Although the Torah expects us to engage in hishtadlus, one must realize that his efforts are not the true source of his livelihood. Rather, one must have emunah and bitachon in Hashem to provide for him and, in this merit, he will be granted parnassah.
Dovid Hamelech said (Tehillim 34:11): “Young lions suffer want and are hungry, but those who seek Hashem lack no good.” We can learn an important lesson from this pasuk.
One may wonder why the weakest animals – such as worms and other insects – find their sustenance easily, without the need to work hard, whereas the strongest animals – such as lions and bears – have to chase their prey and work hard to kill and devour them. The simple answer would be that the weak animals can’t be expected to fight for their food; therefore, Hashem has to grant them easy sustenance, whereas strong animals can be expected to fight. The true answer, however, is that strong animals rely on their own strength and, as a result, they must use their own efforts to earn their sustenance. Weak animals, in the other hand, do not rely on themselves; therefore, Hashem provides for them.
Accordingly, Dovid Hamelech is saying that “lions suffer want and are hungry”, meaning that because they rely on their strength, they have to exert a lot of effort for their meals. But those who seek Hashem do not lack anything because they trust in Hashem to provide for them and do not engage in excessive hishtadlus. As a result, He provides for them.
In this vein, Rav Avrohom, the son of the Rambam writes (in Sefer Hamaspik L’Ovdei Hashem, Shaar Habitachon): “One who does not trust in Hashem is like a rebel and traitor. Hashem punishes him by denying him parnassah. This is as Dovid Hamelech said: ‘Young lions want and are hungry…’.”
The Chovos Halevavos (Shaar Habitachon 7) writes that a righteous man had a neighbor who worked as a sofer. He once asked him how he was doing and the neighbor replied, “Everything is fine. My hand is making a good living.” That evening, he injured his hand and was never again able to work in his field. This was his punishment for relying on his own efforts.
