Traveling for Parnassah—Only in Order to Influence
When a person finds himself in a dire financial situation—he is choked with debt and loans that he has taken out—the yetzer hara tries to persuade him to pursue parnassah with all his might, because “I’m a bind, and, after all, we’re commanded to do hishtadlus!”
But let’s not forget what the Chovos HaLevavos teaches us. The source of the necessity of hishtadlus is from the pasuk ולשמרה לעבדה עדן בגן ויניחהו, Hashem placed [Adam HaRishon] in Gan Eden to work the land and to guard it. The simple understanding of this is that Hashem created a world, and He has commanded us to work there. If it’s a field, you must plant it; if it’s a building you must build it; and if it’s a need in the world, you must provide it.
But we mustn’t forget the peshat of the Midrash on these words. לעבדה refers to positive mitzvos, and לשמרה refers to negative commandments. The truth is that both peshatim are connected: By working to serve Hashem wherever a person has been assigned, by meditating upon how to properly execute that mission, he is thus fulfilling the ולשמרה לעבדה according to both understandings. He is fulfilling all the mitzvos unique to his situation.
When a person finds himself in a tight spot, he must reflect on one thing alone: How can I better execute the ולשמרה לעבדה as I go about doing my hishtadlus for parnassah?
Hardship Pushes Us Harder
A person may say: I am pressed for parnassah... I must marry off my child, and I don’t have a penny! I am working myself to the bone, morning, noon, and night, and I still don’t have the money I need. What are you telling me? That I must have emunah? Let’s talk when you’re about to pay for a wedding! I’ve already worked on my bitachon, but there are bills to be paid. I tried borrowing, but I still don’t have money to cover the big expenses.
This Yid must know that if he finds himself in such a situation, it is very possible that he must rectify the ולשמרה לעבדה—he can very likely do a better job at influencing the world around him for the better. What influence can I have on the world? you will ask. This depends on every person’s unique circumstances and placement. A person must know that his very presence has influence. People see the way he walks and talks and comports himself, and these behaviors have an influence.
Everyone Has His Unique Pathway
Sometimes it happens that one person makes lots of money through a certain hishtadlus, and those who imitate him fail miserably. The first person set out to be a משפיע in that place, and the second person set out only to take.... From the outside, it seems as if they both did the same thing. But on the inside, they couldn’t be more different.
We must bear in mind that there’s only one reason to travel distances for parnassah: only to influence. There is no other reason!
The Donor Is a Mailman
One of the great tzaddikim once found himself in dire straits, and he asked his uncle, Rav Noach of Lechovitz, whether he should travel to collect funds.
The Rebbe told him, “You may go, but only on one condition. If you petition a person for money and he refuses to give you a dime, you must not feel the slightest complaint against him. It should be as though you came to the post office to see whether a letter arrived. It wouldn’t occur to you to be upset with the mailman if a letter hadn’t arrived. Similarly, if you can commit to viewing the money that is sent to you in the same way, you may solicit money from others,” the Rebbe said.
We Never “Take”
This is such a deep understanding of the matter. A person never goes to take; he only goes to give, to influence. If he doesn’t feel this yet, he should begin working on feeling that if the Ribbono shel Olam has sent me here, there is something I must accomplish. What can I accomplish here?
But the rule remains true and relevant always, in every situation: There is no such thing as going somewhere just to take; we go elsewhere only in order to give, to influence. And if a person feels that he truly cannot influence in that place, then he indeed has no reason to go there—for to receive, he can receive right where he is. The shefa can come right to his door.
Being Joyful and Remembering That We’re on a Mission
Yaakov Didn’t Escape
There’s an incredible vort in the sefer Sfas Emes that is so deep and so true we can use it throughout our lives. It is brought in Parashas Vayeitzei (5661): The Midrash juxtaposes the words in Mishlei (3:23) לבטח תלך אז, then will walk on your way securely, saying, “This refers to Yaakov, as it says, ”.יעקב ויצא
Explains the Sfas Emes: When Yaakov went to Charan, he suspected that Eisav would succeed in killing him. His own mother warned him to run for his life. But we don’t find any expression of “running.” We find that חרנה וילך שבע מבאר יעקב ויצא, he simply left one place and went elsewhere. For one who truly trusts in Hashem understands that all man’s ways are from Hashem, and he will not attribute events to happenstance.
Going for a Mission
Says the Sfas Emes: Yaakov Avinu was an Ish Tam—as Rashi explains, it is derived from an expression of תהיה תמים, to be complete with Hashem, and to accept everything with completeness.
