Parnassah comes only from Hashem, and therefore it does not have to operate according to normal human calculations. If somebody needed more money, it would seem illogical for him to give away what he already has. Yet Chazal tell us: עשר בשביל שתתעשר — give away ten percent so that you will become wealthy. The very actions that appear illogical according to our reasoning often become the very source of blessing that brings a person more parnassah. When we show that we truly believe our parnassah comes only from Hashem — by, so to speak, putting our money where our mouths are — those actions activate even more blessing. A woman we will call Rachel, who runs her own business, recently received a call from a customer who usually places large orders with her twice a year. The customer told her she planned to make her regular order again and would soon get back to her with the details about colors and styles. A few days later the customer called back. She explained that another woman she had recently become close with was asking her to give her the order instead. She said she really wanted to switch and help this other woman, but because she had already told Rachel that she would be ordering from her, she planned to ask a rabbi if it was permitted to back out. Rachel, who firmly believes that all of her parnassah comes from Hashem, told her, "It makes no difference to me which customer my parnassah comes through. If you truly want to switch, you have my blessing." The woman was very impressed with Rachel's emunah and thanked her for allowing her to switch. Practically speaking, this probably meant Rachel would permanently lose a steady customer. Just a few minutes later, Rachel received a phone call from someone who had never ordered from her before. The order this person wanted to place was more than double the one she had just given up. Later that night Rachel called the first customer back and told her not to feel guilty at all for switching, because Hashem had already replaced the loss and even given her more. The woman then told her she had just discovered that the other seller's prices were not as good as Rachel's, and she felt bad for having switched. With Hashem's help, Rachel would now likely have that customer returning in the future — in addition to the new one she had just gained. She demonstrated her emunah, and immediately saw blessing from it. A man we will call Daniel related another story. One day he received a phone call from the rabbi of his brother's shul. The rabbi asked Daniel if he could help resolve a difficult situation involving his brother. His brother owed someone money and had not paid it back, and the matter had created significant tension. The rabbi said, "For the sake of shalom, this issue must be resolved. If it continues like this, I may have to start paying the debt myself." Daniel was not a wealthy man, but he said to the rabbi, "For the sake of shalom, I will pay." He gave the rabbi his credit card and told him he would cover the amount in installments. Just like that, the issue was resolved. Less than ten minutes later, a neighbor called Daniel and asked if he remembered helping him many years earlier. Daniel had forgotten, but the neighbor reminded him of the favor he had done for him twenty years before. The neighbor then told him that he had recently made some money and wanted to repay Daniel for the kindness he had shown him back then. The amount he gave him was far greater than the amount Daniel had just committed to pay for his brother. Hashem can provide a person with parnassah in unlimited ways. Very often, when a person performs righteous acts that involve giving up money, Hashem blesses him with even more in return.