Tests of Integrity



Art: Mike Worrall

 In Pursuit of Parnassah (c)  Rabbi Dovid Goldwasser

R’ Yisroel of Rizhin noted that one of the major challenges that people will face in the ikvesa d’meshicha – the days before the arrival of Moshiach -- will involve economic issues and financial matters.

The gemara describes two phases of life as being “koshin k’krias yam suf – as difficult as the splitting of the Red Sea”: Shidduchim [Sotah 2a] and parnossoh [Pesachim 118a].

The Bobover Rov zt”l makes an observation concerning the commonality in both of these. He notes that when a person gets married his task is to establish a home that is a bastion of commitment, a beacon of light, and a foundation for spiritual growth. The person must build up his emunah in Hashem and evoke the Siyata D’Shmaya in order to make progress in this yeoman undertaking. Similarly, providing a steady income for one’s family is an equally arduous task, and the person’s emunah in Hashem is often put to a demanding test.

The ultimate challenge is to ascertain whether the individual will remain on the derech ha’emes (the path of truth)  through any difficulties he encounters. Despite adversity, will the Yid be able to continue upholding the Torah, carefully follow the halacha, and always realize that Hashem is the provider Who runs the world? Will he remain resilient in his belief that it is Hashem Who grants us our livelihood and bestows us, as well, with a life partner?

A primary principle to keep in mind concerning the pursuit of parnassah, is that one must always be trustworthy in business, his integrity must be unconditional, and all his dealings must be legitimate, with a strict adherence to all the pertinent halachos. When we want Hashem’s bracha to descend and direct our parnassah, we have to ensure that all our own exertion in this effort is scrupulous.

It is noted that we say the tefillah, “Yisgadel v’yiskadesh shmei rabbah – May His great Name be exalted and sanctified". How do we pay tribute to the Ribono Shel Olam? The first letter of each of these four words (the roshei teivos) – yud, vov, shin, reish – spells “yosher” meaning honest and straight. The most noble way of glorifying Hashem’s Name is through one’s integrity, personally and in business.

Continue reading at: Inspirational Moment
 

All for the best

Faith makes you truly alive.

It fills your every day with good.

When troubles come, as they will, take comfort in your faith that whatever happens is for the best.

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov

Parshat HaMann - Segula for Parnossa

Art: Heidi Malott

Not to be confused with the evil villain of the Purim story, Parshat haMann (The Chapter of the Manna) is found in the 16th Chapter of the Book of Exodus: verses 4-36. This Chapter details the episode of the miraculous "Manna" (bread from heaven) that sustained the Children of Israel during their 40-year journey in the desert.

Rav Yosef Caaro, the "mechaber" (compiler) of the monumental Halachic text, the Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 1:5, instructs us to recite it daily. Other giants of Halacha also point to the importance of reciting it daily: The Tur 1; Aruch Hashulchan 1:22; Shulchan Aruch HaRav 1:9.

By so doing, every Jew acknowledges that his/her livelihood comes from only from Hashem. Reciting the Parshat HaMann daily strengthens one's Emuna and Bitachon (belief and trust) in HASHEM, and is a "Segula for Parnassa" (auspicious for having a healthy income).

Rebbe Menachem Mendel of Riminov (1745-1815), a disciple of the Holy Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk, instructed everyone to read "Parshat HaMann" specifically on the Yom Shlishi (Tuesday) of Parshat (Torah portion of) Beshalach in the "Shnayim Mikra v'Echad Targum" format, i.e. reading the Hebrew verses twice and the Aramaic translation of Onkelos once.

To read Parshat haMann in Hebrew (with the Aramaic translation of Onkelos), please visit: Tefillos.com

English version here: Ou.org

Read more at: Zchus Avos and Why Parshas Hamon is recited on Tuesday

A Wake Up Call

Lessons from Rav Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz by Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz        

(HT: Yaak)

[Original article at Matzav]

Rav Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz


We often hear people remark that “we live in an Olam Hasheker” or that “Olam Hazeh is all fiction.” What does this truly mean?

We all live in Olam Hazeh, yet we don’t perceive our lives to be full of lies. We don’t believe that our very existence is based upon a falsity. We work hard, we learn Torah, and we do mitzvos, endeavoring to be truthful and to spread goodness.

