The first: one who trusts in G-d accepts His judgment in all his affairs, and thanks Him for the good and for the bad, as [Iyov] said, “Hashem gave and Hashem took; may the Name of Hashem be blessed” (Iyov 1:21), and as it is written, “I will sing of kindness and judgment” (Tehillim 101:1). Our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said, “If kindness, I will sing; if judgment, I will sing” (Berachos 60b), and they said, “A person must bless [Hashem] for the bad just as he blesses for the good” (Mishnah Berachos 9:5).

One who does not trust in G-d takes pride in the good, as it says, “For the wicked man boasts of his heart’s desire, etc.” (Tehillim 10:3), and rages at G-d over the bad, as it says, “When he is hungry, he will rage and curse his king, etc.” (Yeshayahu 8:21).

The second: one who trusts in G-d has a tranquil soul and a calm heart in the face of [Hashem’s] decrees, because he knows that the Creator directs them for his good, in this world and in the next, as David, alav hashalom, said, “Wait silently for G-d alone, my soul, for my hope is from Him” (Tehillim 62:6). One who does not trust in G-d is in constant distress and long worry, and grief and sadness never leave him, in good times and in bad. In good times, because he is not content with what he has, and he strives to add to it, to gain more and to gather in. In bad times, because he loathes it, and it goes against his desire, his nature and his inclinations. And so the wise man said, “All the days of the poor man are bad, etc.” (Mishlei 15:15).

The third: one who trusts in G-d, even when he works through means, does not rely on them in his heart, and does not expect benefit or harm from them without the will of G-d. He works through them only as a way of serving the Creator, who commanded [man] to work in the world, to settle it and build it up. If benefit comes to him, or harm is turned away through them, he thanks G-d alone for it. He does not come to love them or cherish them more, and his soul does not rest on them more; rather, his trust in G-d grows stronger, and his heart leans on Him, not on the means. And if the means do not help him, he knows that his livelihood will come to him when Hashem wills, through whatever way He wills. He does not come to despise them because of this, and he does not stop working through them as a way of serving the Creator.

One who does not trust in G-d works through the means because he trusts in them, that they will benefit him and keep harm away from him. If they benefit him, he praises them and praises his own effort in them, and he chooses them and turns to nothing else. If they do not benefit him, he abandons them, despises them, and loses all interest in them, as the pasuk says, “Therefore he sacrifices to his net and burns incense to his trawl” (Chavakuk 1:16).

The fourth: when one who trusts in G-d has something left over beyond his food, he spends it on what fulfills the will of the Creator, with a generous spirit and a good heart, as it says, “For everything is from You, etc.” (Divrei HaYamim I 29:14).

One who does not trust in G-d does not think the world and everything in it is enough for his livelihood and his needs. He holds on to his money and will not pay out of it what he owes the Creator and what he owes people; and he does not notice it until his money is lost and left to someone else, as the wise man said, “There is one who scatters and gains more, and one who holds back more than is right, only to come to want” (Mishlei 11:24).

The fifth: one who trusts in G-d works through the means of this world in order to prepare from them provisions for his end and supplies for his eternal home. Whatever he sees clearly will keep his Torah and his world safe, he works at; and whatever would bring some loss to his Torah, or lead him to rebel against the Creator, he does not work at, so as not to bring sickness upon himself in place of healing.

One who does not trust in G-d trusts in the means, and his mind rests on them. He keeps away from none of them, works through the praiseworthy and the shameful alike, and does not think about where his affairs will end, as the wise man said of them, “A wise man fears and turns away from evil, [but a fool is reckless and confident]” (Mishlei 14:16).

The sixth: one who trusts in G-d is loved by every kind of people, and they are at ease with him, because they are sure he will not harm them, and their hearts are at peace with him; they do not fear him for their wives or their money. He too feels safe from them, because he knows that his benefit and his harm are not in the hand of any created being or in its power. Therefore he does not fear their harm, just as he does not hope for their benefit. And since he feels safe from them and they feel safe from him, he loves them and they love him, as it is written, “One who trusts in Hashem will be surrounded by kindness” (Tehillim 32:10).

One who does not trust in G-d has no friend, because he always covets what others have and envies them. He thinks that every good that comes to them has been taken from him, that their livelihood has been taken from his, and that whatever he desires and is denied is because of them, and it is in their power to get it for him. And if some harm or misfortune strikes him, in his money or his children, he thinks it is from them, and that it is in their power to remove the harm and turn the evil away from him. Once these ideas are settled in his soul, he comes because of them to despise people, to speak against them, to curse them and to hate them; and he is despised in both worlds and disgraced in both dwellings, as the pasuk says, “The crooked of heart will not find good” (Mishlei 17:20).

The seventh: one who trusts in G-d does not grieve when something he asked for is withheld from him, or when someone he loves is taken from him. He does not store up what he has, and he does not concern himself with more than his food for the day. For he does not think about what will be tomorrow, since he does not know when his end will come; and he trusts in G-d to lengthen his days and to provide his food and sustenance in them. He does not rejoice over the future, and he does not grieve over it, as the pasuk says, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day will bring” (Mishlei 27:1); and Ben Sira said, “Do not worry about tomorrow’s trouble, for you do not know what a day will bring. Tomorrow will come and he is gone, and he will have grieved over a world that is not his” (Sanhedrin 100b). Rather, his worry and his grief are over where he falls short in what he owes the Creator, and he works to make up whatever he can of it, outwardly and inwardly, because he thinks about his death and the coming of the day he is gathered in. His fear that death will come to him suddenly adds to his effort and his zeal to prepare provisions for his end, and he pays no mind to what he lays up for this world. This is what [Chazal] said, “Repent one day before your death” (Avos 2:10), and they explained, “Let him repent today, for he may die tomorrow; and so all his days are spent in teshuvah” (Shabbos 153a), as it is written, “Let your garments be white at all times” (Koheles 9:8).

One who does not trust in G-d grieves greatly over the misfortunes of the world that keep coming upon him, over the loss of those he loves, and over the requests that are withheld from him. He lays up much of the world’s wealth, as if he were sure he would never pass on, and the fear of death has left him, as if his days would never end and his life never be finished. He does not remember his end; he busies himself with his world, and does not look into the matter of his Torah, his provisions and his eternal home. His confidence that he will live long in the world makes his desire for its affairs long, and his desire for the affairs of his end short.

When someone rebukes him and teaches him, and says to him, “How long will you keep from thinking about your provisions and the matters of your eternal home?”

he says, “Until I have enough for my livelihood and my needs, and for all who are with me, my wife and children, to the end of our days. [Then] my soul will rest from the worries of the world, and I will turn to paying what I owe the Creator and thinking about the means of preparing provisions for the appointed day.”