Prayer or Effort? Part 2

Continuing from the questions quoted in the previous article, regarding the necessity of effort when everything is for the best, I will, *b’ezras Hashem*, correct common mistakes on faith and trust.

Some say: “Nothing is too wondrous for Hashem; He can do everything, so of course I’ll have salvation!”

It’s true that Hashem can do everything, but that doesn’t mean He has to do everything for everyone.

The miraculous events that occurred for Sarah our mother, and for Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa, did not happen for every person.

Who among us truly believes they have reached the holy levels of the great prophets and Tannaim? Hashem can perform any miracle, but not everyone is worthy of a miracle, especially if they haven’t made the effort required according to their true level.

It’s strange that people try to learn from the great miracles that happened for our forefathers and prophets by Hashem’s grace, but are unwilling to learn from the actions of our forefathers and prophets who didn’t rely on their merit to receive miracles: Abraham our father hid Sarah’s identity when descending to Egypt and again when he went to the city of Gerar; Isaac did the same with Rebecca (Genesis 26:7); Jacob prayed to Hashem: “Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, lest he come and smite me and the mother with the children” (Genesis 32:12), and after praying, he sent gifts to appease Esau and divided his family into camps (Genesis 33:1). David fled from Saul, the entire Tanakh is full of such examples.

Most of our forefathers and prophets seemed to have chosen not to rely on their merit, but rather prayed to Hashem for salvation and made the effort required in the ways of the world, believing that Hashem orchestrates everything for the best.

There is an excellent explanation for this: the sages warned not to rely on miracles, because if a miracle occurs outside the bounds of nature, it reduces the person’s merits: “A person should not stand in a place of danger and say a miracle will be done for me, lest a miracle will not be done for him, and should a miracle be performed, it reduces his merits” (Shabbat 32a). It's better for each person to pray and then make the effort required to avoid losing their merits.

Some say: “Everything Hashem does is for the best, so what needs to happen will happen, no matter what we do.”

A man once decided to take a risk, and when his friend warned him about the consequences of his actions, the man responded: “Hashem does everything for the best!”

His friend wisely replied: “It’s true; Hashem does everything for the best, but that doesn’t mean you do everything for the best!”

Hashem indeed wants to help us in every situation and provide us with His goodness, but we can prevent this goodness through our sins or poor conduct that doesn’t follow the Torah’s guidance, thereby harming ourselves. Hashem is a good father, but if we harm ourselves, He’ll be a good doctor... In both cases, He does everything for the best, no matter the situation, but it’s our duty not to damage our path so that we won’t require healing and atonement: “A person’s folly perverts his way, and his heart frets against Hashem” (Proverbs 19:3).

Isn’t it strange when a person harms himself by his own actions and then declares with great faith: “This too is for the best, it had to be this way...”?

Some say: “Everything is in the hands of Heaven, so I don’t need to worry about anything” / “He who believes is not afraid.”

“Everything is in the hands of Heaven except for the fear of Heaven” — it’s the absolute truth. Everything that happens in the world is done by Hashem, and many sayings of our Sages illustrate this: “A person does not touch what is prepared for his friend, and one kingdom does not touch its neighbor even a hairsbreadth” (Yoma 38b), “A person doesn’t injure a finger below unless it is decreed from above” (Chullin 7b).

The problem is that many forget to quote what else the Sages said on the matter: “Everything is in the hands of Heaven except for colds and fevers [that one can protect oneself from],” as it says: “Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse, he who guards his soul shall keep himself far from them” (Proverbs 22:5).

Moreover, the Sages said that in a dangerous place where harm is common, even those on a mission of mitzvah can be harmed. As stated in the Gemara (Kiddushin 39b):

“Rabbi Elazar said: Those on a mission of mitzvah are not harmed neither on their way nor on their return, [except in cases like]: A shaky ladder, where damage is common, and wherever damage is common we don’t rely on a miracle, as it’s written: ‘Samuel asked: How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me’” (as also said in Pesachim 8b).

We must not forget that Hashem expects us to act according to nature, hence the correct effort is part of the fear of Heaven. This, as is well known, is the Torah’s instruction to us: “And you shall exceedingly guard your soul” (Deuteronomy 4:15), from which many halachot concerning the preservation of life are derived.

Anyone who does not make the effort required in accordance with nature as to their level, or intentionally places themselves in unnecessary danger, sins against Hashem and cannot be called G-d-fearing.

The Ramchal explains this in his book “Mesilat Yesharim” (Chapter 9): “And thus, aside from the natural danger involved [in what he does], which he is likely to encounter due to his lack of caution, he further becomes liable in his soul for the act he commits, and the sin itself brings him to punishment... For in a place where harm is known and prevalent, one should be cautious. However, in a place where harm is not known, there is no fear.”

