Imagine a shul comprised of fifty people, who are all satisfied with their rav and with all other matters in the kehillah. All, that is, except one bitter individual who really doesn’t want to be there: He is unhappy with every aspect of the shul, and he makes it known, loud and clear. After a while, he ceases to be consulted, because everyone realizes that he is simply bitter, and he will never be satisfied. He then complains that his opinion is not reckoned with. What do we tell him? “Listen, you don’t even want to be here... it is impossible to consult with you, because you will never be satisfied.”
If a person comes into this world and is filled with complaints about his life, it is difficult to expect that “his work should be done by others.” In truth, that is the way it should be. After all, Hashem created the world in a way that it is meant to serve man, the category of מדבר (those who possess the power of speech, and are elevated above the rest of creation). The world should be a set table, ready to accommodate mankind. But the more one leaves room for doubt about his lot in life, the less he will be accommodated by the creation.
Meriting Accommodation
Rabbi Shimon was the epitome of acceptance—possessing complete ביטול to Hashem and His plan—and therefore he understood that he will be accommodated by the בריאה. When Rabbi Shimon outlined his view of hishtadlus—namely, that a person can sit and learn Torah and his work will be done by others—he could not understand any other way.
“You’re telling me that I need to go work—but I don’t understand why. I am sitting and learning, and all my needs are provided for. Should I throw away the food that comes to me?! It is a fact that ‘my work is done by others!’” This was the shitah of Rabbi Shimon, based on how he saw the world.
Abaye said, “Many have tried to be like Rabbi Shimon, but it didn’t work out for them.” Abaye explained that it is not enough for a person to declare, “I want to go to Kollel and spend my days learning” for everything around him to accommodate him. Only one who is thoroughly satisfied with Hashem’s plan merits to be accommodated by the rest of the creation. This is the way it is: When one is joyful and grateful, people around him want to give to him. And the same applies to the world in general: A person who is genuinely satisfied with Hashem’s plan for him will be accommodated by the בריאה.
On the other hand, when a person is bitter, people run the other way, hoping not to meet him in the street. When a person is ungrateful, no one wants to serve him. People enjoy giving to a person who is joyful and expresses gratitude, and they stay away from those who are bitter and ungrateful. The same applies to the creation accommodating man.
The Ohr HaChaim (Parashas Beshalach 27) teaches us that just as the Ginai River split before Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair, so too, the entire creation accommodates every G-d-fearing and pious Yid.