Perhaps what is meant by olam hasheker is that we live in a world built on illusion. This is certainly true of society’s stubborn belief in man’s power to control his destiny. This illusion tends to die hard. Time and again humanity must be shocked anew into the awareness of how helpless man really is.

For example, we need only ponder some recent “natural” disasters that drove home this message: the fire in Israel’s northern Carmel region and last week’s snowstorm in the Northeast. The entire world watched as citizens of the most technologically advanced countries admitted their powerlessness in the face of fire and snow - “natural” forces sent to carry out the Divine plan.

A country that likes to see itself as almost invincible was brought to its knees by a fire it could not extinguish. The inferno was started by two irresponsible teens, who hadn’t even intended to do any damage. They were simply careless and lazy. Before they knew what was happening, however, many people had been killed. Homes, businesses and properties were being incinerated and thousands of acres of forest went up in smoke.

A proud country accustomed to offering aid to suffering nations around the globe was reduced to begging for fire-fighting equipment. It was revealed that the country didn’t even possess one airplane equipped to fight forest fires. Its fire-fighters proved wholly unequipped and inadequate in the face of the rapidly expanding fire.

It became apparent that the only reason Israel hasn’t suffered serious fire damage over the years was because fires of this magnitude had never before broken out. Complacency thus became the nation’s undoing in this “natural” disaster.

Last week, we had the same type of learning experience in the New York area. Tiny flakes of frozen water fell upon this region. Millions of them. We call them snow. We think we are equipped to handle snow; after all, it’s nothing new and has been around for thousands of years.

Cities have salt to melt snow and ice. They have large, heavy trucks with large plows attached in front of them which push the snow to the sides of the street so that cars can pass. People have snow tires on their cars to enable them to gain traction on snowy roads and move from place to place. Other people have heavy four-wheel-drive vehicles that can drive in all types of weather conditions.

All of the above failed to impose order over the chaos in New York City caused by last week’s blizzard. The City That Never Sleeps was put to bed for three days. For reasons unknown and not yet understood, the plows didn’t plow; the trucks didn’t move; four-wheel-drives didn’t drive; cars stood frozen in the middle of the road and buses were immobilized in the middle of thoroughfares.

The mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg who, thanks to his money and proven administrative skills, overturned term limits to get himself reelected to a third term, was left flat-footed. Every time he opened his mouth to speak about the progress of the snow-plowing effort, he was caught with another lie and lost even more respect among his constituents.

Not only was he shown to be out of touch with the public’s needs, he was seen as reacting with petulance and resentment when confronted with the public’s demand for competent handling of the emergency. People refused to be resigned to being locked into their homes for days on end, unable to exit their own streets.

In both the inferno in Israel and the blizzard in New York City, people perceived as strong leaders capable of handling emergencies and exercising damage control were shown to be sorely lacking in those skills.

There is nothing novel about snowstorms and fires; in technologically advanced societies they are quickly brought under control. Not this time. The fires refused to be extinguished and the snow foiled all clearing attempts.

Other strange occurrences have recently captured our attention. A lone anarchist using the name WikiLeaks unleashed an avalanche of state secrets, exposing for the world the machinations of presidents, prime ministers, potentates, dictators, ministers and others. The most powerful men and women in the world stood by, unable to stop the outrageous leaking of their secret schemes that left them exposed and mortified.

The United States has stretched its army thin in wars to decimate al-Qaeda. Yet the band of nomadic terrorists is as elusive as ever. The world’s strongest nation has been proved impotent in its efforts to capture the most wanted man in the world since Hitler, as he sits in a primitive cave and plans acts of mass murder.

The leaders of the Western and Arab worlds watch as a lunatic with messianic pretensions presides over Iran, manufacturing nuclear weapons to use in his crusade against Israel and other enemies. Despite strong talk, saber rattling, boycotts, sanctions, and the biggest farce of all - UN resolutions - the civilized world appears utterly powerless to halt what no one denies is a disaster in the making.

What is this all about? What is going on? Why are all the powerful people of the world being exposed as powerless?

We all know people who talk as if the world is about to blow up at any time. Listening to them, you wonder if you should sell everything and run to a faraway desert, stocking up on water and provisions. In all seriousness, their observations are not that far from the truth. An objective observation of the situation in the Mideast can leave one shaking. Iran is on the cusp of becoming a nuclear power. Hezbollah has tens of thousands of rockets aimed at Eretz Yisroel. Hamas gets stronger by the day. Israel’s economic problems are endemic.