Let’s make a *kal vachomer* from Jacob our father who prayed to Hashem: “Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear himlest he come and smite me and the mother with the children” (Genesis 32:12). If Jacob our father, who had a promise, feared that his merits might not protect him from danger, then how much more should we, who are of lesser status, be careful.

It’s permissible to worry — if we haven’t done what we’re supposed to do as our heavenly duty, for this could harm us and make us liable in judgment.

On the other hand, there’s nothing to worry about at all — if we prayed and did the effort required of us, then surely we will receive the best we can achieve.

At the same time, we must be careful of the opposite extreme, those who might mistakenly think: “Does this mean everything is in our hands?”

Heaven forbid to think so. The Torah warns against this thought: “And you may say in your heart: My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth,” and demands of us to remember in our success: “Then you shall remember Hashem your G-d, for it is He who gives you power to achieve success” (Deuteronomy 8:17-18).

Our actions are in our hands, but ultimately, what will happen in conclusion is determined in Heaven, and we have no control over the results.

That is, if you don’t pray or don’t make the necessary effort in the natural way, it’s likely that you will fail because you shouldn’t rely on miracles, and perhaps through your laziness you prevented, by your own hands, the abundance and good that Hashem wanted to give you.

But if you pray and make the effort required of you in the natural way, then whether you succeed or unfortunately fail, you can know with certainty that this is what Heaven decreed for you to receive, this is precisely what Hashem apportioned to you in His decree — no less and no more.

As believing Jews, we must know that everything that happens to us, in the end, for better or worse, is determined in Heaven. We are just the vessels, the messengers in the world of Hashem. There are those who strive and do not succeed, and there are those who strive and succeed. Only Hashem alone decides whether our efforts will bear fruit. Thus, the conclusion is clear — to increase prayers and trust in Hashem for our well-being and success in life.

This is stated in the book “Mesilat Yesharim” (Chapter 21, on the ways to acquire piety):

“In truth, what can keep a person and save him from these detractors is trust, which is to place one’s hope entirely on Hashem, knowing that certainly, it is impossible for a person to lack what was decreed for him, as our sages said in their sayings (Beitzah 16): All of a person’s sustenance is decreed for him from Rosh Hashanah... and likewise they said (Yoma 38): No person touches what is prepared for another even a hairsbreadth.

A person could indeed sit idly and the decree (the decree of the sustenance apportioned to him on Rosh Hashanah) would be fulfilled, were it not for the penalty preceding all mankind (Genesis 3): By the sweat of your brow, you will eat bread.

Therefore, a person is obliged to make some effort for his livelihood, as the supreme king decreed, and it is like a tax that the entire human kind pays from which they cannot escape:

Therefore (since the king decreed so) it is said (Sifri): Can it be that even if one sits idly (he will see a sign of blessing), thus it says: In all the work of your hand that you do (that you need to strive and act), but not that the effort is what helps, rather the effort is necessary, and once he has made the effort, he has fulfilled his obligation, and there is room for Heaven’s blessing to rest upon him, and he does not need to spend his days in diligence and effort, this is what King David wrote (Psalms 75): “For not from the east or from the west, nor from the desert does one become great, but G-d is the judge...” and King Solomon said (Proverbs 23): “Do not toil to become rich, cease from your own understanding.” But the true path is the path of the early pious ones, who make their Torah primary and their work secondary, and both are fulfilled in their hands, for once a person has done a bit of work, he has nothing left but to trust in his Creator and not to distress over any worldly matter, then his mind will remain clear and his heart prepared for true piety and complete worship.”

This instruction answers those asking: “Why pray for livelihood throughout the year if it’s determined from Rosh Hashanah how much we’ll receive?”

On Rosh Hashanah, the maximum abundance we can achieve is determined, but if we don’t make the necessary effort (both in prayers and deeds), we won’t receive this maximum, rather less. Each person has a different amount of effort determined for obtaining their livelihood, thus on Rosh Hashanah it’s worthy not only to pray for sustenance but that it comes easily and not with difficulty.

Prayers during the year can provide us with two benefits:

- Achieving the maximum reward we’re capable of obtaining, and not less of it.

- Obtaining livelihoods more easily, not through suffering and excessive efforts.

Also in health matters, a person who doesn’t strive to maintain his health, will lose years that were decreed for him before he was born.

In conclusion,

the belief that everything is from Heaven shouldn’t lead to a life of laziness. We must act in the way of the world and perform our duties as a commandment, with prayers and trust that Hashem orchestrates things in the best way for us. This is how the true believer acts and will not falter in his faith.