JANUARY 29, ‘25 // Questions & Answers from Rabbi Avigdor Miller zt”l’s Thursday Night Lecture Happy in a Bad Business Q. How can one maintain a cheerfulness of mind, when his business is doing badly and things are going wrong? A. When a person sees that his business is not going the way he wants, he must understand that Hashem is preparing for him some very important benefit. There is no question about it. Now, it doesn’t pay right now for him to try to ascertain what the benefit is, because it could be that the benefit is in such a thing that he is not supposed to think about now. There are people whose businesses deteriorated until they went out of business, and that is what Hashem planned for them. And it turned out to be the biggest benefit for them, it saved them. It saved their lives, it saved their souls. But we are not supposed to think. All we have to know is that it is good for us. Sometimes when business is slow, it’s merely because Hashem wants us to take an inventory, and maybe we should change our stock. It could be you are not selling the right merchandise. You are selling what people are not looking for. Here is somebody who is capable of advising you. You may be asleep on the job, and he can wake up your whole business with some advice. There are other ways that people can understand it. But it doesn’t mean that I am capable of interpreting it. However, a man should never allow himself to be dejected because of a business reverse. Never should a man lose sight of the great principle that everything Hashem is doing is tov me’od, and some day he will discover it. Now, I don’t want to bring in one more element; I will just say it, but you shouldn’t necessarily think about it right now. Many times, a person is disappointed in his desires in order to teach him a lesson: he is not in charge, there is a Boss Who is managing things. He thought he would carry out his wishes by doing this and this. He was sure he would succeed in this manner, and it turns out that his plans were all wrong. And one of the purposes is to teach him there are higher plans than his. However, it doesn’t pay to bother with that right now. All that is necessary is to think, “Hashem is doing what is the very best.” Afterward when things have been settled or unsettled, he will be able to make an account and maybe understand what Hashem meant; which form of benefit was intended. Reprinted with permission from “Ask Rabbi Miller”, compiled by Avrohom Tikotzky. Copyright 2019, Simchas Hachaim Publishing 718-258-7400 x103 To receive Mr. Tikotsky’s weekly email: tikotzky@gmail.com or www.rmillerqa.com Ask Rabbi Miller S S S S 70
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