Hashgachah Pratis in the Sefarim Hakedoshim
Excerpts from the popular shiur by Harav Hatzaddik R’ Beirish Shneebalg shlit”a
They Key to Bounty
Every person comes to the world with his parnassah is in hand. The Creator of the world prepared all his needs for him, and everything is prepared and waiting for him. If so, we should wonder, Where did all the shefa go? Why doesn’t all this goodness always reach us?
The answer is very simple: The greater your bitachon in Hashem, the greater the shefa that will stream toward you. In contrast, when your bitachon in Hashem is in doubt, the gates of parnassah are closed off. As the Noam Elimelech (Parshas Behar) says: “When Hashem created the world, in His goodness he made channels that bring bounty down to human beings, and the nature of this bounty is that it will never stop flowing. Hashem supervises the world and sustains and provides for all His creations at every moment. However, if a person falters in his emunah and does not trust in Hashem, then those impure thoughts cause harm to the Upper Worlds.”
Bitachon needs to be absolute, without a hint of doubt. One should have complete trust that all his needs will be provided for him. The ways of Hashem are hidden from us – sometimes the shefa comes through hishtadlus in a certain type of work and sometimes through another way, but the foremost principle is to be completely trusting that Hakadosh Baruch Hu will send the shefa – and that is the only way it will come.
The Be’er Mayim Chayim (Parshas Behar) teaches: “A person must never allow his bitachon in Hashem to slacken. He must always be aware that Hashem will certainly send him his needs, and he should believe it sincerely, for Hashem never ceases doing chessed for His creations, and He provides sustenance for all of humanity in incredibly wondrous ways, for He is the ultimate Cause of all that occurs, and He manipulates everything in the world in wondrous ways, so that each creation will have all that it needs. A person needs only to wait and watch to see in which way and through which channels Hashem will perform this wonder for him and send him what he needs. If he does this, then Hashem will certainly not hold back blessings from him, even in ways that transcend nature, and Hashem sometimes hides Himself in nature, for reasons known only to Him.”
May we always be zocheh to strengthen our staunch bitachon in Hashem yisbarach and to see only good and bounty all our days; amen.
I Receive My Sustenance from Hakadosh Baruch Hu
A poor man came to Rava and asked for food. Rava asked him, “What are you accustomed to eating?”
“A fattened hen and aged wine,” the poor man responded.
“Are you not afraid that you’re imposing on the public,” Rava asked the poor man, “and that people don’t have the ability to provide for you with such an extravagant meal each time?”
“Am I eating something that belongs to them?” the poor man responded. “I am eating from Hakadosh Baruch Hu. As it says in Tehillim, ‘Everyone’s eyes turn to You in hope, and You give them their food in his time.’ Even though it seems that this should have been written in plural form – in their time – it is written it in singular form to show us that for each individual, according to what he is supposed to receive, Hakadosh Baruch Hu gives him his sustenance in its time.”
While they were talking, Rava’s sister, whom he hadn’t seen in thirteen years, came to visit, and she brought him a fattened hen and aged wine. “How did this happen to me suddenly,” Rava thought to himself, “something that has never occurred before?” Then Rava said to the poor man, “I’ve spoken too much already. Go and eat the meal that was brought for you!”
(Based on Kesubos 67b)
