The Sugya of Moving Elsewhere for Shefa
The Yesod of the Chovos HaLevavos: Not to Search for Parnassah in Distant Places
Previously, we have learned what the Chovos HaLevavos says in his introduction: If one doesn’t have parnassah in one place, he should not move to a distant place—for parnassah is from Above, and thus it is not limited; it can come to you wherever you are.
To this end, the Chovos HaLevavos told us the story of the pious person who traveled to a distant land and encountered a gentile who told him that his actions were in contrast to his beliefs. If he truly believed in Hashem, he wouldn’t have traveled all this way.
The Yesod of the Arizal: We Must Journey to Rectify the Holy Sparks
At the same time, we brought the words of the Arizal and the talmidei Ba’al Shem Tov, who teach us that in many cases, a person must undertake a journey to a faraway place in order to rectify the nitzotzos that have been left behind there—and this is his personal tikkun neshamah. This would mean that when a person doesn’t have parnassah in the place he currently finds himself, he should go elsewhere in search of parnassah. This would seem to be a contradiction to the words of the Chovos HaLevavos.
The Rema’s Ruling
We will add that the Rema (Even HaEzer 75:1) rules l’halachah, in the name of the Terumas HaDeshen, that when a person doesn’t have parnassah in his current location and he wishes to relocate, but his wife doesn’t want to move—she says that Hashem will help them right here—he may compel her to move with him to a new location.
It would seem that she has a point. Hashem can help them right here. Why, then, can the husband force her to move?
Parnassah Includes All Our Needs
Let us therefore elaborate on this matter, for it is truly a broad sugya. First, we must know that this issue doesn’t apply only to “parnassah” in the traditional sense of the word—earning money—but it also applies to every situation when a person is lacking something.
Parnassah refers to all the needs the Ribbono shel Olam fills for us.
All shefa a person receives is called parnassah, being provided for. And this shefa isn’t limited to any place; it’s a shefa that the Ribbono she Olam sends down, regardless of where the person is located at the moment.
Going Elsewhere to Receive Shefa
Often, we find that when we want to take care of something, we must go to another place to arrange it. For example, a father wants to enroll his son into a given yeshivah, but in order for that to happen, he must visit the principal, who lives in another neighborhood.
Now, for the boy to be accepted into the yeshivah, a shefa must descend from Shamayim. If we learn according to the simple interpretation of the Chovos HaLevavos, this father should not be required to go anywhere. Because the Ribbono shel Olam is the One Who gives shefa, and it has nothing to do with the place that he is at. It can’t be that the shefa is limited to a specific place.
But, l’maiseh, we see that the way of the world entails that people must move around in order to accomplish things. Even ehrliche Yidden conduct themselves this way; when they need to take care of certain things, they move from one place to another.
This tells us that we must properly study the sugya to attain greater clarity in it. Because the two sides—to move or not to move to another place to receive shefa—applies constantly in our daily lives.
