A man related that his entire business is in jeopardy of being shut down, and it seems that the final decision is going to be made by one particular individual. The business owner was beside himself with worry. He couldn't sleep at night, he could barely eat, as his entire parnassah was hanging in the balance. He felt that his whole future was in the hands of this one man. He went to his rabbi for chizuk, and the rabbi told him, "Your business is not in that man's hands. He has no power to decide what's going to happen to you. It may look like he has the final say, but he's just a puppet. The only One making the decision is HaKadosh Baruch Hu. You have to believe ein od milivado. No one in this world has any power other than Hashem." The rabbi continued giving him chizuk, helping him internalize that no human being could take away what Hashem wants him to have. Baruch Hashem, the man calmed down and was able to eat and sleep again. The final decision still hasn't been made, but he's in a completely different place now. Instead of constantly worrying about what that individual is going to decide, he's focusing on Hashem. He's improving in his own avodat Hashem and strengthening his emunah and bitachon, constantly reminding himself of ein od milivado.
Rabbi Biderman told a story that took place in Romania during the Communist regime. A Jew named Rabbi Moshe was involved in business dealings that were considered illegal under the Communist government. When the authorities discovered what he was doing, they began searching for him. The danger was so great that he had to go into hiding, constantly moving from place to place, afraid that at any moment he could be caught and thrown into jail. One day, a letter arrived at his home informing him that his application to leave Romania had been approved. When he first found out, he was overjoyed. He would finally be able to escape the country with his family. But then he became suspicious. What if it was all a trap? Maybe the government was trying to lure him out of hiding so they could arrest him when he came to the port to get his travel documents. He didn't know what to do.
He went to the great Rebbe, the Noam Eliezer of Skulen, and explained his situation. The Rebbe thought about it and said, "I don't know what to tell you." Rabbi Moshe started to cry. "Rebbe, please help me. My life is in danger. They could catch me at any moment. What should I do?" The Rebbe told him, "You understand that according to the natural course of events, you have no way of being saved. But if you believe that only Hashem can save you and you put your bitachon in Him, then you can be saved." Rabbi Moshe cried out, "I believe with complete emunah!" But the Rebbe told him, "It's not enough just to say it. You have to believe it deep inside the recesses of your heart. And so, in order to help you, we're going to sit together and talk about emunah and bitachon."
The Rebbe then sat with him for an hour, repeating again and again the basic principles of emunah. "HaKadosh Baruch Hu creates and governs every living being. He can do anything. All of nature belongs to Him. There is no force in this world that can stand in His way, and He alone decides what happens. Ein od milivado. There's nothing besides Hashem." They went over these ideas again and again, and then the Rebbe told him to come back the next day. The next day, once again, they sat for an hour, speaking about how Hashem controls everything, and the following day for another hour. They did this for an entire week, day after day, until those words became a reality in his heart. Finally, after a week, the Rebbe told him he could go in peace.
When the day of departure arrived, Rabbi Moshe went with his family to the port. The procedure was that everyone who had permission to leave would wait in a large hall until his name was called. Then he would get his papers, present them to the guard, and board the ship. Rabbi Moshe waited. An hour passed, then two hours. People were being called one after another, but his name was never called. The hall was becoming empty, and the ship was getting ready to leave. His family was terrified, but Rabbi Moshe remained completely calm. He told them, "The ship is not going anywhere without us. Everything is being directed by Hashem." Finally, at the last moment, an officer walked into the hall and asked him what he was still doing there. Rabbi Moshe explained that he was waiting for his papers. The officer went to a cabinet, took out the documents, and handed them over. The family hurried to the ship. The guard glanced at the papers for a split second and waved them through. They boarded the ship just as it was about to leave.
A few days later, when they were safely away from Romania, Rabbi Moshe decided to look more carefully at the papers, and he couldn't believe what he saw. There was a red stamp on the documents stating that he was absolutely forbidden to leave Romania! The government really had set a trap for him. They wanted him to come out of hiding so they could capture him. But look what Hashem did. His name wasn't called. He was delayed for hours, and because he reached the ship at the very last moment, the guard didn't have time to examine his documents. The government thought it was in control. The officers thought they were setting a trap, but Hashem was controlling every detail, including the exact time Rabbi Moshe would receive his papers and how long the guard would have to examine them.
The Skulener Rebbe didn't just tell Rabbi Moshe once that Hashem is in charge and send him away. He sat with him for an hour every day, repeating those words until he really believed them. We have to remind ourselves again and again: Hashem creates everything. He is in control of everything, and He can do anything at any time. Nobody can ever help or hurt us without His will. Whether a person is waiting for a decision about his business, a health concern, a shidduch, or anything else, he should never give another person the power in his mind that belongs only to Hashem. No one has any control other than Hashem, and the more we believe that the more we'll see it.