The Hovot HaLevavot asks: Now that it’s clear to us that we have to be involved in sibbot/ intermediaries to make our money, and we know that the pot of gold isn’t just going to come out of the sky, how do we to choose what to do? Lawyer, accountant, teacher, merchant, wholesale, retail?
The Hovot HaLevavot lists many job options: Easy ones such as working in a store, doing handiwork (such as sewing), being a scribe or working in a warehouse. Then he describes harder trades: Leather working, working in a quarry, mining coal or copper, traveling often, carrying heavy loads, plowing and working the land... etc.
How do we know what to do?
He says there are two principles to consider:
1-Talent and Ability
2- Interest and Desire
He says that if a person is very strong but not so smart, carrying heavy things could be his job. Conversely, someone who is weak but has a strong intellect should do something more intellectual rather than menial work. So the first consideration is: What are your talents?
The next question is: What are you drawn to?
ולכל אדם יש חפץ במלאכה
People have a certain desire.
או סחורה מבלתי זולתה כבר הטביע
G-d puts a desire in us, for a certain labor trade. With that, comes a nature, a love and an endearment.
In the old days they’d take a boy to the market to see what caught his interest. Was it the silversmith that fascinated him or the shoemaker? They would see what he was most interested in, and then he would apprentice under that professional.
There’s an inborn desire in each of us for specific parnasa. And as we will soon learn, once you choose a trade, you should stick to it. But Rav Moshe Feinstein adds an important caveat. He says that in today’s day and age, it’s not so simple that the trade you choose is the one you’re naturally inclined to gravitate towards. He says the Hovot HaLevavot speaks of choosing a job based on tendencies. But if you choose it, not because of your middot, but for the honor, money or glory, this rule doesn’t apply. So today this principle doesn’t apply in all areas. Rav Feinstein uses the example of becoming a doctor, which people may choose for the money. Furthermore, he says that to become a doctor is a much harder path with many more years invested than it used to be. Rav Moshe also points out that originally, medicine as a practice was something of an after-thought. He explains that it’s mentioned in the Gemara that sickness and disease came later on. Therefore, practicing medicine is not an inborn natural tendency. But math, science, sports and others are tendencies we have inside us. So if you like sports, for example, you can open a sports camp.
The first thing to do when choosing a job, says the Hovot HaLevavot, is to listen to yourself. You can also take certain tests to see what aptitudes and tendencies you have.
The Hovot HaLevavot says that you have an inner compass that should guide you towards your business of choice, which will then become the sibba through which G-d will send your money.
We just need a way to cover the miracle, and we choose it with the G-d given natures and tendencies that we already have.