UNDERSTANDING YOUR BALANCE SHEET
This week’s Parsha, Mikeitz, begins with the Torah informing us that Yosef’s freedom from prison was delayed two years. Our Sages explain that this was the con-sequence of Yosef’s lack of bitachon (trust) in HaShem. In last week’s Parsha, after Yosef deciphered the butler’s dream he asked the butler to please remember him to Pharaoh and to get him out of prison. This slight reliance on the butler’s assistance demonstrated an ever so slight shortcoming in Yosef’s bitachon. He should have said nothing to the butler and allow HaShem to bring about his freedom with no assistance at all.
The commentaries point out that for an ordinary person it would have been perfectly justified to make this request from the butler, after all, we must do our part in bringing about the anticipated freedom. Nevertheless, for Yosef, whose level of bitachon was so great, this was an inappropriate request. Behold! The amount of hishtadlus (effort) that one is required to do depends on one’s level of bitachon. We must always place our complete trust in HaShem, no matter what our need is. However, In addition to our trust we must do our part and expend some effort to make sure HaShem “has the opportunity” to make it happen. This effort is called hishtadlus. The reason for this is because we cannot expect HaShem to do a miracle for us. We have to expend some effort to cover up HaShem’s intervention. For example, we know that every year on Rosh Hashana HaShem establishes how much money we will earn. There is nothing that we can do to make more money than that amount. At the same time, we must work to earn that money. If we stay home and expect HaShem to send the funds to us, it won’t happen.
The lesson our Sages taught from Yosef is that the amount of hishtadlus necessary is relative to our bitachon. The question is if there is some equation to calculate how much hishtadlus one must expend? Is there a test by which we could establish our level of bitachon to use as an indicator for how much hishtadlus we need to exert?
Consider the following scenario. Dovid, the owner of a retail shop, hears a wonderfully inspiring lecture on bitachon and how one should cut down the time they dedicate to work and spend more time studying Torah. He makes a quick calculation which indicates that HaShem has decided that he should earn $100k annually as this is how much he has been earning for the past several years. Dovid decides to cut the hours his shop will be open from ten hours a day to six hours a day. After all, it is still possible to earn $100k if HaShem wants him to, within those six hours just as well as within ten hours. This way he will have an additional four hours to dedicate to his Torah study.
At the end of that year he earned only $60k. He could have one of two reactions. He could be terribly upset as he looks back thinking that if at ten hours daily he earned $100k and at six hours a day he earned $60k, evidently he should have worked more hours a day. Alternatively, he may be very pleased that he cut back on his time. After all, it was evident that HaShem wanted him to earn only $60k this year. What a waste of time it would have been to work four extra hours a day! Rabbi Tatz suggests that this is the question one must ask themselves to test their level of bitachon and their level of hishtadlus.
May HaShem grant us the clarity to find the right balance and may He grant us the menuchas hanefesh, the serenity, that accompanies those who achieve such bitachon.
Have a very safe and very wonderful Shabbos and an enlightening and joyous Chanukah.
Paysach Diskind