We are up to the sixth advantage of the Baal Bitachon in his approach to life.
In the Hovot HaLevavot’s beautiful words:
הבוטח באלקים הוא אהוב לכל כתות בני אדם ודעתם נוחה עליו
The one who relies on G-d is beloved by all, and their minds are comfortable with him -מפני שהם בטוחים מהזקתו
Because they don’t see him as a threat. They know that he relies on G-d and because of that, he doesn’t cheat, lie, or take advantage of people
ולבם שלם מחמתו
So they’re completely at ease with him
ולא יפחדו ממנו
They aren’t afraid of him
They’ll share with him, allow him into their homes without worrying that he’ll be jealous, or give them an Ayin hara,(evil eye) because he comes in with blessings for all.
והוא גם כן בטוח מהם
He’s not scared of them either. Even if they might be scary people,
שיודע שתועלתו ונזקו אינם ביד נברא ולא ביכלתו
Because he knows that any benefits or negative outcomes aren’t from them. He knows no one can hurt him.
He gives off positive vibes. He walks around neither afraid nor jealous of anyone, and they feel his positive vibes. People aren’t afraid of him, because they know he’s a Baal bitachon. As the Hovot HaLevavot says, he’s beloved by all. As the pasuk says,
הבוטח בה׳ חסד יסבבנו
Someone who relies G-d is surrounded by kindness,
This can mean, simply speaking, that G-d gives him kindness.
But the Hovot HaLevavot’s explanation is that he’s living in a world of friendship, because his bitachon attitude exudes a feeling of stability and safety. No one is afraid of him.
On the other hand, the one who doesn’t rely on Hashem, who thinks he has to rely on himself and therefore views everyone as a threat and acts like a cut-throat shark,
אין לו אוהב מפני שהוא בכל עת חומד אותם ומקנא בם
He has no one that loves him or has mercy on him
He’s a man without friends.
Anything he sees of others, he wants, whether it’s their car, their children or their house.
People notice that he’s not happy for them, and they sense his jealousy.
וחושב כל טובה שתגיע אליהם
And he thinks that any benefit that someone else has,
סרה ממנו
Should’ve gone to him. People sense this and they don’t like him.
ושטרפיהם ולקוחים מטרפו
He wants their food too!
וכל מה שנמנע ממנו מתאוותיו הוא הוא בעבורם
Anything he didn’t get in life, he blames on others.
(Such as a promotion or a big account or a son who is valedictorian)
. ואם תבואהו רעה או פגע בממונו יחשוב כי הוא מאתם
When something bad happens to him, he blames other people for his misfortunes or losses.
He plays the blame game all day. He thinks they could’ve prevented it.
What’s his mindset?
כיון שקדמו אלה ההקדמות בנפשו
His frame of reference is that life is a chess game- he makes moves, others make moves- He sees no involvement of G-d.
So eventually with time,
יבוא בעבור זה למאוס אותם אותם, ולדבר בהם, ולקללם ולשנוא אותם
He comes to despise people, to hate, and speak negatively about them, and to curse them
והוא הנמאס
And he becomes despicable himself.
(משלי יז כ) עקש לב לא ימצא טוב.
As the pasuk says, a man with a stubborn heart (that thinks he’s in charge) leads a miserable life. He doesn’t get along with people, and as the Hovot HaLevavot says, he has no one that loves him and no one that cares about him.
Therefore, let us shift to the Baal Bitachon’s attitude, that no one can threaten or hurt us. I love them and they love me. Because,
הבוטח בה׳ חסד יסבבנו
The man who relies G-d is surrounded by kindness.
Have a wonderful day.