Rav Yisroel Reisman sheds light on the underlying issues at the heart of our community’s spending habits

As frum Jews who know that every penny comes from a Divine Source, we’re aware that even the most responsible budget is not a guarantee of solvency, that blessings come from unexpected sources, and that financial accountability must coexist with bitachon in the true Provider. If someone lives with a tight budget and accounts for every last penny, is he leaving Hashem out of the picture? Does bitachon mean leaving wiggle room in the budget, and is a perfectly balanced spending plan an overdose of hishtadlus?

We always have HaKadosh Baruch Hu in the picture, but it’s a basic fact that a person shouldn’t spend money if he doesn’t have it.

Rashi makes this clear in his commentary on the Gemara in Beitzah (16a). The Gemara says that a person’s Shabbos expenditures aren’t deducted from his allotted yearly mezonos (the money Hashem provides to cover foodstuff). Rashi infers that therefore one may spend as he wishes on his Shabbos expenses. The clear implication is that this freedom is reserved for Shabbos alone, and that otherwise a person is not supposed to spend beyond his budget.

We live with a balance of hishtadlus and bitachon, juggling between the required mortal effort to reach a goal and the trust that Hashem will provide. The Beis HaLevi in the beginning of parshas Mikeitz, the Michtav MeEliyahu, and the Haflah at the end of the Sefer HaMikneh say virtually the same thing: that the necessary balance of hishtadlus and bitachon depends on the individual. There’s no one generic formula for everyone. A person who truly has bitachon is allowed to conduct his life based on that trust. But most people must exert normal human efforts until they reach the point of bitachon.

Bitachon, furthermore, must be exercised for the right purpose. It comes into play in situations where, for example, someone relies on Hashem so he can learn more Torah, or turns down a job that compromises tzniyus. That is a proper exercise of bitachon. But to say “I have bitachon and therefore I’m going to buy expensive foods outside of my budget for my weekday meals” — well, I’ve never heard of an adam gadol having that type of bitachon. Bitachon has nothing to do with an extravagant lifestyle. Zero.

In general, it’s proper and necessary to make financial decisions based on the money you actually have. You can’t figure everything out to the penny, but nevertheless, basic fiscal responsibility is not a contradiction to bitachon.