The world today is a very dangerous place and there is no human being or country that can protect us from those who seek our destruction. It’s about time we internalized that stark reality.

We sing Vehi She’amdah once a year on the Seder night, but the rest of the year we tend to forget that “Im Hashem lo yishmor ihr, shov shokad shomer.” It is Hashem Who protects us, today and every day. We lull ourselves into a false sense of security by putting our faith in presidents, prime ministers, seasoned diplomats and other professionals.

Recent world events are meant to impress upon us how little control we have over the events of our lives. The headlines of recent weeks ought to demonstrate to us that none of the leaders strutting about on the world stage has any independent power. All are pawns in the hands of Hashem. Their pretensions to leadership are part of the olam hasheker.

Who is the true leader? The man who cares. The man who feels a responsibility for others. The one who sits huddled in a humble apartment away from the shackles of power, out of the spotlight. The person who is suffused with Torah. The person who has dedicated his life to being an eved Hashem and bows to no one but those who follow the true path.

A person like the 97-year-old Rav Michel Yehudah Lefkowitz, who sits in a small dirah in Bnei Brak. As he approaches the age of 100, he is weak and finds it difficult to move about. A grandson who stays with him and his elderly wife, tends to their needs.

My friend, Rav Eliezer Sorotzkin, related to me that three weeks ago Rav Michel Yehudah awoke in middle of the night and saw that his wife was not in her bed. He got out of bed and walked out of the bedroom into the hallway. There he saw his wife sprawled on the floor.

The grandson who stays with them was roused by his grandfather’s footsteps and came to the hallway. Groggy and disoriented, he watched as Rav Michel Yehudah ran to his room to get a pillow to put under his wife’s head.

The grandson rushed over to him and said, “Sabbah, mah atah oseh? What are you doing?” Rav Michel Yehudah responded that the floor is hard and cold, that he went to get a pillow so his wife would be more comfortable…”Kar lah. Ratziti lehakeil aleha.”

He didn’t scream for his grandson, he didn’t shout to call Hatzollah, he didn’t bend down to ask his wife what happened. His first thought was to ease her pain. And to accomplish that, he ignored his frailty and mustered all his strength to be of assistance to her.

At almost 100 years old, Rav Michel Yehudah is teaching us about shalom bayis, and about caring for others. This is a true leader. He feels the pain of others and does everything he can to lessen it. A leader of this caliber labors far from the seat of power; he dwells instead amongst his brethren, caring for them as a shepherd tends to his flock.

Baalei Mussar expound in great length on the fact that the Avos were shepherds, consumed with the task of tending to their flocks. Moshe Rabbeinu, too, spent his time in Midyan caring for sheep and providing for their needs. Dovid Hamelech was, likewise, a shepherd prior to becoming the king of Israel.

These heroes exemplified devotion to Hashem’s creations and despite the hardship it entailed, made the wellbeing of their charges their foremost concern. This is the crucible in which a true leader attains greatness. Greatness is won through selflessness. It is not magically conferred on people by virtue of their success in seizing the limelight or grabbing the reins of power.

Leadership is reserved for those who display compassion and altruism when no one is there to observe them. Leadership belongs to those who spend their lives as servants of Hashem and grow in His shadow by following the teachings of Torah and mussar.

It is to people who distinguish themselves in this way that we should turn for guidance and direction. It is in their merit and the merit of all the truly good people of Am Yisroel that fires don’t break out all over, that snow gets plowed, that Iran doesn’t fire nuclear weapons, that Hezbollah is restrained, and that al-Qaeda doesn’t strike. It is the merit of the selfless, dedicated, servants of the One Above, that the world doesn’t blow up.

Sometimes we need a wake up call to remind us that we don’t control our destinies; that Hashem is the Master Scriptwriter and He alone runs the world. Instead of allowing the illusions of the olam hasheker to hold us hostage, let us shake off our slavish dependency on impotent leaders. Let us follow the blueprint for salvation by performing more tzedakah and chessed, doing the mitzvos properly with more purity of heart, and bringing more kedusha into our lives.

The Signature of God

Discover Hashem through ancient texts and modern science.

Emunah and C-Sections

My trust in rabbis was eroded long ago, and several internet rabbis have done nothing to improve that situation.   I was unfortunate enough to have to learn several lessons the hard way, because I listened to certain rabbis giving advice that they had no right to give - and which I later discovered was totally wrong information.

