Paths of Faith: Effort is Necessary but Does Not Bring Sustenance

In order for us to have sustenance, we must make an effort, as we see Hashem created the world in such a way that effort is required. This is, as mentioned, to test if a person will remember that sustenance comes from heaven, and to ensure one is dependent on Hashem each new day. However, one must not confuse or forget that effort does not bring sustenance.

R' Avraham son of the Ramban says: There is an obligation to make an effort – because this is Hashem's condition for having sustenance, but if a person thinks that effort brings sustenance – that is hidden heresy.

True faith means I make an effort and trust in Hashem to do what is best for me.

According to the Chazon Ish: An old mistake has taken root in many hearts; they think that faith means sitting at home doing nothing and Hashem will arrange everything, or that trusting Hashem means that if I start a business, it will surely succeed. Not true! Trusting Hashem means – I make the effort required of me logically and practically, as this is the condition, that Hashem gives sustenance after effort, and I trust that Hashem will make sure that what is best for me will happen.

Effort Will Not Bring What is Not Decreed by Heaven

Effort does not add to what has been decreed.

R' Chaim Kanievsky shlit"a writes: "The rule is that all human actions and schemes will not be able to add or detract even a little from what was decreed on Rosh Hashanah, except through prayer and repentance the decree can change."

Whatever is decreed for a person on Rosh Hashanah will not help them get more than what was decreed, unless their decree is torn through repentance and prayer.

Sometimes a person succeeds in something specific they decided they wanted, but they must know that if they succeed, it is only because it was decreed so. And if not, Hashem would cause them to receive it in another way or through other means.

"When a person succeeds in their efforts, it is because it was decreed on Rosh Hashanah, and were it not for their efforts, it would have happened in this way or that way. If it was not decreed for them, sometimes they are allowed to succeed to some extent, at the cost of other things, because effort will not add more than what was decreed for them, as Chazal said in Yoma: No one can touch what is prepared for another, not even a hairsbreadth."

Effort just brings a person to what was decreed for them by Hashem. Reasonable effort is a requirement for sustenance, but more or less effort will not change what was decreed for a person to earn, just like with the manna, each one received exactly what was specified for them. If a person gains more through effort than what is due, the money will either go to expenses or be at the cost of other pleasures.

"Amud HaAvodah" explains the matter in depth: In the tablets of the covenant, it says "Do not steal" – this is always interpreted as a warning that stealing is forbidden. However, it is actually a clarification: Don't steal – you won't succeed in stealing. You won't take anything improperly that wasn't decreed for you. Don't convince yourself that if you steal, you will have more than what was allocated to you. If you steal, the money will go towards other things, and you will lose it entirely. Under no circumstances will you have more than what was allocated to you.

Rabbi Avraham Ibn Ezra was very poor but refused to accept charity. His students wanted to give him some money. What did they do? They placed a bag of coins on his usual route from his home to the study hall, hoping he would find and take it. Out of curiosity, they watched from the side of the street to see how things would turn out. Then they saw Ibn Ezra walking, and as he passed by the coins, he closed his eyes, and after a moment, he opened them – without seeing the coins.

His students approached him and asked, "Why did you close your eyes on the street?"

He explained: "I was walking on the street, thinking to myself, how unfortunate I am. Strong feelings of self-pity arose within me... I told myself: being hungry is not so terrible... it could be worse; for example, being blind. I decided to demonstrate to myself how a blind person feels, so I closed my eyes for a few moments and walked."

They told him: "You don't know how bad your situation is – you closed your eyes right next to your fortune..."

Even if money is within reach, one may not see it if it wasn’t destined for them. It is not the extra effort that increases sustenance; it is what is decreed from heaven that one receives.

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