One day, a man came to Rabbi Meir of Premishlan seeking advice. Bitterly, he complained that a competitor had appeared in town who might ruin him and drive him to poverty.
“Have you ever noticed how a horse, when approaching a river, strikes its hoof against the riverbank?” asked the Rabbi. “Do you know why it does that?”
The man, frustrated that the Rabbi seemed to completely miss the point of his complaint, looked at him in astonishment.
“I’ll explain,” continued Rabbi Meir. “When a horse bends its head to drink, it sees its own reflection in the water. It thinks it’s another horse and starts pawing at the water with its hoof to scare off the ‘rival’ and keep the water for itself. To us, this behavior seems foolish. We know the horse’s fears are baseless, and that there is enough water in the river for everyone.”
“But what does a foolish horse have to do with my trade and my competitor?” the man asked.
“My friend,” said the Rabbi, “you are that horse. You’ve convinced yourself that G-d’s river of abundance might not be enough for both you and someone else. And so you’re striking your hooves at the riverbank, trying to chase away an imaginary rival.”
“Imaginary?” the man asked again.
“G-d gives wealth to each of us, and no one but Him can take away what is meant for you. Strive to conduct your business with wisdom, and always remember: whatever comes to you is from above. All your competitors are merely reflections of yourself that you see in the river.”
In that moment, a deeper truth shimmered beneath the surface — what Chossid had perceived as threat was only the shadow of his own doubt. The Rabbi had gently lifted him from the narrow lens of 3D survival into the expansive vision of 5D trust, where Divine abundance flows without end to everyone, and fear dissolves like mist in the morning light.