Prayer or Effort? Part 1

Sam asks: “Hello, I’m 19. Recently I became stronger in my faith, thanks to the Hidabroot website. I learned that everything is in the hands of Heaven except for fear of Heaven. Can you please explain what exactly is in Heaven’s hands and what is in mine? I feel confused. I’m also dealing with discomfort from certain things happening in my life, and I don’t know whether I should just accept my situation as it is or take action. This is one of the most important things for me to understand. Thank you.”

Zehava asks: “Hello. My son has been in kindergarten for the second year, but he isn’t getting along there. Some days are calm, but often there are conflicts between him, the teacher, and other children. I learned in a class that everything is in Heaven’s hands, and I want to live with the faith that everything is for the best. But does that mean I should say my son’s behavior and the teacher’s behavior come from God, and therefore I should not try to find solutions or trust any practical steps that come to mind?”

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I quoted here two questions I received on the subject of hishtadlut (human effort). Without proper guidance, those who are new to Torah observance can easily stumble in matters of bitachon (trust in God) and personal responsibility.

I have encountered cases where people thought they didn’t need to make the usual worldly efforts such as seeking employment, going to doctors, or consulting professionals about marriage or parenting issues, because they believed that whatever is meant to happen will happen anyway, without their involvement.

Sadly, I’ve met struggling people who chose this path, only to despair after years of waiting without salvation.

A Test of Results

I once heard a profound principle in spirituality:

• Any thought or advice that comes from the yetzer tov (good inclination) will, in the end, lead to greater closeness to God.

• Any thought or advice that comes from the yetzer hara (evil inclination) will, in the end, lead to failure and distance from God.

The outcome proves the source of the thought.

A mistake in the trait of bitachon (trust) leads to failure in emunah (faith): “A man’s foolishness perverts his way, and his heart rages against the Lord” (Mishlei 19:3).

I’ve seen this many times. Someone “believes” for years that a miracle will happen, waiting and hoping for salvation, but the decree from Heaven decides otherwise and his situation doesn’t change. He then feels betrayed, thinking Heaven owed him because he trusted so much. This often leads to bitterness, anger toward God, and even doubt if God listens at all.

Had his faith been genuine, he would have accepted suffering with love, or at least with submission. However, because he expected to get his wish without effort, his disappointment turned into rebellion, bordering on heresy. From one extreme he swings to the other, and he decides that only human effort and worldly conditions determine outcomes.

He may suddenly begin to make efforts without prayer, and to his surprise, he sees results. (Either because it was decreed from the start that his effort would coincide with Heaven’s will, or because all his prayers had been stored in Heaven and once he acted, he merited the fruit of those prayers.) With the wrong perspective, he falls into the ancient heresy: “And you say in your heart: my strength and the might of my hand have made me this wealth” (Devarim 8:17).

He then abandons prayer and faith altogether, claiming there is no Judge and the world runs itself. Sadly, I have seen this more than once.

Faith or Laziness?

If we look deeper, we find that misplaced “faith” is often a result of laziness. When problems arise that require effort, it’s easier to sit back with folded arms and say, "I trust in God."

This attitude also relieves a person of guilt when things go wrong. Since he “believes” everything is decreed, he feels no responsibility for his failures. He makes no effort, but also feels no blame. Is this not the ultimate laziness disguised as faith?

Prayer and trust are the foundation of success, but effort is also necessary because God’s will is that we act within the natural order. Just as prayer is a mitzvah, so too is proper effort.

As the sages explained: “‘So that the Lord your God will bless you’ — could this apply even if one sits idle? The Torah says: ‘In all the work of your hands which you do’” (Midrash Tehillim 136:29, on Devarim 14:29).

Chovot HaLevavot – Duties of the Heart

Rabbeinu Bahya, in Chovot HaLevavot, explains:

• Just as man has no control over life or death, sickness or health, so too his sustenance, clothing, and needs are decreed by God.

• Although one’s faith must be that all is determined by God’s decree, one is obligated to pursue one’s needs in the way that seems best in his eyes.

Effort itself is a mitzvah. God commanded man to engage in worldly causes, such as working the land, plowing, and sowing. He placed us in a physical world because He wants deeds to be done through prayer and faith, and also through action.

The test of faith is whether, after making effort, one remembers: “And you say in your heart, my strength and the might of my hand made me this wealth. But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you strength to prosper” (Devarim 8:17–18).

The true believer knows that while he must act, it is his trust and prayer that truly bring results. Effort is simply a mitzvah, a mission he cannot neglect.

Lessons from Our Bodies

We can learn about the obligation of effort from the very design of our bodies. Our souls, pure and spiritual, were placed in material bodies that require constant care including breathing, eating, drinking, walking, and sleeping. Just as one is obligated to eat and drink to live, so too must one pray and make effort to attain his needs.

One who neglects necessary effort blocks the blessing that was intended for him. God acts in the world through nature, and therefore commands us to act within nature.

Thus the Torah says: “Guard yourselves very well” (Devarim 4:15), and the sages taught: “And he shall surely heal — from here we learn that a doctor is given permission to heal” (Berachot 60a).

We are not allowed to sit idly and rely on miracles. As the Torah says: “You shall not test the Lord your God” (Devarim 6:16). The sages taught: “A person should never stand in a place of danger and say, ‘A miracle will be done for me,’ lest it not be done, and even if it is, his merits will be diminished” (Kiddushin 39b).

Ramchal’s Guidance

Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (Ramchal) who was a philosopher, kabbalist and ethicist, explains in his work Mesillat Yesharim: “There is a proper fear and a foolish fear. There is trust and there is recklessness. One who refuses to act with wisdom, exposing himself to danger, does not show trust — he shows folly. He sins against the will of the Creator, who desires man to guard himself. Beyond the natural danger he has brought upon himself, he is guilty of a transgression and will be punished… Foolish fear, on the other hand, is when a person adds unnecessary layers of worry and precautions. The rule is: when danger is known and present, it must be avoided; where it is not, one should not be afraid. As the sages said: ‘We do not assume a danger we have not seen,’ and, ‘The wise person has only what his eyes can see.’” (Chapter 9).

The believer must balance unceasing prayer and faith, alongside proper worldly effort. Both are part of serving God. To rely only on Heaven without action is laziness in disguise, while to rely only on effort without prayer is arrogance. True faith embraces both.