For this reason, I feel it necessary to respond to Lazer Beam's latest blog post Emunah and Childbirth where a guest female writer (RF) pleads with women around the world to cease having babies via C-section.  She then equates having caesarean sections to a lack of emunah.  By publishing her rant, Rabbi Brody acknowledges his agreement with it, and - (worse) - implies that such an opinion is endorsed by Breslov and the great Rebbe Nachman of Breslov.

I find the entire blog post to be (1) misleading and (2) insulting.

There are many reasons why a woman needs to deliver her baby via caesarean section:

Here are the most common indications for cesarean birth:

•Previous surgery on the uterus makes a cesarean necessary

•Placenta previa, to prevent excessive maternal bleeding that may affect the fetus.

•Abruptio placenta, to prevent rapid blood and oxygen loss to the baby as a result of the placenta separating.

•Herpes infection, a cesarean will prevent the possibility of passing it on to the baby through the birth canal.

•Severe toxemia, to prevent fetal complications.

•Fetal distress, as identified through ultrasounds and/or fetal monitoring.

•Abnormal fetal position, making it impossible for the baby to pass through the birth canal. An example would be a breech or transverse presentation.

•Diabetic mother, if the disease results in a very large baby, or poor blood flow to the placenta.

•Prolapsed cord, to prevent loss of oxygen to the baby.

•Cephalopelvic disproportion (CPD), when the baby’s head is too large to pass through the birth canal.

•Failure of labor to progress, or if oxytocin has not been effective.

•Forcep or vacuum failure.

 

Having emunah doesn't mean you ignore your doctor's advice and run straight for your prayer book and rely on a miracle.  Having emunah means that you understand Hashem gave us doctors and operating theatres, anaesthesia, and miraculous ways of bringing babies into the world - unlike past generations where the mother and baby would both die.

 

Providentially, an email just arrived, showing an (old) amazing photo of a baby in the womb, being operated on.  The baby is holding the doctor's hand, almost as if saying "thank you doctor".   Rabbi Brody, it's time to think before you publish your misleading articles.......
 

Photo: 21-week-old unborn baby named Samuel Alexander Armas, who is being operated on by surgeon named Joseph Bruner. The baby was diagnosed with spina bifida and would not survive if removed from his mother's womb. Little Samuel's mother, Julie Armas, is an obstetrics nurse in Atlanta. She knew of Dr. Bruner's remarkable surgical procedure. Practicing at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, he performs these special operations while the baby is still in the womb.

During the procedure, the doctor removes the uterus via C-section and makes a small incision to operate on the baby. As Dr. Bruner completed the surgery on Samuel, the little guy reached his tiny, but fully developed hand through the incision and firmly grasped the surgeon's finger. Dr. Bruner was reported as saying that when his finger was grasped, it was the most emotional moment of his life, and that for an instant during the procedure he was just frozen, totally immobile.

The photograph captures this amazing event with perfect clarity. The editors titled the picture, "Hand of Hope." The text explaining the picture begins, "The tiny hand of 21-week-old fetus Samuel Alexander Armas

emerges from the mother's uterus to grasp the finger of Dr. Joseph Bruner as if thanking the doctor for the gift of life." Little Samuel's mother said they "wept for days" when they saw the picture. She said, "The photo reminds us pregnancy isn't about disability or an illness, it's about a little person" Samuel was born in perfect health, the operation 100 percent successful.

Rebbe Nachman on Emunah

from the writings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov

When you see something out of the ordinary, don't say that it's coincidence, rather believe that it is Divine Providence.

A person's faith endears him to G-d much like a wife is endeared by her husband.

When a person loses something it shows that he has fallen from his faith.

Should you find that you have doubts about G-d, remain silent. By virtue of this silence, your very thoughts will provide you with an answer to your question.

Remaining silent when you are insulted will earn you the answers to your questions and you'll merit a spirit of understanding.

It is first necessary to have faith in G-d and only then will you be worthy of understanding Him with your intellect.

A person who is always cleaning his hands is purifying his heart.

A man who has no faith does not accept rebuke.

When a man falls from faith, he should know that he is being judged Above.

Trust Only in Hashem

"Yet the chief wine butler did not remember Yosef, and he forgot him" [Vayeishev 40:23]

This verse seems redundant, noted the Maharam of Amshinov. Why must it state that "he forgot him" once it already informed us that "the chief wine butler did not remember Yosef".

