The date of the completion was drawing near and the mortgage was not yet approved. On the actual agreed upon date of the completion, the mortgage had still not been approved, and according to the agreement, he was set to lose his initial investment of millions of pounds. Seeing his distress, his mother suggested he recite ՔՈՑՇՏ ՀՄՑՆ. Indeed, he began reciting the possukim with great kavonah, trying to instill in his heart the understanding that only Hashem determines the outcome of every event. Just when he finished reciting the final possuk ՅՀՅՑՄՐ ՅՐՇՐՐՅՏ ՀՀՀՅՑՔՀ ՀՈՐՀ, he received a phone call from the bank informing him that the mortgage had been approved. His complete Emunah saved the investment in the nick of time.
A Pebble from the Top Floor
There are many reasons why Հ"ՔՁՔ sometimes limits a person's sustenance. Seforim tell us that sometimes it is in order to strengthen a person's Emunah that only Hashem can provide for him. Other times there are other reasons. However, one must always utilize a nisayon in parnassah as in impetus to increased understanding that there is only One Eibishtar who can help him.
When the sea split there were twelve pathways set up in a semi-circular formation, like a rainbow. Such that the shevet on the outside of this formation had to tread a far longer path than the shevet on the innermost part of the circle. However, all exited at the same destination. The Rabbi R' Eizik of Zidichoiv compares this to the way in which different people are sustained by Hashem. Some must travel a long way to sustain themselves, and others come by their livelihood more easily. However, the path has been determined from Above, and no amount of hustle will change that. Saying ՔՈՑՇՏ ՀՄՑՆ and living with that mindset will reinforce this understanding.
There is a famous mashal of a man stuck in an apartment on a high floor of a tall building, who needs someone to help him out urgently. He stands by the window and throws down dollar bills to alert passerby to his predicament, however they happily pick up the bills and continue on their way without seeking the source of their windfall. Left with no choice, the desperate man begins throwing pebbles. One pebble falls on a hapless passerby's head, and in a rage, he looks up to see where it is coming from. The man upstairs grabs the opportunity to identify himself and request assistance. So too, sometimes we do not respond to Hashem's call to us when he showers us with plenty. Thus, Hashem determines it necessary to throw a pebble our way, to remind us to turn to Him for help.
Orchestrated through Pure Emunah
There is a story of a choshuv Yerushalmi yid who sat and learned all day. The day came that he had to marry off his daughter, and he did not have the means to do so. When his wife urged him to somehow procure the money needed, he responded that Hashem will send them that which they require. However, upon further prodding from his wife who claimed that a person is required to make some form of hishtadlus, he went to his Rabbi, R' Gedalia Moshe of Zhvil who resided in Yerushalayim. The tzaddik concurred that indeed he is required to do something in order to merit that Hashem should send him His salvation. He advised him to seek out one person of means, and to turn to him for assistance.
The yid went to his cousin who was a fund-raiser for the Yerushalmi kollelim, and he asked him to give him the details of one of his steady supporters. Not wanting to 'share his secret sources' he gave him the name and address of a contributor who gave a modest yearly donation. The man wrote a solicitation letter describing his situation and sent it to that address. He then continued learning with tranquility and a calm demeanor. When he did not receive a reply, he deemed it necessary hishtadlus to send another letter requesting assistance. Indeed, he was shortly thereafter awarded a reply accompanied by a cheque for sixty-thousand dollars - the complete sum he needed to marry off his daughter! He thanked his cousin for enabling his immediate salvation. The shocked cousin could not fathom how he had received such a large donation from such a modest donor, and decided to undertake a trip to the United States just in order to solicit from this particular philanthropist.
Upon his arrival to the man's home, he noticed that his house seemed very humble given his ability to make such large donations. However, he proceeded to knock on the door and explain that he had come from Yerushalayim only in order to seek this man's donation for the many kollelim he needed to support. The confused man of the house inquired as to why the fundraiser had undertaken such a difficult journey simply to solicit his modest donation. The fundraiser replied that he had heard of his generous donation to his cousin, therefore he assumed that he could grant him too a far larger sum.
As understanding dawned, the man proceeded to explain what had happened and how he had been able to donate such a large sum of money to his cousin. He said that he is a hard-working man who over the course of many years managed to save up one-hundred and twenty thousand dollars in order to marry off and support his only daughter. Unfortunately, she had been involved in a tragic accident and was in need of a lot of Siyatta D'Shmaya in order to be able to get married. He decided to take Hashem as his 'partner' and to give away half the money he had saved up for his daughter's marriage to a needy bride, as a merit for her recovery and successful marriage.
At around that time, the repeat letters from the Yerushalmi yid arrived. He took it as a Divine sign that this man was a worthy recipient for the money he had decided to donate, and therefore he sent him half the money he had saved up for his own daughter. He explained that he unfortunately could not give any repeat large donation as this was a one-time event in which he used money that he had saved over a long time. Hashem had orchestrated events so that the yid from Yerushalayim who had fulfilled his duty of hishtadlus with a pure and whole-hearted belief that Hashem will provide for him had merited to get exactly what he needed!
May we merit to have clarity about the true and only Source of our sustenance, and in that zechus may we have plenty and we should come by it easily and speedily with ՀՐՀՅՑՏ ՀՀՑՏ and without any frustration. And we should always remember to thank our Father for providing for all our needs, and in that way we will come closer to Him and be in His presence always!
ՂՈՏ ՇՂՏ