely on his money that it gives him all the serenity that he so craves. At night, he sleeps well, in tranquility and with peace of mind, because he knows that there’s money in the bank. “I’m sitting on lots of money.” Says the Chovos HaLevavos: It’s a shame that you don’t experience the feeling of deveikus to Hashem! The idea of being a ba’al bitachon has nothing to do with whether a person has money. A person can be successful in life with or without money—as long as he is not davuk, tethered, to the matter of money.
The Lack of Serenity When There’s No Bitachon
The serenity of the ba’al bitachon is primarily noticeable when certain expenses come up—expenses that Hashem wishes him to spend on. If a person has the adequate bitachon, he doesn’t think twice, and he immediately pays his bills. He doesn’t seek to hold onto his money for even a moment. Sometimes, there’s a Yid who earns nicely, and when it comes to renovating his home, he spends liberally... the nicer the better. But when he gets a call from his child’s mossad that it would be beneficial for his child to learn with a tutor, his first thought is, “Surely they’re asking me because they know that I have money. My child will be just fine, just like everyone else... we’re talking about hundreds of dollars a month!” The same scenario plays out every time he must spend on a ruchniyus expense... while he doesn’t think twice about spending on his conveniences.
The Ba’al Bitachon Hurries to Fulfill His Obligations
The Chovos HaLevavos teaches us that for the ba’al bitachon it’s exactly the opposite—as mentioned above, he will hurry to fulfill his monetary obligations, to Hashem and to others, because he knows that this is the very reason that he has the money in the first place! He is waiting impatiently to be able to fulfill his obligations—because he is simply the messenger. The same applies to tzedakah. If one isn’t a ba’al bitachon, he will always feel that he has already been yotzei. He already gave ma’aser, and it is bitterly difficult for him to give more. Especially if people badger him... and it isn’t always easy... it’s truly a great nisayon, and one does not always have the clarity regarding how much he should be giving. But the ba’al bitachon has a נדיבה ורוח חפיצה נפש, a willing soul and a generous spirit when giving to others—because he knows that if he was given this much money, he is surely meant to give part of it to others. “It can’t be that it was given to me so it should sit in my bank account.”
My Shefah Is Meant to Be Shared with Others
Imagine that a person receives a shipment of 130 cartons of eggs at his door before a Yom Tov. He will surely understand that that this bounty is meant to be shared with others. It’s obvious, because he cannot use so many eggs.