The Rebbe answered: As soon as Yosef uttered his request to the chief wine butler he realized that he had sinned, as he had trusted in a human being instead of Hashem.  He therefore prayed to Hashem that the butler would forget his request entirely! And, indeed, "he forgot him".

Rashi explains that Heaven punished Yosef and made him remain in prison an additional two years because he placed his trust in the chief wine butler.

The Alter of Novarodok's (R' Yosef Yozel Horowitz) level of bitachon was legendary.

One night, the Alter was sitting alone in his house in the woods learning Torah by candlelight. He continued learning until his very last candle burned out.

The Alter was now left sitting in complete darkness and it saddened him that he would have to stop learning for lack of a candle. But then the Alter decided that he must strengthen his faith in Hashem and trust that He would provide him with all that he needed - including a candle.

The Alter quickly got up and opened the door of his home. At that very moment, a man stepped out of the forest, handed him a candle, and disappeared.

For twenty-five years, the Alter saved the candle as a remembrance of that miracle and to show his students that Hashem takes special care of those who sincerely trust Him.

But then a fire broke out in Novarodok.  The Alter's home was among the many homes that were destroyed in the fire.  The fire consumed everything that was in the house, including the wondrous candle.

"You should know" said the Alter to his students, "that Heaven made us lose the candle in order to teach us that we must trust in Hashem even when we have no proof that He will help us".

Source: Rabbi Yisrael Bronstein

The Generation with the Face of a Dog

"With the advent of the footsteps of Mashiach, insolence will increase and prices will soar; the vine will yield its fruit, yet wine will be dear; the government will turn to heresy and no one will rebuke them; the meeting place of scholars will be used for immorality; Galilee will be destroyed, Gavlan will be desolate, and those who dwell on the borders will wander about begging from town to town without being pitied; the wisdom of the scholars will degenerate, those who fear sin will be despised, and the truth will be lacking; youths will put old men to shame, elders will rise in deference to the young, a son will revile his father, a daughter will rise up against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a man's enemies will be the members of his household; the face of the generation will be like the face of a dog; a son will not feel ashamed before his father.

So upon whom can we rely? -- Upon our Father Who is in heaven."               [Sotah 9:15]

It's been totally apparent to me for a long time now that these days there is no-one who can help, and the only place to go to is straight to the top: to Hashem.  I  have stopped asking people for assistance, because I know there is none.  People have their own troubles to deal with, there's not much energy (or time) left for other peoples'.  I guess that's what it means when it says that the generation before Moshiach will have the "face of a dog".  

So I really want to share this with all of you, because it's pretty awesome.

I've been having some money problems lately, something I haven't really had to worry too much about for a few years now, but suddenly it seemed that everything changed, and the money stopped.  I wondered how I was going to pay my bills, like many other people who read this blog and who email me, money is the biggest problem of all.

So I said to G-d that it was too much for me to deal with.  I have enough to cope with one way and another, and I can't take on the "money" problem, it's just too hard.  Maybe G-d could step in and sort it all out.

That same day, in fact just hours after my conversation with G-d, the phone rang.  It was a rabbi who I have known for quite a long time. He asked me to do some transcription typing for him.... quite a lot of work, and enough to pay the bills for now anyway.

So I start typing..... as I am one-quarter of the way thru the work, suddenly I realise I am typing the answer to another problem I have.   Not only has this rabbi given me a way to pay the bills, he has given me the solution to a difficult issue.    And he doesn't even know that he's solved two problems for me, he is just the intermediary, the real problem-solver is Hashem.

I'm going to ask his permission before I blog the "solution" I just typed up for him.   But the main point of this is to say that G-d is listening, don't be afraid to ask for assistance.  That's what we're supposed to be doing now, in this generation with the "face of a dog" we can only turn to Hashem.   That's the whole point..... we have to learn to rely solely on G-d and not on other people.  

Emunah

from the teachings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov translated by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan

Faith is a very strong thing, and it can greatly fortify your life.

If you have faith, then you have a source of comfort and inspiration even when troubles strike. You realize that all troubles are ultimately for your good and are an atonement for your sins. You know that G-d will be good to you in the end, both in this world and the next.

