We have completed 7 of the 10 advantages of the Baal Bitachon over the alchemist. We will return to #8 at a later time and go straight to advantage #9:
The Hovot HaLevavot says, regarding the alchemist who has the secret to making gold,
לא תלוונו הכימיה שלו באחריתו,
His abilities will not accompany him to his final destination
ולא ישיג בה בעולם הזה זולת מזונו והבטחון מן הריש והצורך לבני אדם,
In this world, (in the best case scenario) it may only provide him with security from poverty and dependence on others in this world (it won’t help him in the next world)
והבוטח בה' ילוונו גמול בטחונו בעולם הזה ולעולם הבא,
But the one who relies on Hashem will have the accompaniment of his reward in this world and the next
This is a major point, a powerful concept that we have to pause and appreciate.
Most people look at Bitachon as a means to an end. Let’s take a classic, innocuous, typical Brooklyn example to illustrate this: Imagine that you can’t find a parking spot at a wedding. So, after circling you say to Hashem, “Please, help me find a parking spot.”
Just then, right in front of the wedding hall, someone pulls out you pull in! Beautiful. Thank You Hashem!
What is that spot worth?
Well, you don’t have to park by a pump so you figure your Bitachon earned you a parking spot worth $150.
But is that all you got for your Bitachon?
Says the Hovot HaLevavot, when you turn to Hashem and exercise your Bitachon, in the words of Rabbenu Yonah, the reward of the Bitachon is worth more than any thing you were asking for. The Bitachon is worth more than what you get with it. Even if you didn’t get the sparking spot, you got the value of the Bitachon that you exercised. That’s the point, says the Bet HaLevi, to know that you are fulfilling a mitzvah that’s a positive command. The reward for that mitzvah will be with you forever.
As you go through the up and downs of your day, having v.s. not having Bitachon makes all the difference in the world, because it’ll be with you forever. We can’t calculate the reward for it. We can’t fathom this. We don’t understand what it means that there’s another world that lasts forever.
Rav Matisyahu Solomon tells a story that’s been documented in other places as well, about the Chafetz Chaim.
At the time there was a terrible lack of food available and they couldn’t put bread on the table. It was close to a famine, so rabbis held an emergency meeting to discuss the situation. One very pure boy had a suggestion. He said that seeing that the rabbi always spoke about how much one day of tefilin was worth, they should “cash in” one day of reward for tefilin and in exchange Hashem would use that money to pay for their food.
The Chafetz Chaim smiled and said that would be comparable to a little boy who won a lottery of $380,000,000 and got paid with a check. Imagine this boy, not realizing what he has, just wants candy. So he takes his check into a candy store and picks out the biggest lollipop in the store. When the man in the store tells him its $30, the boy, hands the man the check for $380,000,000. When the man says he can’t possibly give change for that amount, the boy says to keep the check. He doesn’t care. He just wants the lollipop. But he can’t do that!! That’s thievery. It wouldn’t be right. It would be taking advantage. The Chafetz Chaim told the boy that he didn’t realize what the tefillin were worth. They’re worth millions!
That’s why the Gemara says
שכר מצוה בהאי עלמא ליכא
There is no reward for a mitzvah in this world
What we are getting down here isn’t a reward. If you have Bitachon and have good day in business, that’s not a reward, says Rambam. When the Torah tells us that if you keep My statutes, you’ll have rain and blessing, that’s not a reward. It’s just making it easier to serve G-d. It’s like when a man travels on business for his company and gets to sit in First Class. That isn’t his payment, it’s just a side benefit to make it easier for him to do his job. If a worker has to stay at the office late one night and the boss orders him dinner, that’s not a payment. These are side benefits, not the reward. There is no reward for mitzvot in this world, so there isn’t a reward for Bitachon. Bitachon is a mitzvah like all the others. The Hovot HaLevavot says it’s with you forever.
The pasuk says,
בוטח בה' חסד יסבבנו
The one who trusts will be surrounded by kindness. What does that mean?
The zechut of the mitzvah is with him in this in this word and....
As it says,
מה רב טובך אשר צפנת ליראיך
In the Hagaddah we read that the צפון- the afikoman is broken and hidden away for later-
The message here is that the reward will be hidden for Olam Habbah.
What we get now is the little piece and the rest gets hidden for later.
After 120, beH we will get there and see the big piece waiting for us and realize how powerful our Bitachon was.
That’s the advantage of the Baal Bitachon in this world and the next world.