Reb Yaakov Meir Shechter Shlita tells the following story: Baron Rothchild had a clever manager who took care of all the Baron’s businesses. The Baron became extremely wealthy due to this manager’s counsel and skills. Naturally, the Baron promoted him to a very high position. There was a problem, though. The manager understood the Baron’s success was due to his management, and he became haughty. He treated his boss, Baron Rotchild, with so much disrespect that it appeared as if the Baron was working for him!
Initially, the Baron accepted this situation. He figured it was worthwhile for him to suffer some humiliation from his manager if his businesses were prospering. But as time went on, matters became worse. The manager almost entirely disregarded the Baron’s opinion and did what he felt was better. The Baron fired him.
The manager wasn’t afraid of that. He was certain that many other wealthy people would hire him to run their businesses. He had a lot of experience, and he had made the Baron wealthy; who wouldn’t want to hire him?
But he remained unemployed for months. No one was hiring him, and he didn’t know why. He began to advertise that he was looking for a position, but it didn’t help. His savings were shrinking, and he felt the need to find a position, quickly.
After investigating, he found out that when wealthy people considered hiring him, they would speak to Baron Rothchild to ask about him. The Baron would reveal to them that with time, the manager will begin to feel like he is the boss and will begin making his own decisions. Furthermore, he will totally disregard and humiliate his boss. This report prevented him from being hired.
The manager told his family what was happening to him. They replied, “The Baron is renowned for being a kind person. He certainly doesn’t hate you or want to take revenge on you. It must be that he knows that if you are hired, you will be fired soon afterwards because no one can possibly tolerate your behavior. The Baron figures that your emotional well-being shouldn't be hired to another position, rather than to be hired and fired soon afterwards."
The family said, “Therefore, you shall do the following: Tell the Baron that you recognize what you did wrong, and that from now on, you will always recognize your place, that you are merely a hired worker, and you won’t act like the boss. When you tell him this, you will see that he will speak favorably about you to others. Even more, he will hire you once again because the Baron knows, more than anyone else, the good job you can do.”
Let us learn from this story the following concept: Many times, a person finds that he isn’t succeeding, not in ruchniyus and not in gashmiyus. Whatever he tries to do, fails. He doesn’t have Torah, tefillah, kedushah, or good middos. He doesn’t have parnassah or nachas, not shidduchim, not yeshuos. The person should make a cheshbon hanefesh with himself. He must first understand that it is obvious that Hakadosh Baruch Hu loves him. The reason he is suffering is that Hashem wants him to know that success is in His hands. He had made the mistake that so many others have, to think that his successes and his parnassah come from his hard and clever work skills. He forgot that everything is from Heaven. Hakadosh Baruch Hu took away His siyata d’Shmaya, so the person will recognize that he needs Hashem’s help, and without it, he has nothing at all. The person who recognizes this will do teshuvah and express his regret for his error and misunderstanding. He will say out loud, “I recognize my fault, and from now on, I will remember that everything is from You.” Hakadosh Baruch Hu will accept him immediately, with both hands, and Hashem will bestow upon him a lot of bounty and kindness, and everything will work out for him.
The Divrei Chaim of Sanz zt'l would refer to the egel as an "untergevorfene maaseh," meaning they weren’t guilty of this aveirah. They were set up to fail this test. Chazal (Avodah Zarah 4:) say, לאותו ראויים היו ישראל לא מעשה, which means that Bnei Yisrael wouldn't have committed this aveirah of the egel. It only happened to teach Klal Yisrael, for all generations, that no matter what aveirah we did, we can do teshuvah.
A person is mistaken if he thinks that his wealth is a result of his business acumen, smart decisions, and the like. One must believe that everything he has is from Hashem. The Alter of Slabodka zt'l explains that when a person believes that everything he has – his wealth, his success, etc. – is from Hashem, and he thanks Hashem, Hashem will bestow more kindness onto him. However, if he feels that he earned his wealth, etc., on his own, and that he doesn't have to praise Hashem, this can chalilah cause the bounty to stop.
When one realizes that his earnings and assets are a kindness that Hashem provides him with, and that he received it because he was worthy, then he will strive to be deserving of Hashem's bounty and blessings. However, when one thinks that he earned it all on his own, he won't be afraid of sin. The Alter of Slabodka zt'l says that this is alluded to in this week's parashah (33:19) וְח ַנֹּתִי אֲרַחֵם ֶׁראֲש אֶת וְרִחַמְתִּי א ָחֹן ֶׁראֲש אֶת , "I will show favor when I choose to show favor, and I shall show compassion when I choose to show compassion." The Alter explains this pasuk slightly differently: וְח ַנֹּתִי, Hashem says that He will show favor, א ָחֹן ֶׁראֲש אֶת upon the people who believe that Hashem shows favor. Hashem says וְרִחַמְתִּי, that Hashem will show compassion אֲרַחֵם ֶׁראֲש אֶת, upon those who believe Hashem shows compassion.
In other words, when a person believes that everything he has until now is Hashem's compassion, he will receive more. But when one thinks that the strength of his hand earned everything he has, this closes the fountain of blessings.
Although we make hishtadlus, we must believe that the parnassah comes from Hashem. To think that the parnassah came from the hishtadlus can be viewed as a lack of emunah, and in a certain way, it can resemble avodah zarah, chalilah. Reb Shimon Zelichover zt'l hy'd (mashgiach of Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin) says that this lesson is taught to us from the rishonim, who explain the aveirah of the egel. The rishonim explain that the nation wasn't literally worshipping avodah zarah, chas v'shalom. No one considered the golden calf to be a deity, or anything like that. The Ramban writes, "They weren't seeking an egel to be their god, who kills and who gives life. Rather, they wanted the egel to take the place of Moshe, who was their leader." (See also the Ibn Ezra and other rishonim.)
On a deeper level, the rishonim explain that they thought they needed an image for Hashem's bounty to come through to them. They believed in Hashem, they prayed solely to Hashem, but they thought that they needed a physical image, for the goodness to be channeled to them.
Reb Shimon Zelichover teaches that according to this error, we can say that the aveirah and the test of the egel is in all generations. When one thinks that his hishtadlus brings him parnassah, he lacks awareness that parnassah comes from Hashem.
Hashem guides the person and places in his heart what hishtadlus he should do. This is to enclothe the parnassah in nature. But one must believe that if one hishtadlus ends, another hishtadlus can take its place. Hashem has many ways to send the bounty. The root of the parnassah is from Hashem, and not the hishtadlus.
We understand from this that if a boss fires someone, he shouldn't fulfill the pasuk (33:4) וַיִּתְא ַבָּלוּ, to mourn and be sad. He should believe that parnassah is from Hashem, and Hashem has other means of sending it to him.