The faithless skeptic, on the other hand, has nowhere to turn when troubles strike. He is utterly alone, without comfort or inspiration.

It is impossible to put everything into writing, but an intelligent man should be able to build upon this himself.

The main thing is innocent faith. With it, one can have a portion both in this world and the next. Happy is he who has such faith, for he shall never be moved.

There are souls conceived in absolute holiness. When such a holy soul comes down to this world and is not tainted with sin, it results in a person with perfect faith. Such a person never has any doubts.

Others can express their skepticism in such a man's presence, but his faith is no way disturbed. He is totally oblivious to all doubts. His ears are deaf to all their speculation and confusion.

Even one who is not endowed with such an extraordinary soul can realize that the average person's questions are mere foolishness. Upon close examination, their questions turn out not to be questions at all.

Many people are disturbed by questions for years, not realizing that their questions are actually answers. It is only their lack of intelligence that makes them seem like questions in the first place.

They have questions like those one might ask a child: "If we have a broken window, why replace it with a pane from the next window if a bird can then fly through the remaining empty frame?"

Such a question actually includes its own answer. But a child does not realize this and considers it a very difficult question. He will ponder it and not know what to reply.

But the question itself is really very foolish. The question about the bird is really the answer to the first foolish question. The reason why we do not use the adjacent pane is precisely because it leaves a space through which a bird can fly.

A young child does not have enough intelligence to realize that the answer is included in such a question. For this very reason, the question seems very difficult to him.

The same is true of many people. A foolish question enters their mind, and they have no idea that this question actually includes its own answer. It seems like a difficult question, but only because of their lack of intelligence. Understand this well.

Consider all this and be strong in faith. Flee from this foolishness and confusion, and cast all questions and doubts from your mind.

The Foundation of the Entire Torah

"He trusted in Hashem, and He considered this for him as an act of righteousness" [Lech Lecha 15:6]

Why, asked the Chofetz Chaim, was Avraham's trust in Hashem considered "righteousness" - as though it was something above and beyond what was demanded of him?  After all, Avraham fulfilled every commandment in the Torah; what was so unique about his trust in Hashem?

We see from here, answered the Chofetz Chaim, that trust in Hashem is more than just another mitzvah - rather, it is the foundation of the entire Torah.

To what can this be compared?  To a man drowning in the sea who suddenly sees a tree extending from the shore.  Which part of the tree will he attempt to grab? Not the branches, for they can easily be broken; rather, he grabs hold of the roots.

So too, concluded the Chofetz Chaim, is trust in Hashem.  Trust in Hashem is comparable to the sturdy roots of a tree, which serve as a foundation and a base for the entire tree.

by Rabbi Yisrael Bronstein
Art: Vladimir Kush

Hiker Survives Desert Ordeal Thanks to 'Miracle' Rain

Sixty-four-year-old Ed Rosenthal of Los Angeles shocked rescuers last week when he was found alive after six days in the desert with little food or water. He spoke to the media this week after several days of recovery in the Hi-Desert Medical Center in Joshua Tree.

Rosenthal finished the last of his water on the first day he was lost, but was later able to drink some rainwater. He told reporters that the rain fell immediately after he had prayed for rain.

"There was definitely a miracle... My conclusion is that G-d is real. Really, I have to tell you. G-d is real," he said.

He also recalled reciting the Shema Yisrael prayers, "Hear O Israel, the Lord our G-d, the Lord is One", an affirmation of belief  which Jews traditionally say three times daily, and also declare before death. He saw a "white tunnel," he said, but then decided that he was not ready to die.

Full story at: Israel National News

Torah Secrets of Parnossa

Art: Heidi Malott

by Robert L. Kremnizer

We begin with a saying from the Talmud familiar to all Chabad children; If a person says, "I strived and failed" - don't believe him. "I didn't strive and succeeded" - don't believe him. "I strived and succeeded" - believe him.

The Rebbe has explained - and the whole of this section is based on that explanation of the concept of parnossah (financial sustenance). Jewish parnossah appears at first glance to contradict this section of Talmud. We will see however that this is of course not so.

The wording of the Torah in relation to work and Shabbos is that "in six days your work shall be done and the seventh day will be for you a holy day, a Shabbos on which to withdraw from mundane pursuits." An important distinction needs to be understood; a Jew's parnossah and a non-Jew's parnossah is entirely different and this section is restricted to Jewish parnossah.

The wording does not say, "you will work." It says, "your work shall be done" in a passive sense.

The Hebrew word for "your work shall be done", is a passive word. Can we therefore say that all we have to do is to exist, and we will have parnossah? Clearly this cannot be true because the world is so designed that everything in nature requires the participation of man.

The first statements in Torah make clear that the world is created, and we are put on the world to complete the work of creation. There are various worlds, as we shall see elsewhere but in this, the physical world, the lowest of all possible worlds, there is a partnership between Hashem and mankind. Clearly, therefore, one cannot simply sit believing what will be will be and what won't be won't be. We know this is wrong because Torah directs our intervention into that partnership.

As far as work is concerned although the word is passive, involvement is required - passive involvement. Six days a week, the work has to be done but the perspective of a Jew is that that work is passive, that he is as it were grudgingly doing it.

Now the Torah also says: "Strive with hands in order to be able to eat, and you will be happy and it will be good for you." The simple meaning of this is the directive not to be a beggar. Man should work for himself and be independent and not be a burden on the community.

The deeper level is that one is required to work with one's hands not one's head or one's heart. A Jew's head is his seichel, his intellect, and his heart is his middos, his emotion. These must be reserved for Torah and mitzvos. Only then can he be truly happy. One must strive with the hands, and then he will eat and then he will be happy and it will be good for him. When will he be happy and it be good for him? Only when working with the hands, not with the head, not with the heart.

No stress. Why no stress? No head, no heart. Where is the head and the heart? Learning Torah, doing mitzvos. What is the primary job? The primary job is to be a Jew who learns Torah and does his mitzvos. What is the secondary begrudged job? Earning a living with the hands. Reserve seichel for Talmud. Reserve middos for learning to be good to others, loving and being kind to a wife and learning to be good to enemies and all those irritating people who keep treading on one's feet which may be too big.

Incidentally, the second quote lists two happinesses; happy and good for you. This means happy in this world and it will be good for you in the World to Come. If one does not work with one's head and one's heart, not only will there be more happiness here but life will be easier in the World to Come - in Gan Eden.

This is what the notion of passivity about the work being done means. For six days there is no question that a Jew must work. But only that which is necessary.

What is necessary? Unfortunately, there is no fixed measure for this. Everyone has to manage this calculation alone.

How can a person approach his business like that? Let us understand that we have all grown up in a host society where parnossah is a sacred cow. The Torah is eternal and applies in all aspects to every generation. Egyptians worshipped the Nile as a false god. Pharaoh threw Jewish children into the Nile. Chassidus teaches that the modern Pharaoh throwing Jewish children into the Nile is society throwing Jewish children into a pursuit of parnossah which eclipses any real perspective of life.

The Torah also says that "Hashem your G-d will bless you in everything that you do." Now, who is doing the blessing? It is that Hashem will bless you in everything you do. Does the brachah (blessing) of parnossah come from us or from Hashem? Every Jew must make this decision.

If a man believes that parnossah comes from him, he has an excellent reason for throwing his head and his heart into the process of earning it, and earning more. How does he obtain more? - by working harder.

He will lie awake at night, he will worry and he will plan, calculating and artfully dodging. People fall in love with this disease until their life is wasted. The head and heart is involved to the exclusion of everything else.

When the words of the Torah are understood for what they say, namely, that the brachah comes from Hashem, your G-d, and who "will bless you in everything that you do", there is a whole and dramatic change in perspective. If the brachos come from Hashem and not as the product of one's effort, a man would be a fool for investing his head and heart into the labor. What a waste of energy this is! Would a man guaranteed $1,000.00 next week irrespective of his effort, work? Even if so, how hard? Would he kill himself? He may work but only to establish a connection between himself and being paid.

How much more so would this be true if he knew he would not earn any more by investing emotional effort. Who would kill themselves for nothing if their parnossah was anyway fixed?

Here is a secret of Torah: What brings parnossah to a Jew is the brachah from Hashem. Therefore, the question becomes only, what needs to be done in order to obtain that brachah? This becomes the only concern. Clearly, one of the things not necessary is to put the head and the heart into the enterprise.

