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Both Rabbenu Yona and the Ba’al HaCharedim write that having bitachon in Hashem is a mitzvat aseh from Torah, and like all other mitzvot, its rewards will be paid in the next world. However, this particular mitzvah is one of those which is also rewarded in this world. The pasuk in Yirmiyah describes some of the beautiful rewards that the ba’al bitachon has here in this world. He is compared to a tree planted near water which spreads out its roots amongst a brook. The tree is never afraid of heat or drought, it’s leaves are always fresh and it never stops producing fruit. Although heat and drought normally cause trees to wither, this tree is not afraid because it has its own source of irrigation. And so is true of the bote’ach b’Hashem , no matter what’s going on in the natural way of the world, he is never afraid because he is connected to his own source – the Source of everything. How do we connect to Hashem, the Source of everything? It all depends on our recognition of His control. The more a person believes that only Hashem is in charge, the greater is his bitachon and the more connected he becomes to Hashem. I was speaking to a man the other day who definitely qualifies as a bote’ach b’Hashem and I asked him if he had any recent episodes in which he displayed that bitachon . He replied, he was looking to buy a house in Brooklyn and he found something that he liked. He gave the real estate broker an offer which he felt was a fair price for that house. When she heard the number, she told him, “There is no way you will get this house for that price.” He told me when he heard that, the first thought that entered his mind was that this person has absolutely no say on whether or not he is going to get the house at that price. Only Hashem decides who gets which house and only Hashem decides how much a person should pay for that house. And so, although she tried to intimidate him to bid higher, he said with confidence, “This is the fair value and this is my offer. If it’s meant for me then it will work out.” Six months later, the real estate agent called back saying, “If you want the house, you can have it at your price.” He said, “Baruch Hashem,” and signed the contract. She then told him why the situation had changed. Originally, when he made his offer, she had someone else who had already offered $100,000 more than him and so she was very confident that he would not get the house at his price. However, the other bidder ended up having trouble qualifying for a mortgage. The back and forth of that took six months. When the owner of the house found out what had happened, he was very upset that it had dragged on for so long. He was planning on having the house sold way before that time. He asked the real estate agent if there were any other bidders and she said the next highest bid was for $100,000 cheaper. The owner said, “Just take it.” The man said, “I know who runs the world. I don’t get intimidated by people.” He will of course be rewarded for his bitachon in the next world, but he is also enjoying the benefits of it in this world as well.