One day a man came to Rabbi Meir from Przemysl for advice. He complained bitterly that he had a competitor in the city who could take him around the world.
—Have you ever noticed that a horse, approaching a watering hole, hits the shore with its hoof? Do you know why he does this? - asked the rebbe.
The man, annoyed that the rebbe obviously did not understand his complaint at all, stared at him in amazement.
“I’ll explain it to you,” Rabbi Meir continued. — When a horse lowers its head to the water to drink, it sees its own reflection. It seems to him as if it is another horse, and he begins to clatter his hoof to scare off the opponent and save the water for himself. This behavior seems stupid to you and me. We know that the horse’s fears are unfounded and there is enough water in the river for everyone.
- But what does a stupid horse have to do with my craft and my competitor?
- My friend, you are this horse. You imagined that the river of God’s generosity might not be enough if not only you, but also someone else drinks from it, and stamp your hooves along the bank to scare away an imaginary competitor.
- Imaginary? - the man asked.
- God gives wealth to each of us, and no one but Him can take away what is destined for you. Try to conduct your business wisely and remember: everything that comes to you is given from above. All your competitors are just reflections of yourself that you see in the river.
Commentary by Rami Shapiro How much time do you spend trying to scare your own reflection? Many, if not most of us, devote almost our entire lives to this. We think that the world is like a pie, and, believing that there is not enough for everyone, we compete with those around us, trying to grab the fattest piece. We're playing a winner-take-all game: if you win, everyone else loses.
What if this pie is infinitely large? What if there is enough for everyone - you just need to stop pushing each other and hide the pieces you snatched? Then there would be no point in being afraid of or envying anyone, believing that he will certainly succeed at our expense.
Rebbe Meir is not talking about “wealth-oriented thinking.” He does not “promote a strategy” like “think and grow rich.” He simply states that our success does not depend on us. Success depends on God, only He decides what awaits us - success or failure. You can do exactly as much as you can, and no more. You can strive to ensure that your products or services are of high quality. You can conduct business conscientiously, earning a reputation as a respectable partner. You can provide yourself with convincing advertising. But ultimately, you can't guarantee your luck. The final result does not depend on you - you can only maximize your chances of success. Or increase the likelihood of failure.
What advantage do we gain by recognizing that every outcome depends on God? In this case, we can focus on what is in our control: the quality of our work. Ultimately, it is this, and not the expected profit, that gives us joy and peace.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru