Prayer or Effort? Part 2

Following the questions quoted in the previous article about effort if “everything is for the good”, we will clarify some common mistakes regarding emunah (faith) and bitachon (trust in God).

Mistake 1: “God Can Do Anything, So Surely I’ll Be Saved!”

Indeed, God can do anything, but that does not mean He will do everything, or for every person.

The open miracles granted to Sarah our Matriarch, to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, or to Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa, were not performed for everyone. Do any of us truly believe we have reached the holiness of prophets or great Rabbinic Sages? God can do any miracle, but not every person merits a miracle, especially if he has not made the appropriate effort that is expected of him.

It is strange that people try to learn from the miracles of our ancestors and prophets, yet ignore their behavior in not relying on their merits alone. Avraham hid Sarah’s identity in Egypt and later in Gerar. Yitzchak Avinu (the Patriarch Isaac) acted similarly with Rivkah Imeinu (the Matriarch Rebecca) (Bereishit 26:7). Jacob prayed: “Save me, please, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, lest he come and strike me, mother with children” (Bereishit 32:12), and after praying he sent gifts to appease Esav and split his camp into two (Bereishit 33:1). David fled from Shaul (King Saul). All of Tanach is full of such examples.

Our forefathers did not rely on the assumption that they were worthy of miracles, but they prayed for salvation and took practical steps in the natural way — believing that God directs all things for the good.

The Talmudic Sages warned not to rely on miracles: “A person should not place himself in danger and say, ‘They will perform a miracle for me.’ Perhaps they will not. And even if they do, his merits will be deducted” (Shabbat 32a). It is better to pray and then act responsibly, so as not to lose one’s merits.

Mistake 2: “Everything God Does Is for the Best — So Whatever Happens, Happens.”

A man once took a reckless risk. When his friend warned him, he replied: “Everything God does is for the best!”

The friend wisely answered: “Yes — God does everything for the best, but that doesn’t mean you are doing everything for the best!”

God indeed wants to bestow goodness, but we can prevent this goodness through sins or foolish choices. God is a good Father, but if we harm ourselves, He will be a good Doctor. Both are “for the good,” but why injure ourselves only to require healing? As we learn: “A man’s foolishness perverts his way, yet his heart rages against the Lord” (Mishlei 19:3).

It is strange for someone to damage himself with his own hands, and then piously declares, “It’s all for the best, it had to be this way”.

Mistake 3: “Everything Is in Heaven’s Hands, So I Don’t Need to Worry About Anything”

The saying “Everything is in the hands of Heaven except the fear of Heaven” is true. Many rabbinic teachings affirm it: “No person can touch what is prepared for his fellow, and no kingdom touches another by even a hair’s breadth” (Yoma 38b). “No one stubs his finger below unless it is decreed from above” (Chullin 7b).

However, people often forget what else the sages said: “Everything is in the hands of Heaven except for cold and heat” — meaning dangers one can avoid. As we learn: “Thorns and snares are in the crooked path; he who guards his soul will keep far from them” (Mishlei 22:5).

The Talmud teaches that when danger is common, even those on a mitzvah mission can be harmed. For example, Shmuel (Samuel) said: “How can I go? If Saul hears, he will kill me” (Shmuel I,16:2). The sages concluded: “Where danger is established, we do not rely on a miracle” (Kiddushin 39b, Pesachim 8b).

Thus, effort is part of yirat shamayim (fear of Heaven). The Torah commands: “Guard yourselves very well” (Devarim 4:15).

Balancing Faith and Effort

Anyone who refuses to make reasonable effort, or who deliberately places himself in unnecessary danger, sins against God.

As the Ramchal explains in Mesillat Yesharim (chapter 9): “One who neglects natural precautions not only risks danger, but also sins against God’s will, for the Creator desires man to guard himself. Known dangers must be avoided; where danger is not known, there is no need to fear.”

If Yaakov Avinu (the Patriarch Jacob), despite God’s promises, still feared Eisav (Esau) and prayed for help, how much more so must we. Worry is acceptable only if we have not done our duty. If we prayed and made proper effort, then we have nothing to fear.

At the same time, we must avoid the opposite extreme of thinking “Everything depends only on me.” The Torah warns against this: “And you say in your heart, my strength and the might of my hand made me this wealth” (Devarim 8:17). We act, but God alone decides the outcome.

If one refuses to pray or make proper effort, he may indeed block the blessing intended for him. If however he prays and makes the required effort, then whether he succeeds or not, he can know with certainty, that exactly what God allotted him was Heaven’s decree.

Prayer, Blessing, and Provision

The Talmudic Sages taught that a person’s livelihood is decreed on Rosh Hashanah (Beitzah 16a). Still, one must work, because God decreed: “By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread” (Bereishit 3:19). Effort is like a tax all humanity must pay.

The Mesillat Yesharim (chapter 21) explains:

• A person must make some effort.

• The effort itself does not produce success — it merely fulfills the obligation.

• Once effort is made, blessing from Heaven can rest upon him.

The righteous made Torah their main pursuit and work secondary, and both succeeded.

We pray for livelihood even though it is already decreed, because while the maximum is fixed, without prayer and effort we may receive less. Prayer ensures we reach the maximum, and may bring it with less hardship. The same applies to health. If a person neglects his health, he may shorten the years that were allocated to him.

Faith that “everything is from Heaven” is not intended to lead to laziness. We must act responsibly, as the Torah commands, while praying and trusting that God directs all for our ultimate good. This is true bitachon.