But then why work at all? Why not go to shul and learn, daven and go out into the street and try to help people all day? In fact, can't we say that working is a sign of lack of emunah (faith)? If the brachah is from Hashem and Hashem is going to sustain us, can't we leave it to Him? We learn elsewhere in this book that the whole purpose of the neshomah being sent down into a Jewish body is to learn Torah and do mitzvos and to so make a dwelling place for G-d in the lowest of all possible worlds. If Hashem designs this plan, He cannot allow us to starve, and therefore maybe we should not work at all?

It is the way of Hashem that His blessing must flow down in a natural way. For whatever reason, it is His requirement that, even when nature is suspended, the suspension is through nature and in a way which is apparently natural. In order to receive the blessing, man must make a keli (vessel) to contain that brachah. The vessel must be part of nature so that the brachah devolves through apparently natural means. The keli for parnossah is work. This is the reason, and the sole reason, a Jew is required to work.

The wording we referred to in the Torah also really connotes toil. When a person does what he loves to do, he does not get tired. A person tires quickly from what he hates. A Jewish neshomah, no matter how it is covered up, fundamentally desires to learn Torah and do mitzvos. A Jewish neshomah thirsts for Torah. Everything else becomes work, toil.

What about all those people who love work; they are successful making money and they love to work. Let us understand; there is nothing wrong with making plenty of money. Indeed only a fool denies this, so some people not only love work, they want to multiply the effort and the time spent working. Sadly, some successful people become so involved that when they have more money than they can spend in a thousand years, they still must work - because otherwise they have nothing to do! In other words, what is basically a curse has become a consuming need. The tail has begun to wag the dog. Work is a curse given to us as a result of the sin with the fruit of the tree. The poor person who lives in order that he should work is to be pitied in his lack of understanding.

So what must a Jew do? Every man therefore must make a vessel according to his level. This vessel must begin with a Jew's understanding of his identity. There was a Chassid of the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe who was asked whether he was a lawyer. "Certainly not," he replied, "I am a Jew whose parnossah comes to me through the vehicle of the legal profession."

The primary perspective is that a person is a Jew whose neshomah has descended into his body to fulfill his purpose in this world. If the purpose is being fulfilled, there is a guarantee; Hashem says it will be good for you and you will be happy. It will be good for you in this world, it will be good for you in the next world, you will have no worries, and will overcome all problems. As we have seen, every neshomah has just what it needs to do its job.

Does all the above mean a man can forget work and simply play? Then even the hands are not in it. The head and the heart are not there, but the hands are not there either. Hands need to be in the office, to pick up the telephone, to do the mail. Allowing parnossah to take over one's being however and permitting it the central perspective of one's life is throwing life away into the Nile.

Finally, as to the size of the vessel, there is a concluding aspect. The size of the vessel seems to vary with a man's spiritual level. It is an incredible thing that for those people on a high enough level, the vessel may be extremely small. R. Shimon Bar Yochai, who wrote the Zohar, spent thirteen years in a cave with his son buried to their necks in sand.

Theoretically, they should have died of exposure and starvation. But for a Tzaddik that cave happened to have a stream running past it and a carob tree outside. Being perfect Tzaddikim, they had almost no burden of work for their sustenance. On the other hand, men of lesser stature in the mistaken belief that they were Tzaddikim, refused to make a vessel and consequently starved to death.

There is a conclusion however that can be calculated. A Jew fulfilling his purpose will be looked after by Hashem; the more genuine time he spends on this purpose, the lesser the vessel of work required. The more he ignores his function in the world, the greater must the vessel be.

What then of this section of Talmud at the beginning of this chapter? If a person says, "I strived and failed" - don't believe him. "I didn't strive and succeeded" - don't believe him. "I strived and succeeded" - believe him. How does this stand in the face of everything we have learned? This section of Talmud clearly suggests that the harder you try, the better is your edge at succeeding. This section of Talmud expresses spiritual endeavors.

Learning Torah and doing mitzvos is absolutely directly connected with a man's effort. It is difficult. There are aspects of Yiddishkeit which are wonderful. Chassidus teaches a man to soar in the heavens and to see with new eyes but there are aspects of learning how and doing so which are very difficult. This is where the head and heart are required. Exertion with the head and heart in Torah and mitzvos take a Jew out of the realm of weariness and on to the mountain top of fulfillment. There - if a man strives and succeeds - believe him.

Source:  "The Ladder Up" Secret Steps to Jewish Happiness by Robert L. Kremnizer

The Essence of Prayers

Keep in mind that the essence of your prayers is the faith you have in them that they will be answered.

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov