A sailor knows how to use the wind to get to his destination, no matter which way the wind is blowing. A Tzaddik is someone who has learned how to fare the Seven Seas of life, through calm and stormy weather. He does not relate to this world as a pleasure cruise, sailing down-wind whichever way that happens to be. He bridles his spirit and guides it towards his ultimate good, tacking his way against the wind at times, disregarding temporary inconvenience. When the wind does blow his way, he utilizes the opportunity fully and makes headway quickly.
When Avraham Avinu saw a crack in Ephron's polished deceptive front, he rushed forward and seized the opportunity with two hands. The spirit of greed that oozed out through the veneer of his treachery was quickly placated with jingling coins, and the cherished burial place of Adam and Chava was Avraham's forever. So far had he sailed in those few minutes, securing that earthly piece of holiness for himself and his progeny, that when he was buried there thirty-eight years later his right was not challenged, he was already safely at bay.
When Avraham's servant Eliezer set out to find Yitzchak's predestined wife, he found himself sailing along with a strong backwind; arriving in Charan miraculously the same day he left, he knew that he had to make the most of his time. Perching himself on the water source, the symbol of his master's predominant trait of Chesed, he turned to the Almighty and prayed. Without any special effort on his part the scenes started to unravel quickly.
When Hashem begins to intervene, the wicked who are constantly being moved by whatever wind happens to be blowing can only nod in consent. Even Lavan, the arch-villain mentioned in the Pessach Haggadah as being worse than Pharaoh, who is unperturbed by his father's death in his eagerness to secure Eliezer's wealth for himself, finally had to back down when he saw what he was up against. Although his blessing to his sister bore no fruit, it was a clear indication that at least he wouldn't hinder the divine process.
When the winds eventually die down, dissipating in swirling vortexes of unknown eddies, the Tzaddik remains steadfast, striving relentlessly towards his cherished destination.
Adapted from Rabbi Vali's book on Bereishis. Questions and subscriptions can be mailed to: the Yeshiva