A man once informed the Chazon Ish that a plane with 70 passengers had crashed and there were no survivors, לא עלינו . He proceeded to tell the rabbi the cause of the crash. The people who were there were eager to hear what the Chazon Ish would say about the incident—to hear the Torah perspective and gain the proper outlook on such a terrible tragedy. The Chazon Ish responded that this is not the way the story should be told. The correct way to describe it is like this: The Creator of the world decreed that 70 individuals were to end their lives on that day. And so, He gathered them all onto one plane. There was one man who was not included in that decree, and so Hashem made him miss the flight. There was someone else who hadn't planned to fly that day, but when he heard that there was a free seat, he joined the flight—not because of bad luck, but because it had been decreed for him to pass away that day. Whether an event happens or does not happen depends solely on the word of Hashem. Human actions are merely the vehicles that bring about the plan that Hashem has already set in motion. This is pure אמונה . A person must internalize that causes are not what determine events. First comes the decree of Hashem, and only afterward come the apparent causes. If someone is meant to have a certain amount of money, it is not his actions that produce the result—it is the decree of Hashem that brings it about. That being said, a person should know he never has to do anything shady to receive what is meant for him. Hashem has infinite ways of giving a person פרנסה , and when someone is presented with an opportunity to earn it through lying or cheating, it is a test for him to overcome. He will never lose by doing what is right, and although he may not see immediate benefit, that's all part of the test. Those who act with falsehood may see immediate gains from their actions, but if the money they earned was truly meant for them, they would have received it in a Kosher way. And if it wasn't meant for them, they will ultimately lose it. A man told me he asked his sons if they wanted to contribute money to a betting pool on a certain sporting event. Most of them said yes, but one of them—who is a rabbi—said he didn't feel comfortable betting on a sporting event and declined. The next day, the four who participated won a total of $12,000 and divided it equally, giving each person $3,000. One of the siblings said to the rabbi that he felt bad the rabbi didn't join, because he could have won a lot of money. The very next day, the rabbi's name was called in an auction at his children's Yeshiva, and he won a gift certificate worth $3,500. He saw clearly that if he is meant to earn money, Hashem has infinite ways of giving it to him. The more Emunah a person has, the more confident he becomes that Hashem is involved in every moment of his life. Sometimes it feels like Hashem is not there—but that is exactly when we need to use our Emunah the most, and understand that He is with us, listening to every word we say and watching every action we take. A woman told me she was going through a difficult time and decided to open her Tehillim and start reading from the beginning. When she reached near the end of פרק ס״ו (chapter 66), she lifted her eyes and wondered if Hashem was really listening to herTehillim. She then looked back down into the book and, astonishingly, the next words were: אכן שמע אלוקים, הקשיב בקול תפלתי In truth, Hashem has heard; He has paid attention to the sound of my prayer. Exactly what she had been wondering was answered in the very next line she was about to read. She felt so comforted, sensing the closeness of Hashem. And although she was in a difficult time, that moment gave her the strength to persevere. Hashem is in control of every last thing that happens at every moment of every day. It is up to us to recognize that and act accordingly.