SETTING PRIORITIES
Reb Elye Abeler, a chossid of the Rebbe Maharash, was a businessman, and not particularly learned. One day the Rebbe told him: "Elye, I envy you! You travel to fairs, meet many people, and in the course of your business dealings, you share a Torah thought and inspire the folk around you to study nigleh and Chassidus. This arouses joy Above, and HaShem rewards such 'business deals' with the brachos of children, health and sustenance. The larger the fair, the more work there is, and the greater the parnasa earned." (היום יום ט"ז אייר, וראה היום יום ד' ניסן)
In his early years, the Baal Shem Tov would travel from one Yiddisher township to the next, gather a crowd in the marketplace, and speak to them about ahavas Yisroel. Once, he explained his message with a mashal:
There was a man named Reb Yaakov who was baki in the entire Shas, and thanks to his studious concentration, he was able to recite fluently all of Rashi and Tosafos by heart. Once while engrossed in a weighty passage of Tosafos, his young son interrupted him to relate a clever thought. Though the thought was not profound, relative to his father's level of understanding and scholarship, the father nevertheless stopped to listen.
Similarly, HaShem is occupied with lofty matters, to the point that the malochim objected to His creating mortal man who is involved in mundane activities. Yet, when a Yid rises in the morning and hurries off to daven with a minyan, and then, in the midst of his workday, even though he is busy and preoccupied, he drops everything and runs to shul to daven Mincha, then listens to a shiur in Ein Yaakov and later shares it with his family, – HaShem then says to the malochim: "You malochim have no challenges. But just look how man, who unwillingly has the burden of parnasa, lives his life!"
And so HaShem continues to pride Himself before the malochim with the conduct of a Yid. (תו"מ חכ"ג ע' 288)
PREPARING FOR WORK
At a farbrengen, a chossid once asked the Frierdiker Rebbe: "How is a businessman, who is busy all day, able to daven at length like those who sit and learn and have the time to do so?"
The Frierdiker Rebbe explained that a chassidisher businessman should conduct himself like an eidem af kest – a young man who is supported by his father-in-law. With his income secure, the young man has no worries, and when his father-in-law drops a hint that his help is needed, he lends a hand, but only after he finishes eating comfortably. Similarly, the chassidisher businessman davens and learns at ease, and then he goes off to work.... (לקוטי דיבורים ח"א ע' 20)
The Rebbe describes how a Yid must go about his business. The first thing in the morning must be the avoda of davening, followed by a session of learning, and only after being steeped in ruchniyus can he – unenthusiastically – go to work. In addition, at work he must be distinguishable as a Yid, thinking or saying words of Torah, and while going about his business, having the intention of serving HaShem. (לקו"ש ח"ג ע' 792)
The Rebbe made it clear that in order for a Yid to be capable of elevating the world through his work, it is imperative that he elevate himself through studying Torah before and during his work. (לקו"ש ח"כ ע' 43)
LEARNING ON THE JOB
A store-owner was once sitting at a farbrengen of the Frierdiker Rebbe in Russia, when the Rebbe turned to him and said that he wanted to make a covenant with him. The Rebbe first asked him if he had a Tanya in his store and stipulated, "I do not mean a Tanya that sits unused, but one that is the focus of all comings and goings."
The Frierdiker Rebbe went on to assure him that if he became more deeply involved in that sefer, the communist investigators would not become too deeply involved in his books.... (סה"ש תרפ"ז ע' 116)
Reb Binyamin Kletzker, a prominent chossid of the Alter Rebbe, had a log business. One day, while calculating his earnings, he wrote out all the entries in the column correctly, but when he reached the Total line, he inadvertently filled in the words, Ein od milvado – "Nothing exists apart from HaShem."
Someone asked him, "How can you be involved in Chassidus while you're doing business?"
He replied, "If, while I'm standing before HaShem, thoughts of the logs can enter my mind, then surely holy thoughts can enter my mind while I'm dealing with logs...." (אג"ק ח"ז ע' רג"ז)
Reb Shlomeh der Geler, a chossid of the Rebbe Rashab, worked as a builder's assistant, and he and the builder would discuss Chassidus while working. Once, while building a wall, they were so raptly engrossed in their chassidic discussion that Reb Shlomeh found himself unintentionally enclosed behind the wall! When they realized this, they had to break it down to take him out. (סיפורים חסידיים ח"א ע' 201)
CONSIDER
Why does setting priorities straight, bring additional success in business? If HaShem wants a Yid to do business, shouldn’t he put himself entirely into it?
