Chazal (Pesachim 118.) states, אדם של זיווגו קשה סוף ים כקריעת, that keviyachol, it is hard for Hashem to find a person's bashert to marry. It is as difficult as it was for Hashem to split the sea. The Gemara says that the same applies to parnassah. It is difficult for Hashem, keviyachol, to arrange a person's parnassah, as it was difficult for Hashem to split the sea.
The question is that nothing is difficult for Hashem. Hashem can easily do anything and everything, so what is the explanation of this Gemara? Why is splitting the sea, shidduchim, and parnassah referred to as קשה, hard for Hakadosh Baruch Hu?
We can explain it with a different translation for קשה. Chazal say that about Shemini Atzeres, Hakadosh Baruch Hu says פרידתכם עלי קשה, "It is hard for Me when you leave," and therefore, Hashem requests that we celebrate with Him one more day after Succos. So, we can explain that when it states that kriyas Yam Suf, shidduchim, and parnassah are קשה, hard for Hashem, it means that keviyachol, it is difficult for Hashem when we depart from Him.
This is because Hashem desires our tefillos, and we turn to Hashem and cry to Him when we have problems. These moments are very precious to Hashem. At the Yam Suf, the Jewish nation cried out to Hashem. The same occurs when one awaits his shidduch or parnassah. People shout, pray, and cry to Hashem, and the closeness this creates is special to Hashem. When the Yidden were at the shore of the Yam Suf, the sea was in front of them, and the Mitzrim were pursuing them from the rear. The Midrash (Shemos Rabba 21:5) asks, "Why did Hakadosh Baruch Hu do so? It is because Hakadosh Baruch Hu desires their tefillos." The Midrash brings the pasuk (Shir HaShirim 2:14) ערב קולך כי קולך את השמיעיני, "Let me hear your voice, for your voice is pleasant..." When the nation davened, Hashem wanted to save them and split the sea, but He knew that now the Yidden would stop davening and shouting out to Him, and that was קשה, hard, keviyachol for Hashem.
The same is true of parnassah and shidduchim. Hakadosh Baruch Hu wants to hear our tefillos. When salvation comes, the person will stop davening, and that is hard, keviyachol, for Hashem. Therefore, never depart from Hashem. After you receive your yeshuah, continue connecting with Hashem by praising Him. The tzaddik Reb Yitzchak David Gutfarb zt'l went to the Kosel for forty days to daven for a yeshuah. When he received his salvation, he returned to the kosel for another forty days to praise Hashem. The lesson is to always connect to Hashem, either with prayer or with praises, and never depart from Hashem, and then it won't be קשה, hard, keviyachol, for Hashem to send His salvation.
There were tzaddikim who wouldn't go to sleep at night as long there was money in the home. They first gave every penny to tzedakah, and then they would go to sleep. For the next day, they would daven, and they would trust in Hashem, and Hashem would support them and give them parnassah again. Examples of tzaddikim who would do so were the Baal Shem Tov, Reb Mordechai of Neshchiz, and the Sanzer Rav zt'l. Maybe they did this in order to feel totally dependent on Hashem. When there's money in the home, it is harder for the heart to feel how much we are dependent on Hashem.
In his will, Reb Shlomo Kluger zt'l requested that he be buried next to a poor person. "I request... that you don't bury me next to the wealthy, even if he was ehrlich. Only bury me next to the poor, and even if he was extremely poor, as long as he was ehrlich." And the explanation is that wealth can sometimes cause the heart to depart from Hashem. The person doesn't feel just how much he is dependent on Hashem.
One of the difficult tests of the desert was that they were forced to live with total dependence on Hashem. For their food, for their water, for their protection, they needed Hashem's help. There were no supermarkets in the area to get what was missing. Their only hope was to turn their hearts to Hashem. It was a special time because the Jewish nation learned to connect their hearts to Hashem, but it was also a trying time, and they failed some tests. It is about this period that Hashem says, פרידתכם עלי קשה, it is difficult for Me when you depart from Me.
Rabbeinu b'Chayei discusses why it states השרפים הנחשים את בעם 'ה וישלח, with a 'ה in the words, which represents renowned snakes. "This means the snakes were there before, as it states (Devarim 8:15) נחש והנורא הגדול במדבר המוליכך ועקרב שרף, 'Who led you through that great and awesome desert, [in which there were] snakes, vipers and scorpions.' But until that day, Hakadosh Baruch Hu protected them from all harm. One of the seven הכבוד ענני went before them and killed all the snakes and scorpions, and that was a great wonder and miracle. But they complained that they were so dependent on Hashem that they wanted to be like all other nations that Hashem led them according to the rules of nature. Therefore, Hakadosh Baruch Hu removed His hashgachah from them. He did to them as they wanted, and they were affected by the rules of nature and bitten by the snakes."
It isn't easy to live with the feeling of total dependence on Hashem, but the benefits are great because when one lives that way, Hashem will always help him. It states (21:5-6) אין כי ...ובמשה באלקים העם וידבר את בעם 'ה וישלח ...הקלקל בלחם קצה ונפשנו מים ואין לחם השרפים הנשים, "The nation spoke against Hashem and Moshe... for there is no bread and no water, and we are disgusted with this rotten bread." Why did the nation say that they didn't have bread and water? Hashem gave them bread from heaven and water from a stone. Rabbeinu b'Chayei (אין כי ה"ד) writes that they complained that all nations have plenty of bread and water, not just enough for one day, and their parnassah isn't dependent on them being worthy. "Why are we different from all nations that we totally depend on You and not on nature?" But it was for their benefit so that they would turn their eyes to Hashem.
'ה אל קוה means to trust and to turn our eyes to Hashem at all times. The gematriya of קוה is 111, the same as ף"אל. This hints that the alef beis, the very basics of being a Yid is to turn our eyes to Hashem that He should help us.
Reb Yechezkel replied, "When a person works for a boss, he trusts in his weekly paycheck. But when one is self-employed, he constantly places his trust in Hashem. When you told me you’re your father is self-employed, I knew that he trusts in Hashem, and I knew that he has a greater chance of receiving Hashem's blessings. Indeed, a short time after accepting this debt, the father began receiving reparation money from Germany and was able to keep his promise and pay the dowry."
