Had he said, “Do good and trust in Hashem,” a person would have understood from this that the bitachon he warned about is only for the reward given him for the good deed, and not for providing his needs and preparing his means, which lead to the good deed. Therefore he said first, “Trust in Hashem,” meaning: [trust] that He will be your helper and support, and will provide you the means with which you can do the good deed. That is why he put the command of bitachon before the command of the good deed. For if we were to explain “Trust in Hashem” to mean that this bitachon is for the reward of the good deed, that would be a great stumbling block in our bitachon.

Chazal have already warned us (Avos, ch. 1), “Do not be like servants who serve the master in order to receive a reward”; that is, who serve before Him but whose trust in Him is to receive the reward at once. For if so, you bring it upon yourselves that your sins are recalled.

There is no difference between one who trusts in Him that He will repay him with good for mitzvos he did, and one who trusts in Him that He will grant his request for the prayer he prayed before Him with kavanah; both of them bring it upon themselves that their sins are recalled. As Chazal said (Berachos 55a): Three things call a person’s sins to mind, and these are they: a leaning wall, examining one’s prayer, and calling for [Heaven’s] judgment against one’s fellow. Examining one’s prayer is when a person looks into his prayer and says in his heart that one who prays his prayer with great kavanah deserves that Hashem grant his request. The same is true when he hangs his bitachon on Hashem, may He be blessed, that He will set a reward for him for that good deed: there is sin and iniquity in this.

“Dwell in the land, and be sustained by faithfulness”: he is saying, Although I warn you to trust in Hashem, may He be blessed, that He will provide you the means, and after that to do the good deed, I do not say that you should leave your work and your dealings for your parnassah altogether for the sake of the good deed; for if so, by what would you support yourself and live? Therefore he said, “Dwell in the land”; meaning, although you trust in Hashem, may He be exalted, and do good, do not be lax in the work of earning parnassah and a living, for “it is good that you take hold of this, and from that too do not let go of your hand” (Koheles 7:18).

And Chazal have already taught (Avos, ch. 3), “If there is no flour, there is no Torah.” They came to say that without parnassah and the supply of people’s needs, they cannot serve Hashem, may He be exalted, and give the Torah its due.