Rebbe Nachman’s maternal great-grandfather, the holy Reb Yisrael Baal Shem Tov, had a profound trust in God. His trust was so great that he before going to sleep at night, he would make sure that he had given away all the cash in his house.

One night, he couldn’t fall asleep. He sensed that there was still some money in his possession even though he had distributed everything that had been on his table.

He mentioned this to his wife. She answered, “I put some away so that I could buy food in the morning at the market.” He told her that they had to immediately give the money to charity, and trust that God would take care of them the next day, just as He always had in the past.

Rebbe Nachman commented that yes, the Baal Shem Tov’s level of trust in God was extraordinary. “But my level of trust in God is even greater, so I am able to keep money in the house.”  (See Chayei Moharan/Tzaddik #499.)

© Copyright 2013 O. Bergman

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