Among those who seek wealth, there are those who obtain all their desires through one of the various means of obtaining a livelihood that we mentioned above, while there are others who obtain their desires through an inheritance or the like. That person thinks that it is the means of livelihood or the inheritance that made him wealthy, and without them, he would not have obtained any money at all. He praises the means, and not the cause— G‑d.
וְיֵשׁ שֶׁיִּמָּצֵא בִּכְלַל מְבַקְשֵׁי הַמָּמוֹן מִי שֶׁיַּגִּיעַ מִמֶּנּוּ אֶל תַּכְלִית תַּאֲוָתוֹ בְּדֶרֶךְ הַסִּבּוֹת אֲשֶׁר זָכַרְנוּ, וּמֵהֶם מִי שֶׁיַּגִּיעַ אֵלָיו בְּדֶרֶךְ הַיְרֻשָּׁה וְהַדּוֹמֶה לָזֶה, וְיַחְשׁוֹב כִּי הַסִּבּוֹת חִיְּבוּ לוֹ אֶת זֶה, וְלוּלֵא הֵן לֹא הָיָה מַגִּיעַ אֵלָיו מִמֶּנּוּ כְּלוּם, וּמְשַׁבֵּחַ הַסִּבָּה מִבַּלְעֲדֵי הַמְסַבֵּב.
Through one of the various means of obtaining a livelihood mentioned above. The various forms of work and labor—the “vessels” of livelihood—as discussed in Chapter 3 ( Marpei Lanefesh ).
He praises the means, and not the cause. While a person may acknowledge that his livelihood comes from G‑d, he nevertheless may have one of two attitudes toward the “vessel” (or in the language of the author, “cause”) through which his livelihood comes to him. He may see it as a “participant” with G‑d in the amount he will earn, which leads him to place excessive value in the business, thinking that if he works harder and puts more thought into it he will earn more.
This is similar to a person who thanks the waiter for a good drink, even though he knows that ultimately the beverage comes from the host. Nonetheless, since the waiter had a choice and is delivering it to him, he deserves thanks.
This is not only an error, but it is also a form of idolatry. When a person thinks that there is anything other than G‑d that provides and sustains, he is inviting a foreign entity into G‑d’s domain.
His attitude must be that the “vessel” is like an ax in the hands of a craftsman: A person would surely not give the ax any gratitude, only the craftsman who is using the ax.
So, too, when it comes to business ventures or any other method of income, he must acknowledge that his effort or this particular vessel will not determine how much he will earn. Only G‑d decides, and G‑d can do it in many ways. Therefore, it is only G‑d Whom he has to thank and show gratitude ( Sefer Hamaamarim 5686, p. 134 ff. ).