Yaakov Avinu understood that if the Ribbono shel Olam wanted him to go to Charan, he must surely have a mission to accomplish there. This is the only reason he went there. He didn’t escape from Eisav—for escaping means that he believes he will be safer in the second place than he is at home. Escaping means that only there will he be able to shield himself from Eisav. Just as parnassah doesn’t depend on the place you are, neither security nor safety are dependent on the place you are.
The only reason to go elsewhere is because the Ribbono shel Olam is sending you there to accomplish a mission.
The perspective of Yaakov Avinu was as follows: You’re telling me that Eisav wants to kill me? If so, what does this tell me? I must go elsewhere? Okay, I will go to another place. But what’s the rush? ויצא יעקב, he went out... slowly and deliberately, to carry out his mission.
Executing the Mission with Joy
There is an incredible lesson in this: Sometimes, Hashem pushes us and squeezes us until we have no choice but to relocate. But as you’re going, there is no reason to do it while suffering angst. Do it with serenity and purpose!
One may think that since he was forced to make this move, he must now complain and sigh about how he really would have preferred to be elsewhere, and he really doesn’t like it here.... No, no! The fact that you were pushed and squeezed until you went happened before you left—but the moment you’re going, do so with joy! You’re about to carry out a special mission from Above!
How to Know If the Journey Is Part of the Mission
People tend to say, “One must do hishtadlus according to accepted norms.” That is, so long as the hishtadlus is within the bounds of what is normally accepted in the world, it comes under hishtadlus one must do.
To understand this a bit better: The Ribbono shel Olam designed a special mission on this world for each person, and the way to measure whether this journey is indeed part of your mission is to check whether this measure falls under normal and accepted hishtadlus. This is the way to measure what Hashem wants from us—when we see that Hashem has placed us into a situation where it is accepted to do this sort of hishtadlus.
If It’s the “Way of the World,” Then It’s Your Mission
For example, a person works in a specific place where it is accepted to travel periodically for work. He inquires whether is this the accepted norm, and he is told that in today’s world, this is a normal part of doing business, of earning parnassah. This Yid now understands that this is the mission that the Ribbono shel Olam wants from him. This is his cue from Above that it is his mission to travel since he has something to accomplish in that distant place.
Easier Roads to Influence
Indeed, we see that in our times, the Ribbono shel Olam has made travel so much easier than in past generations. Every day there are scores of Yidden who fly to all corners of the earth, because the Ribbono shel Olam wants them to fulfill their mission in that place.
In times gone by, it would have taken two weeks to get there by ship, and then two weeks to recover from the long trip, and one would not even contemplate the journey, preventing them from carrying out their mission in that place.
For this reason, the Ribbono shel Olam changed the entire travel industry, making it so much easier for us to get around—leading a person to much more easily surmise that he must travel to different destinations to fulfill Hashem’s mission.
Is it the Way of the World?
After a person has ascertained—following discussions with ehrliche Yidden who have studied Sha’ar HaBitachon—that this is the accepted norm of hishtadlus, then he will go, because he knows that he is now a משפיע and not a מקבל. If it is the “way of the world” to take this step, then it makes sense to do so—it is a sign from Above that you’re being led in that direction.
If, however, it is not the accepted way of the world to take this measure—says the Chovos HaLevavos—then it is likely that the Ribbono shel Olam does not want you to take such extravagant measures of hishtadlus.
This decision—whether or not to journey to a distant place—is not always an easy one. But one thing is certain: Once a person has made his way to a new place, he must do everything to remember that he has come there to influence, not to take. Sometimes he’s a משפיע by not becoming upset with others, and sometimes he influences his surroundings through overcoming nisyonos large and small.
One must always remember this in wherever he finds himself—not only when he travels to a distant land. It applies even when you’re sitting in your very own office, working to sell a product. The rule of מה' גבר מצעדי, man’s footsteps are ordained by Hashem, doesn’t apply only when we’re traveling overseas. It’s relevant even when we walk into a store to sell something. If you conduct yourself properly in that place, then you have influenced the place. And that is the real reason you have gone there.
Every Journey Is Planned from Above for the Fulfillment of Your Mission
The Rebbe Who Traveled for the Gabbai
The Kretchnifer Rebbe once said that sometimes, a Rebbe will need to journey from Eretz Yisrael to Australia to raise funds for his institutions—but in reality, his entire journey is so that one of his attendants will arrive there and there accomplish what he must accomplish. The entire journey was all worthwhile so that someone from the entourage would arrive there.
