Faith Over Fortune: How One Programmer Changed an Entire Company

One Man, One Mitzvah, and One Bold Stand

In the book Nifla’otav Livnei Adam, Rabbi Baruch Ben David Lev recounts an amazing story of hashgachah pratit (Divine providence) experienced by a programmer at one of Israel’s top tech companies. The man, a newcomer to religious observance, was beginning to keep Torah and mitzvot when the company received a massive order from a billionaire investor named Dr. Martin.

Dr. Martin’s condition? The project had to be completed within four months. In exchange, he pledged to triple employee salaries during that time. Despite internal doubts, the company shifted into overdrive. Employees worked nonstop. Meals were delivered, sleeping accommodations were made, and sleep was kept to a minimum. Everyone was driven by the promise of enormous compensation.

Everyone, that is, except for one man: the newly observant programmer. Every evening, he clocked out and headed to synagogue for Maariv (the evening prayer). He was unwavering in his decision not to work on Shabbat, despite mounting pressure and tempting financial rewards.

Eventually, the factory manager confronted him. Why was he skipping work on the weekends when every other team member was pushing through?

The programmer calmly replied: “I think that you should think this through again. Work done on Shabbat carries no blessing. You may not profit from it. In fact, you may lose far more than you think. But if you choose to close the factory on Shabbat, success will follow you.”

He knew this bold statement might cost him his job, but he accepted the risk, choosing Shabbat over job security.

Collapse, Clarity, and a Change of Heart

Three months in, work continued unabated on Shabbat until one day, the factory erupted in chaos. The programmer, startled, rushed toward the commotion. “We’re shutting everything down,” a colleague whispered.

The reason? Dr. Martin’s wife had suddenly passed away. The billionaire pulled out of all business ventures and terminated the deal. Because a clause in the contract forbade the company from using the software without his final approval, the months of intense labor and promised bonuses were all for nothing. No product, no pay raise, no future orders.

The staff was devastated. The company granted time off for recovery, though it was hardly a vacation. As the programmer headed for his car, the factory manager called out to him.

In his office, the manager, visibly shaken, asked, “Do you remember our conversation about Shabbat?” The programmer replied gently that he didn’t recall the details, sensitive to the manager’s grief and not wanting to deepen his pain.

They parted with a subdued farewell.

But when the staff returned to work, they were stunned to see a giant sign in the lobby: “From this day forward, the factory is closed on Shabbat.”

One coworker muttered, “The manager has lost his mind.” But the programmer simply smiled and said, “He hasn’t lost it—he’s finally found it. Better late than never."