The Test Beyond Blessing: A Story of Faith, Giving, and Staying on the Train

A Leap of Faith

I have a dear friend whose journey in emunah (faith) and bitachon (trust in God) has been nothing short of extraordinary. We once learned the entire Chovot HaLevavot together, cover to cover not once, but twice. Each time, I watched him grow into a genuine ba’al bitachon, a man whose entire heart rests in the hands of Hashem. He doesn’t rely on people, numbers, or markets. His trust flows in one direction to Heaven.

At one point, we were studying the halachot of ma’aser (tithing). He listened, absorbed, and without hesitation took a leap that many only talk about: he began giving 20% of his earnings every month.

He runs an Amazon business. Month after month, he separated 20%, faithfully, joyfully.

And then something astonishing happened. In his first year of giving ma’aser, his business exploded. It was surreal—sales skyrocketed, profits soared, blessings poured down with incredible force. He earned more money that year than he ever imagined possible. It felt like the windows of Heaven had opened for him. But then everything changed.

When the Blessing Disappears

After that remarkable first year, it was as if someone flipped a switch. His numbers collapsed overnight. The same business that once brought in $15,000 to $20,000 per day dropped to almost nothing. Sales were a fraction of what they used to be. His margins weren’t just lower they were incomparable.

He was still giving 20%. He was still learning. He was still trusting. And yet… his business was crumbling.

He began eating into his savings. He looked at last year’s charts and couldn’t make sense of it.

“Why?” he kept asking. “If I’m not receiving huge blessings like before, fine. But why can’t I at least maintain what I have? Why am I watching everything crash?”

Confused and shaken, he called a rabbi in Euclid, Ohio Rabbi Bruck, grandson of the great Rabbi Miller. My friend listens to his classes regularly, especially on emunah and bitachon.

He told him the whole story: the faith, the giving, the massive blessings… and then the sudden collapse.

Rabbi Bruck listened carefully and then said something that reframed everything.

“Don’t Get Off the Train.”

“You’re not the only one calling with this story,” the rabbi said. “Many people have taken on great acts of sacrifice—like giving ma’aser—and in the beginning, they saw incredible, supernatural results. But after a while… nothing. The blessings stop. The success reverses. And they’re left confused.”

Then he said the words that hold a deep spiritual truth:

“Hashem has His calculations, and I don’t pretend to know them. But I can tell you one thing: don’t get off the train.”

He explained:

Often, when someone begins a holy practice—whether giving charity, keeping Shabbat, or any other mitzvah—Hashem shower blessings at first. It’s like an initial welcome, a burst of encouragement.

But then the results stop.

Why?

Because Hashem wants to know what we want.
Are we serving Him for the blessing… or because it’s right?

Do we keep Shabbat because a rabbi promised it brings wealth?
Do we give ma’aser because we expect miracles?
Is our service a business investment?
Or is it genuine devotion?

Sometimes Hashem takes the very thing motivating us—the results—and places that inside the test.

He watches:

• Will you keep giving if the money stops flowing?

• Will you remain committed when the blessing is withheld?

• Will you stay faithful when the numbers make no sense?

This is not punishment.
It’s qualification.

The Test of Intention

The rabbi reminded him of a deep teaching:
When Abraham returned from the Akeidah, he expected celebration. Instead, he walked into the funeral of his beloved wife, Sarah.

Was this a new test?
No. Chazal say this was the completion of the same test.

God wanted to see:
Do you regret doing My will now that the outcome is painful?
Or do you stand strong, knowing My command is truth even when the result is bitter?

True devotion is revealed not in the blessing, but in the silence.

The rabbi told my friend:

“Some people jump ship the moment results drop. Don’t be that person. Stay on the train. Hold the line. Show Hashem that your commitment is real—not a transaction.”

So my friend held on.

For five painful months, his business barely moved.
He kept giving.
He kept trusting.
He kept believing.

Every month he separated 20%, even as his account shrank.

That is not normal faith.
That is heroic faith.

The Turnaround

Then, one day, someone approached him with an idea for a new product.

He listed it online.

And it exploded.

Sales roared back. Profits doubled. Then tripled. Hashem didn’t just restore what he lost—He paid back everything he missed, and then blessed him with abundance far beyond what he ever expected.

In a matter of months, he earned more money than he had made in the previous ten years combined.

Why?

Because now he was qualified.
He had shown Heaven why he was doing it.
Not for the blessing.
Not for the wealth.
But for the truth.

Once the test of intention was passed, the blessings returned with overwhelming force.

The Heart of the Story

This story teaches a timeless truth:

Hashem sometimes tests us not by withholding opportunities, but by withholding results.

Not to hurt us,
not to frighten us,
but to reveal us—to ourselves.

True commitment is proven in the dry seasons, not the rainy ones.

Anyone can stay on the train when it’s moving fast.
The question is:
Who stays seated when it stops?

The Inspirational Takeaway

• Blessings may start strong to inspire you.

• Then they may pause—to test you.

• Those who push through the silence often merit far greater light at the end.

Sometimes Hashem holds the blessing not to deny us—but to elevate us.

The real miracle is not the money that comes after the test.
The real miracle is the strength to stay on the train during the test.