I once heard from a Yid who tends to travel distances to raise funds to marry off his children. He said that there are days on which he knows that he can collect lots of money—for example, on Purim—but he refuses to go out on those days. “On Purim I stay home and I am joyful with my wife and children,” he said. “For what is my purpose on This World? To serve Hashem. And if I give away my Yom Tov for this as well, there will be nothing left to my tachlis!”
A person must illustrate—not only to others, but also to himself—that for ruchniyus matters we make different calculations and different conclusions. Not because he will gain something in gashmiyus if he fulfills his ruchniyus purpose—but because if Hashem created these stones that you see for this purpose, why wouldn’t you do everything in pursuit of that purpose? If the Ribbono shel Olam created hundreds of thousands of people all in order for you to be able to attend your daily shiur, how can it be that you wouldn’t attend just because it isn’t convenient for you?
If it’s inconvenient, I will turn over my entire schedule, and I will pay any sum necessary, all so I should be able to fulfill this obligation. This nisayon plays out all the time in our lives, and we must see it for what it is.