The same yesod is stated in the sefer Ohr HaMeir (Parashas Tzav) in the name of the Ba’al Shem Tov. There are many people who travel great distances with the intention of accumulating gold and silver, and they are therefore willing to work mighty hard, the Rebbe writes.
But their thoughts are not the Ribbono shel Olam’s thoughts. The Aibishter can provide your wealth far better than you can provide for yourself. The real reason you must go to that place is because sometimes there’s a piece of bread in that place that belongs to your neshamah, and you must rectify the sparks by eating the bread or you must drink a glass of water in that place, at that time.
Adds the Ohr HaMeir, sometimes, the purpose of the journey is not for you at all, but for one of your attendants! The person joining you on the trip couldn’t have made the journey himself—he can’t afford it, or he has no reason to go there on his own—but he must eat or drink something there... for his sheleimus hanefesh, the completeness of his soul.
Why the Chassid Thanked His Host
In Yerushalayim lived a lofty chassid by the name of Rav Aharon Yosef Brizel, zt”l. When he visited people in their homes and they offered him food so he could make a berachah, he would first say that the ratzon of the Ribbono shel Olam is now being fulfilled— as the Ba’al Shem Tov says that people may need to undertake an entire journey in order to make a berachah in that place.
Rav Brizel felt a strong sense of gratitude to his host for enabling him to make a berachah in their home, which was the true reason for his journey from Eretz Yisrael to America.
1. Authored by Rabbi Meir of Apta (1767–1831), a talmid of the Chozeh of Lublin.
The Rule of the Chovos HaLevavos
To recapitulate the main points of this deep and important sugya: The Chovos HaLevavos taught that someone who journeys to distant places for his parnassah is lacking in the basics of emunah—for the shefa that the Ribbono shel Olam sends to each person isn’t dependent on the place where he is located. Everything comes from the Ribbono shel Olam, and He can send you the shefa right to your door.
If you find yourself rushing to the other side of the world—literally or figuratively—in pursuit of your parnassah, stop and pause! This may be bordering on heresy in the basics of emunah. Do not believe the yetzer hara who tries to persuade you that this is a normal part of hishtadlus. It is most likely not a part of hishtadlus. There is no such thing as shefa being dependent on a specific place; it can come to you wherever you are.
In Order to Influence, We Must Move
At the same time, we learned the principle of the talmidei Ba’al Shem Tov—and this is supported by the halachic ruling of the Rema—a person must sometimes move around. He may even compel his wife to come with him to another place. This is because in that case, to be משפיע, there is no other way but to journey elsewhere (so it really depends on the intention and the purpose of going).
How does one know whether it is his mission to be משפיע in another place? Simple. If his financial situation pushes him to take on employment or business in another place, it is a clear sign that this is his mission. The same applies to changing workplaces: If one isn’t earning what he needs in one company, it is a sign that he must be משפיע in a different company.
Doing Hishtadlus with the Intention to Influence
We hear people use words such as “You’re not doing enough hishtadlus... you need to do more hishtadlus....” This is erroneous—for doing more hishtadlus means investing in the ולשמרה לעבדה as the Midrash explains it (positive and negative mitzvos). What does this have to do with running after money?! If we will fulfill ולשמרה לעבדה with the proper intention—to be משפיע on the world around us—we will surely attain all the shefa that we need!
The rule is that every person—no matter his intellect or brainpower—is a major משפיע in spirituality. Because when he carries out a mitzvah, even the smallest mitzvah, he brings holiness to his entire surroundings and everyone in it. Therefore, we are best off investing in thinking about how and where we can influence. This is the best hishtadlus!
Leaving the Box
Sometimes, a person feels locked into a certain place of work. He says, “I can’t leave the place that I work—even though I am earning less money there—because, if I go elsewhere, I will have even less!”
This is a great mistake! Why do you tell yourself that the Ribbono shel Olam is only capable of giving you this amount of money and no more? The second job may provide a far higher salary! Everything depends on how you will carry out your mission! You must only open your mind and daven: Ribbono shel Olam! Help me fulfill Your mission. Why should you need to bang on Heaven’s door with tefillos for parnassah? Daven that you should be able to complete your mission.
Look around and see what is being suggested for you... where you can potentially fulfill your mission of ולשמרה לעבדה, with positive and negative mitzvos, and surely Hashem will help you and guide you.
Instead of asking for a few dollars or for a larger loan, daven that the Ribbono shel Olam should help you execute your mission to perfection. Then, surely you will be blessed from Above and the conduits of shefa will be open wide before you wherever you may find yourself.
