Welcome to the Daily Chizuk. When we pray to Hashem for something, it’s not our job to figure out exactly how it’s possible for it to happen. Hashem can figure that out. Our job is just to be sincere and realize that even when it looks like there’s no way, Hashem can always find a way.
Chazal (the Sages) tells us that Leah grew up hearing from people that Lavan had two daughters and his sister Rivka had two sons. The older would marry the older, and the younger would marry the younger. So Leah was destined to marry Esav. When Yaakov arrived at Lavan’s house, Leah saw it starting to unfold. Yaakov requested very clearly, “I will work for seven years for your younger daughter, Rachel.” And Lavan agreed. And al pi teva (according to nature), there was no way Leah was going to marry Yaakov. She was going to be stuck with Esav. But she didn’t give up. The Pasuk (verse) says, and Chazal tells us, that Leah cried and cried and cried to Hashem to help her until the impossible happened. Lavan pulled the switch. Rachel gave over the signs. And Leah ended up marrying Yaakov and had the majority of the Shevatim (tribes). We have to pray, and Hashem will work out the how.
I have a little story that happened two years ago. We have a yeshiva for boys who want to continue learning Torah after high school. They learn for half a day, and then they either work or go to college for the second half. A boy came during the last couple of weeks of the summer and said he was hoping to get a good schedule for college so he could learn with us in the mornings. I started to learn with him for those two weeks and saw he was a very special boy. He had beautiful middot (character traits). He had a good head. I was really hoping he would stay. But he said he got a bad schedule, with all the classes in the morning, and he couldn’t come.
I told him, “You have to come. Go to the teachers. Try to switch it.” He said he had already asked them, and they said no. I told him, “Then go to the higher authorities.” So he went back and ended up speaking to the dean. The dean told him, “No way. You’re a freshman. You take what we give you, and that’s it.” The boy came back and said, “I tried. I did my hishtadlut (effort). It looks like it’s not going to work out.” I told him, “Have you been praying to Hashem to help you?” He said, “No, but now there’s nothing left to do anyway. It’s impossible. The dean said no.” I said, “Don’t worry about it. You just pray to Hashem. Hashem will figure it out.” A few days later, he came back with great news. He said the dean had just retired after 40 years, and a new dean had come in. The new dean allowed him to switch his classes, and he ended up coming. Amazing. This is the power of tefillah (prayer).
Someone recently told me that he goes to Las Vegas twice a year, to two different trade shows. The trade shows meet twice each, so he has to go four times a year. But he doesn’t like going. He said, “It’s not a good atmosphere.” But he does very well there, and he needs the business. He said, “I started praying to Hashem. ‘Hashem, I don’t want to go there. Please make it so I don’t have to go so much. But I still need the customers. I want to keep those customers.’” A couple of weeks later, he found out that one show had bought the other show. And now he only has to go twice instead of four times. Hashem has many ways. Hashem can figure it out. We have to pray and beg for whatever we want and leave the details to Hashem. Have a great day.