Living Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear

When Hashem Decides: A Lesson in Parnasah and Emunah


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A person struggling with parnasah wakes up each morning hoping that today will be different—that this will be the day when everything turns around. He puts in a full day's work, makes phone calls, attends meetings, and develops new strategies. He pushes himself to his limits—but the income still doesn't come. The bills pile up, each one adding more weight to his already heavy heart. And in quiet moments, he wonders: Is Hashem seeing how much I'm struggling? He opens his siddur and begins to pray, like a child pleading with his father: "I'm doing everything I can. Please help me. Please give me parnasah ." One thing is certain: Hashem—and only Hashem—determines how much parnasah a person will receive. If someone has prayed with all his heart and has not yet seen the results, this does not mean he should give up on his spiritual efforts. On the contrary— if anything will help, it is his tefillah and good deeds. Hashem has countless reasons why a person may need to experience a period of financial challenge. But the moment Hashem decides that it should come to an end, it will end— and not because of any extra physical hishtadlut . A person must learn to both accept and hope. Accept that everything that has happened until this moment was for his absolute best, and hope that going forward, Hashem will provide more. When Hashem wants someone to receive parnasah , He knows exactly how to find him, and He knows exactly how to give it to him. A man told me that when he first came to America, he didn't even speak English. He struggled terribly for three years trying to earn a living, and was having a very hard time. Eventually, he decided to enter the diamond and jewelry trade. He began traveling abroad—one week away, one week at home. That was the nature of the business at the time. He always made sure to return by Friday so he could be home for Shabbat. But once, while abroad, he got sick. A local doctor told him he was too sick to fly, and he was forced to remain there for Shabbat. On Friday morning, he went down to the hotel lobby, hoping to find some fruit—perhaps apples or bananas—for Shabbat. While he was there, another Jew recognized him and asked, "Would you like to come up to my room to see some merchandise? Maybe there's something you'd like to sell." The man was weak and just wanted to return to bed. But the other fellow insisted. "It'll only take a few minutes," he said. So he went upstairs. The man showed him a new style of diamond and said, "Take it. If you sell it, you'll pay me. If not, just give it back." That Sunday, he felt completely better and flew home. On Monday, he showed the diamond to one of his regular customers. The customer was so impressed with the stone that he immediately placed an order for forty of them. This led to a partnership between the two men in the design and production of that diamond—and from that one meeting, he eventually became a multi-millionaire. "Hashem wanted to make me wealthy," he told me. "I barely spoke English, and there weren't many trades I could have gone into. Hashem made me sick just so I would be stuck in that hotel on that Friday and meet the person who was literally holding my future in his room." I read a story about a man who owned a small grocery store. He worked long hours and barely made enough to get by. After years of trying, the business failed and he lost nearly everything. But instead of falling into despair, he accepted Hashem's will with love. He decided to spend more time learning Torah and took a job working in a local yeshivah kitchen, earning just enough to cover his basic expenses. One day, someone approached him. "I always admired your honesty when you ran the grocery store," he said. "I'm looking for someone I can trust to handle the logistics of my real estate operations." That simple conversation turned into a partnership—and within a few years, the man who had once been struggling to make ends meet became a millionaire. When the time came for his financial hardship to end, Hashem knew exactly where to find him and what opportunity to send his way. All success in parnasah comes only from Hashem. He is the only address to turn to for help. And our greatest tools to draw parnasah down from Heaven are tefillah and mitzvos . The person who continues to serve Hashem faithfully, even during times of struggle, will one day see how every step was part of Hashem's perfect plan.
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Living Emunah By Rabbi David AshearBy Rabbi David Ashear

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