"He Gave Me All My Needs" צרכי כל לי שעשה
It states (Vayikra 27:8) ָמֵע ֶרְכֶּך הוּא מָ ךְ וְאִם. The Zlotchiver Magid zt'l explains that if a person feels מָ ךְ, poor, and he thinks he lacks things in life, it is ָמֵע ֶרְכֶּך, due to his low level – and it is because he lacks emunah. If he believed in Hashem, he wouldn’t feel poor. He would feel that he has everything he needs. The proof that he has everything he needs is that if he needed more, Hashem would certainly give him more. With this awareness, he is happy with his portion.
Similarly, it states (Tehillim 34:11) לֹא 'ה ֵׁיוְדֹרְש טוֹב כָל יַחְס ְ רוּ, "Those who fear Hashem will not lack any good." The Zlotchiver Magid zt'l explains that those who believe in Hashem, טוֹב כָל יַחְס ְ רוּ לֹא, they don’t feel that they are lacking anything.
Rebbe Michel of Zlotchev zt'l was very poor, and people asked him how he says the brachah צרכי כל לי שעשה, praising Hashem, that He gives him all his needs? How can he say this brachah, if he lacks so many of his needs?
He replied, "My need is to be poor. That is my need, because it is part of the mission Hashem prepared for me in this world. With this situation, I can properly serve Hashem and attain perfection for my soul. So, I can certainly praise Hashem צרכי כל לי שעשה, that He gave me everything I need."
This lesson is also written in Ateres Tzvi (Drush 11) zt'l from Rebbe Hershele Ziditchover. We quote his holy words: "I heard that a student came to the Maharal of Prague and said that he thinks he isn't allowed to say the brachah צרכי כל לי שעשה. He explained, 'How can I say this brachah and praise Hashem for giving me everything that I need, when I am very poor, and there is no food or clothes in my home? My children don't have shoes, they are hungry, and they lack clothes. How can I lie before Hashem and say this brachah, and praise Him for giving me צרכי כל, all my needs?'
"His Rebbe, the Maharal, replied that there is no doubt that he can say this brachah. This is because the brachah has another translation: לי שעשה, everything that Hashem does for me, including the poverty and the yesurim, r'l, they are צרכי כל, my needs. They are for my benefit. If Hashem knew that you needed wealth, He would have certainly given it to you. But since your portion is poverty, it is certainly because Hashem knows that this is for your favor and for your needs."
The Ateres Tzvi quotes the following Yerushalmi (Brachos 2:4): Reb Masanyah said, דכד לראשי טיבו מחזק אנא מגרמיה גרע הוא מודים מטטי, "I have hakaras hatov to my head, because when I come to Modim, it bends down on its own." The Ateres Tzvi explains that there are people who come to Modim, and they don’t feel that they have anything to thank Hashem for. They have many tzaros, so why should they say Modim, why should they bow down? To say Modim, they take some time to reflect on all the chasadim Hashem does for them, and only then are they able to bow down. Reb Masanyah said that he doesn't have this problem because he always believes that everything Hashem does for him is for his good. He is always focusing on the positive. Therefore, he is content with his portion, and when he comes to Modim, he bows down immediately. He doesn't have to wait a few moments to think for a reason to praise Hashem. This is Reb Masanyah's intention when he said: מודים מטטי דכד לראשי טיבו מחזק אנא מגרמיה גרע הוא, "I have hakaras hatov to my head, because when I come to Modim, it bends down on its own." He was expressing his joy that his head bends down right away. He doesn't have to pause and think about Hashem's praises. He is ready to praise Hashem immediately because he is constantly conscious of Hashem's many chasadim, together with his belief that everything is for the good.
4. Someone said to Rebbe Bunim of Peshischa zt'l that he thinks he can't recite the brachah צרכי כל לי שעשה because he doesn't have all his needs, and he suffers a lot of yesurim. Rebbe Bunim told him, "Your need is to accept everything Hashem does to you with love. So, Hashem did gave you all your needs. This is what you need so you can accomplish your purpose in this world" (written in Sifsei Tzaddikim, Mikeitz 15).
5. We repeat here a remarkable story, a recent story, as told from the baal hamaaseh: "For the past six years, I have had the zechus to teach a popular daf yomi shiur in Teveria, and baruch Hashem, the shiur is attended by dozens. As is the nature of Daf Yomi, the shiur takes place every day: Shabbos, weekdays, yom tov, during vacation, erev Pesach, motzei Tisha b'Av, and so on. When I must be away for Shabbos, I appoint a substitute.
This year, ה"תשפ, Shabbos parashas Tazria Metzora, I had to be away on Shabbos for a simchah, so I appointed a talmid chacham to say the shiur on Shabbos afternoon. The shiur was beginning a new masechta, Masechta Shavuos. I felt I was missing out. I would have like to start the new masechta, but I had no choice and left for the simcha.
On Sunday, I met with the person I appointed to be the magid shiur, and I asked him how the shiur went. He began to stutter, "I forgot... I prepared the shiur well, I knew the material, but on Shabbos afternoon, I forgot all about it and I didn't give the shiur..."
I was surprised to hear this because none of the students had called to tell me that there was no shiur that Shabbos. I called one of the regulars of the shiur and asked him whether there was a shiur on Shabbos. He told me, "An amazing thing happened this Shabbos. We waited a long time for the magid shiur to teach the daf, but no one arrived. We didn't know what to do. Then, Reb Shlomo (an alef beis melamed of young children) walked into the beis medresh. One of the people sitting around announced jokingly, 'The magid shiur has arrived.'
It was a joke, but Reb Shlomo took it seriously. He asked, "Which daf are you up to?" We told him that we are up to daf ב' of Masechta Shavuos. He immediately rattled off the Mishnah by heart as he walked to the head of the table, where the magid shiur sits, and then continued to teach the entire daf by heart. We were amazed. We asked him whether he knows the entire Shas by heart. He replied that this is the only blatt he knows by heart. He recently decided to learn Masechta Shavuos by heart, and he has reviewed the first page thirty times. He didn't get further than that. This is the only daf of Shas he knows by heart.
"We witnessed Hashem's hashgachah to help us learn Torah. The hashgachah began days before. This man became an expert on Shavuos ב', the exact daf, for which we needed a magid shiur. It is the only daf in Shas he knows so well!
"This taught us the great importance and benefit of kevias itim l'Torah, designating set times to study Torah. Whenever a group or an individual sets a time to study Torah, and they are cautious to keep this time without fail, to the best of their abilities, Hashem will help them succeed. When they need a magid shiur, there will be one. Similarly, all other details will be put into place to help them keep their good undertaking."
