We have finished discussing the alchemist. Up until now we’ve discussed the first three benefits of Bitachon (the third of which were the ten advantages of the Baal Bitachon over the alchemist). We are now on benefit 4 of Bitachon:
:ומתועלת הבטחון בה' בענין התורה
The ways Bitachon benefits religion:
הבוטח בה', אם הוא בעל ממון, ימהר להוציא חובות האלהים וחובות בני אדם מממונו בנפש חפצה ורוח נדיבה,
The one who relies on G-d, if he has wealth, will be quick to fulfill his monetary obligations to Hashem and will do so with a willing soul and a generous spirit.
Your Bitachon will impact your ability you fulfill your obligations to Hashem and to the people with charity, because Bitachon gives you the right mindset.
As we learn in Gemara Betzah:
כל מזונותיו של אדם קצובים לו מראש השנה ועד יום הכפורים חוץ מהוצאת שבתות והוצאת י"ט והוצאת בניו לתלמוד תורה
A person’s entire livelihood is decided for him between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, with the exception of expenditures for Shabbat, Yom Tov, and Torah education for children.
Every bit of מזון /sustenance/intake that you get is decided on Rosh Hashanah. How many streaks you’ll eat, etc. Your intake has been decided, but the money spent on Shabbat, if you’re a Baal Bitachon, can be taken from your “slush fund..” we all have a slush fund. If you’re a Baal Bitachon you can spend beyond your budget for Shabbat, a holiday or your child’s learning and the money comes out of the slush fund, not the budget that Hashem prepares for you on Rosh Hashanah.
שאם פחת פוחתין לו ואם הוסיף מוסיפין לו
If you spend less on these things, you’ll get less, and if you spend more you’ll get more.
The Ridvaz says this applies to all mitzvot expenditures. The Gemara uses Shabbat as the exemplar because it’s the most common, but we can apply this slush fund rule to all of our mitzvot: mezuzot, tefilin etc. We have to keep this in mind. For example, when picking out tefillin for your son, they tell you they range from $850-$2,500. And you might think $2,500 is too much. But you have to realize that the cost will be spread over a lifetime until 120, so it actually amounts to less than pennies a day. And the mitzvah is forever.
People don’t always see it this way, and yet they are willing to pay $20 a month extra for four different upgrades in their Lexus, which comes to an extra $80 a month. They think, “What’s $80 a month?”
Tefillin is no different. But it’s forever. And it doesn’t cost you.
There’s a great story that illustrates this outlook. It’s one of my favorites.
A man commissioned a Sefer Torah to be written in memory of his mother, within 30 days of her passing. Rabbi Ozeri helped him with the process so he could complete it on time. He was shown different choices of parchment, but was not an expert and couldn’t decide on one. He asked Rabbi Ozeri about it. Rabbi Ozeri explained that one was a Toyota, one was a Lexus and the third was a Bentley. The man said he’d never sent his mother anywhere in a Toyota, and though the Lexus was nice, he’d opt for the Bentley for his mother. He understood that it was forever. What’s the cost more per month? A few dollars? It’s forever. And it doesn’t cost you.
The Baal Bitachon is able to spend faster. He figures out that it’s only pennies more per day and our mitzvot are forever.