Minding His Own Business
One of my students was the owner of a successful business in France. He employed many workers. Every morning, he would attend a shiur. The rest of the day he spent doing business.
After some time, his business suffered a setback. He had to make budget cuts and was therefore forced to lay off many of his employees. The business stopped expanding. In spite of the difficult situation in which he found himself, this man continued attending the shiur, as if nothing had changed in his lifestyle.
One day, he confided in me, “Honored Rav, I am about to go bankrupt. It seems that I have no choice but to close down my business.”
I felt very bad for him. I suggested he stop attending the shiur in the mornings for some time, in order to have more time to get the business back on its feet. But he wouldn’t hear of it. With sincere trust, he asked, “If the business is not successful in the afternoons, why would it be in the mornings?” He explained that tough competition was simply putting him out of business.
That very day, when I came to the yeshiva in the afternoon hours, whom did I notice there, but this man, sitting in his usual seat, learning? I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I asked him why he was in the Beit Hamidrash in the afternoon, when these hours were usually devoted to his business. Most tranquilly, he elucidated, “Honored Rav, please understand. There is nothing left for me to do in my business. I have enough money left from it to cover the rest of this month’s expenses. After that, I’m closing shop completely. Therefore, I came to study Torah in the Beit Hamidrash.”
I had never before met someone who met such a blow with so much equanimity. Anyone whose means of sustenance is threatened tries to restore it to stability so that it can thrive once again. This man, though, seemed to be built of stronger stuff. With calmness and composure, he made peace with his loss and turned his attention to spiritual gains.
I asked this man if he would give me a lift to the train station. On our way, he turned to me and said, “Honored Rav, I have complete trust in Hashem that my business will remain intact. For my part, I wish to spend my days in the hallowed halls of the Beit Hamidrash. If my business would collapse, I would be forced to seek other means of livelihood, which would certainly take me away from my Torah studies. I therefore have firm faith in Hashem that He will take care of my business for me so that I can be free for Torah study and mitzvot.”
I sank deep in thought. I was truly impressed with my disciple’s trust in Hashem. It was so great that it could work wonders, without my intervention. I did not feel the need to give him a blessing, or even offer him any type of advice.
After a few moments, I asked him, “And what are your plans?”
To which he responded, “I intend to return to the yeshiva full-time, to learn Torah.”
“And what will be with your business?” I asked hesitantly.
My student replied, with the proud voice of trust, “My business is in the hands of Hashem. I trust that He will run it in the most efficient way possible, much more successfully than I ever could.”
We finally arrived at the train station. I parted with my pupil, certain that when I returned, a few days later, I would hear about the downfall of his business.
Approximately one week later, I returned to Lyon. This student came to greet me at the airport. He acted like he had won the lottery, driving a modern, new car. I thought that in his agitated state over his tremendous loss, something had snapped in his mind, and he had spent all of his money on this expensive car.
When I asked about it, he explained, most joyously, that after we had parted at the train station, he had hurried back to the yeshiva and learned Torah with increased enthusiasm, throughout the day. In the afternoon, he received an order which was equal to ten years’ worth of work, netting tens of millions of dollars.
Baruch Hashem, his business saw an upsurge and flourished like never before. My pupil has sat, ever since, in the Beit Hamidrash, studying Torah in tranquility, as he had in the past. This was all in the merit of his tremendous trust in Hashem.
