We are up to the 10th and final advantage of the Baal Bitachon over the alchemist. The alchemist, as we’ve said, is involved in shady business, converting base metals into precious ones. It’s illegal, he’s not helping the economy at large, the government is unhappy with him, and although he has a veritable money machine in his basement, he’s basically on the run. Eventually it’ll catch up with him. This is the rule that the Hovot HaLevavot teaches us and it shows up throughout history.
שהוא משתדל וטורח בו הפך הנהגת העולם,
Regarding one who is doing something against the world,
ומנהיג הכל ישליט עליו מי שימיתהו,
The One who controls everything ( i.e. Hashem) will appoint someone over him and eventually it will lead to his death or downfall.- כשאינו יודע להעלים את סודו,
Because as good as it looks, it won’t last. He can’t hide forever!
We see this all the time. A modern day example of this is Julian Assange, the man behind Wikileaks. He relied on his wisdom and cunning to break codes and leak secrets to the world, and found asylum in foreign embassies, but eventually his deeds caught up with him and he was taken into custody. No one can hide forever. No one can do something wrong and last.
Criminals like Bernie Madoff, tyrants and dictators like Qaddafi, and many others are a testament to this concept. Eventually it ends.
On the other hand, regarding the Baal Bitachon
הבוטח בה', כאשר יוודע בטחונו, יגדל בעיני הבריות, ויככדוהו בני אדם, ויתברכו בקרבתו ובראייתו, ויהיה גורם לתקנת עירו ולדחות הפגעים מעל אנשי מקומו
Not only does it protect him, but it protects other people, because they realize he’s the source of blessing. He is a source of blessing and a cause for betterment of the city he lives in. He shields the people from troubles and causes tragedies to be averted.
That’s a rule: Someone who’s a Baal Bitachon is not only taking care of himself, he’s taking care of his city, his country, and the world.
A case in point: During the Persian-Gulf war, 39 scuds hit Israel. I lived there at the time and it was very scary, with the threat of chemical warfare looming over the country. With each siren, people would run into their חדרי האטומים, /sealed rooms, place gas masks on themselves and their children and place towels under the doors.
Everyone but Rav Chaim Kanievsky that is. When the sirens wailed, indicating an incoming missile, the Gadol Hador would get up, open the window, breath in, and remark about how fresh the air was. When asked why he wasn’t running into the sealed room, he said he was guaranteed safety, for as long as Rav Shach was in Bnei B’rak, it was impossible for a missile to touch down there.
And it was true. Missiles had hit about 100 feet from the Bnei B’rak’s borders but had never hit the city.
When people heard Rav Chaim’s answer, they asked why it was that Rav Shach had sought shelter. Although he was too old to don a gas mask, a special room with air filters was made for him which would protect him in the event of a chemical attack. So it was known that Rav Shach took precautions. Given Rav Chaim’s reasoning, they wondered why.
Rav Chaim replied that it was because although he knew who Rav Shach was, Rav Shach didn’t know who Rav Shach was.
Which means, like all great people, Rav Shach was humble. He didn’t say, “I’m safe, I am a Gadol. I have my Bitachon, I don’t have to do anything.” The Baal Bitachon isn’t reckless. He does his hishtadlut.
Gedolim like Rav Chaim are able to recognize this. He understood and had the conviction that as long as Rav Shach was in town, they were safe.
That’s the understanding that we have to have too.
When a person tries to beat the system, it will eventually catch up with him. But the person that relies on Hashem, not only will he be protected, but he will bring protection to his city.