The last Parsha in Sefer Vayikra starts out with beautiful blessings. One notable promise is that we will eat very little food and still feel full. No, this is not some sort of biblical Ozempic, but rather a signal from above that we are not the master of our fate.
With all the work we put in, it may seem as if our skills piloted the journey to success- but no. It’s only Hashem's blessing that gets us to where we need to go.
Let’s listen with new ears to this old tale of R’ Zishe of Anipoli. The gabai of Anipoli had enough. He was under pressure every which way he turned and R’ Zishe the humble Tzaddik was signaling for his food. After having davened for hours, helping downtrodden souls with his sweet bakashos, he was calling “Rabbono shel Olam, R’ Zishe is hungry”. That was the gabai’s cue and he immediately brought in his Rebbes food and laid it in front of him. But tonight it had been too much – things were so difficult at home, he needed to get back as soon as possible and tonight the Rebbe took an extra hour with his prayers!
“Tomorrow I will show him, forgive me L-rd, but tomorrow when he cries, “R’ Zishe is hungry, R Zishe is hungry...” I will not bring his food. Only then will he realize that it is I who brings him his daily bread!
Meanwhile on the other side of town, R’ Zishe ventured out for a walk, his countenance somewhat covered by the rims of his old hat. There was a huge puddle in the middle of the mud filled street. In order to pass through, a long plank had been placed from one side of the puddle to the other. R’ Zishe walked across the shaky plank, but unbeknownst to him, a teenage prankster nearby kicked the plank just enough for the Tzaddik to fall into the water. Terrible, terrible to treat an old man that way! But the prankster laughed. He didn’t recognize who his victim was but suddenly the man ran towards him – hugged and blessing with tremendous warmth, as if the boy had done him the biggest of favors! Something was up.
Later on when the lad told the story of his prank to a store owner. Both realized that the old man was none other than the great Tzaddik of Anipoli R’ Zishe.
“Heaven will punish you for your childish ways. There will be divine retribution! But there is one way that you may be able to change your fate, the store owner said with fear in his eyes. The Rebbe is poor and does not have much food to eat – he is satisfied with little but you, tomorrow, you should bring him a feast. Stand outside and when he cries, R’ Zishe is hungry – bring it in.”
The next day, when R’ Zishe signaled to Hashem that he was hungry, the gabai stood frozen, resolved in his intent to not bring his master food. But the prankster came in as if on cue and brought delicacy after delicacy to the Rebbe! It was now as clear as day that his Rebbe was a holy man but he, only a small conduit for Hashem's infinite blessing!
And so it is with our hishtadlus and overworking of the system. With all we do, it is ultimately Hashem who pulls the strings and turns the key.
