In G-d We Trust

I recently heard a story told by Rabbi Shlomo Landau about a family from Warsaw in pre-war Europe that had fled to Belgium. The father did not know the language and had great difficulty finding employment and earning enough money to support his family. While he was still unemployed, his wife gave birth to a baby boy, and he felt a sense of desperation regarding his financial plight. 

In a troubled state of mind, he started walking through the city of Brussels wondering how he could provide the essentials to his family. He knew that he had nowhere to turn except to Hashem and urgently cried out to Him, pleading for help.  

He went to a park, sat down, and for some reason felt underneath the park bench. He discovered a velvet bag. When he opened it, he was astounded to see that it was filled with dozens of valuable diamonds. 

At first his Evil Inclination told him that he had been praying to Hashem and this was an amazing gift that he should use to support his family in style for the foreseeable future. However, the man knew that this was not the right thing to do. Even though there was no marking on the bag, and it was unlikely to be owned by a Jewish person, he was determined to find its rightful owner and return it. He took the initiative to do this, despite his own desperate financial situation.  

Eventually he found the owner, who happened to be a non-Jewish diamond merchant. This merchant was amazed at the act of self-sacrifice and integrity by the Jewish man. He recognized that the man was impoverished, and he arranged to get him a good job. This turned around the family’s fortunes and put them on a solid financial footing.  

Unfortunately, we all know the history of World War II and that the Germans eventually invaded and conquered Belgium. The gentile merchant was able to hide the Jewish family and arrange for them to leave Belgium. There are now dozens of living children and grandchildren descended from this man who are in this world due to his steadfast faith and reliance on Hashem and due to his honor and integrity. 

In his commentary on Psalm 16:5, the Lubavitch Rebbe says that one of the most difficult challenges of our faith revolves around the need to earn a living. Judaism teaches that all our earnings really come directly from God, and our efforts in business or work merely create a vessel through which God channels his blessings. Sometimes, through miracles, it is obvious that God is enriching us directly, but most of the time we need to rely on our faith that God is working behind the scenes. 

In the above story, God’s involvement was miraculous and self-evident. Most of the time however we cannot see his involvement with unmistakable clarity. How can we instill this sense of reliance and faith in Hashem when it comes to earning a living? 

Each day in the Amidah we say the blessing Boreich Aleinu* (“Bless on our behalf”) in which we ask Hashem to provide us with material abundance. In the book The Art of Jewish Prayer, Rabbi Yitzchok Kirzner explains the origin of this prayer.  

Our father Yitzchak was in the land of the Philistines and there was a horrific famine. Nothing was growing and there was extreme deprivation. At first, he thought he should go to Egypt following the example of his father Abraham. However, Hashem told him that he was not allowed to do so. Yitzchak had complete faith in Hashem and despite the unfavorable natural conditions and the prevailing desolation, he planted. His efforts yielded 100 times the expected productivity for a non-famine year. The Torah explicitly says this was a result of Hashem blessing Yitzchak‘s efforts. 

Yitzchak made the vessel through his faith and physical efforts. The results came from Hashem. When the Angels saw this, they sang ““Blessed are you God, that you are ultimately the source of the blessing of livelihood that comes to the world.”  

When we say this blessing, we should remember our father Isaac and his approach of complete faith and sincere prayer.  Prayer that is animated by genuine emuna can combine with hishtadlut (personal efforts) to create a suitable vessel for Hashem’s blessings. 

By emulating Yitzchak and saying this blessing with devotion and intent, we too can develop and nurture a mindset of emuna that evokes Divine compassion. In the merit of doing this, may we be blessed with spiritual and material abundance. 

*Bless on our behalf – O Hashem, our God – this year and all its kinds of crops for the best, and give (dew and rain for) a blessing on the face of the earth, and satisfy us from Your bounty, and bless our year like the best years. Blessed are You, Hashem, Who blesses the years.