We’ve been talking about how everyone has a job, as well as the talents and abilities needed for these jobs. Rabbi Elimelech Biderman tells a beautiful story related to this point.
There was a Jew from Morocco who immigrated to Israel. He was fluent in his native language but didn’t know any Hebrew. As much as he tried, he could not learn the language, neither for reading nor writing, and he could barely speak it. Discouraged at his job prospects if he couldn’t learn the language, he went to Rav Meir Abuchasera and cried to him about his plight.
The Rabbi assured the man that G-d had a plan for him, and said he’d be able to find his parnasa regardless of whether he could speak the language. The rabbi went on to say that even if someone knew 70 languages, it would not help him with his parnasa unless that’s the way it was decreed by G-d.
The man got much hizzuk/ encouragement from the rabbi, and decided to go look for a job. He put his name down at the government office that was established at that time, in order to help new immigrants find work. When he was asked about his qualifications (using a Moroccan interpreter), he admitted that he could neither read nor write Hebrew.
Not long after that, he was hired to work in a government office, organizing files coded by color, shredding papers etc. He wondered what special talent had earned him this job. He eventually found out that he was working in a top-secret branch of the government. They couldn’t take the chance of any information getting leaked out about defense or security matters, so someone who couldn’t write or read Hebrew would be ideal for the job. This man was able to organize and shred their confidential documents without the threat of leaks. His exact deficiency was the necessary factor in getting him the job he needed.
It’s a nice story, but the point is that we have to believe that every person has G-d given abilities and techniques meant for their success, just like, as we’ve discussed, in the animal kingdom.
The Hovot HaLevavot has a Hiddush here:
Once you do choose a job, specifically a job chosen based on your innate talents and tendencies (which is a rarity these days) the Hovot HaLevavot advises us:
ויסבל מתקה ומרירותה
You should tolerate it’s sweetness and it’s bitterness.
Even during the lulls, rely on it as a Sibba/cause for your parnassa. Again, it’s rare these days for a person to select a job based on these factors (and not money, honor etc). But, for example, if a person loves sports, he may decide to become a coach or open a sports camp. The Hovot HaLevavot is telling us, once he chooses this field, he should stick with it, regardless of lulls in the business.
Of course, people switch jobs all the time. They go from retail to wholesale, wholesale to real estate, etc. but in most cases, these jobs were not chosen based on innate tendencies. If a person’s job is chosen based on inborn talent and tendencies, one should bear with it and continue to rely on Hashem for parnassa in all situations.