Welcome to the Daily Chizuk (words of encouragement). A great rabbi related that the students of the Ba'al Shem Tov once asked their rabbi a question. They said, “Rabbi, you taught us that every bad middah (trait) can be used for good. We could take jealousy and turn it into kin'at Hashem (jealousy) or kin'at sofrim. We could be jealous of someone's spiritual accomplishments, which will cause us to get closer to Hashem. You taught us that we could take pride and use it in the service of Hashem, like the Pasuk (verse) says. We could even take desire and use it for the right reasons. But Rabbi, what could we do with the middah of kefirah, the middah of denial of Hashem? How could we ever use that for good?”
The rabbi answered them, “That is for when your friend is in a difficult situation. When your friend has a problem, he has to have emunah (faith) and bitachon (trust in Him). But this is where you should use the middah of kefirah. You're not supposed to tell him, ‘Don't worry, just have bitachon.’ That's for you to know. But when it comes to your friend, you have to share in his pain and try to help him.” If he tells you that he lost his job and needs money, we're not supposed to say, “Just have bitachon; it'll be okay.” You're supposed to say, “Let me see how I can get you some money. Maybe I know someone who'll give you a job.” His job is to have bitachon, but your job is to share in his pain and help him as much as you can. Once the person sees that you're honestly trying to help them and that you feel the pain they're going through, then you could give them some words of encouragement and chizuk. You could tell them, “Hashem could solve your problem. Hashem is with you.” But that's only after you do all you can to help.
The Steipler once said about all the people who came to him with a problem, “I don't see a difference in what the problem is. It always fills the entire heart, and the pain is always great.” Whatever a person is going through, they are usually overwhelmed by the pain. He continued, “Bitachon is only for the ba'al yesurim himself, the one who has the problem. But everybody else has to do all they can to help.” So when we learn about emunah and bitachon, it's for ourselves to know. We have to constantly reinforce the same principles over and over. Everything that happens is sent directly from Hashem, and Hashem only wants to benefit us. A comment made by a person can't break a shidduch (match). A mistake by a doctor can't hurt a patient. A competitor can't take your livelihood. Like the Pasuk says in Eicha, “Who can say they're going to do something vatehi (and it came to pass) and actually accomplish it, if Hashem didn't command it first?” Hashem is behind everything, and He loves us and wants us to trust in Him even when we don't understand.
But a person has to be trained beforehand. Once the difficulty arises, it's hard to teach a person to have emunah. They don't want to hear about it now. They're in pain. Even people who are working on emunah sometimes have trouble accepting things with love. But if we keep hearing it, it will make an impact. It's all about the preparation. Take the following scenario. Imagine Hashem would come to a person in advance and tell them, “I know you have a very important business meeting to go to, and I know there's a lot at stake, but I'm in charge of your parnassah (livelihood), and I love you very much. I'm about to give you a flat tire, and you're going to miss the meeting. But trust me, it's for your best.” When that person gets the flat, they're going to be very calm and composed. They know it's Hashem. They know Hashem is only trying to help. We have to feel that way in every situation in life. It's Hashem, and He knows what He's doing. I'm not going to get depressed. I'm not going to lose any sleep. I know Hashem is in total control. The more we feel this, the happier our lives will be. Have a great day.