My grandfather, Rav Tzvi Hirsch of Kretchnif zy”a, said in the name of Rav Meir of Premishlan zy”a that whenever a fish swallows another fish, it swallows it head first, and never tail first. Anyone can see that if you tear open a fish and find a small fish inside its stomach, the smaller fish’s head will always be facing the larger fish’s tail. The reason for this is because when a big fish wants to eat a little fish, the little fish tries to swim away. As it attempts to flee, it is facing away from the big fish’s mouth when it gets swallowed. The fish that is running away has its back to the pursuer, but the fish that is the pursuer swims straight until the fleer is in its mouth.
This is a siman of how Hashem prepares a person’s sustenance so that it goes directly to him. Therefore, one should simply trust in Him, rather than engage in excess efforts to earn a living, as He can send his food straight into his mouth.
