There is a constant struggle between Bitachon, relying on God, and Hishtadlut, which is the effort that one has to put forth.
It is very hard for us to understand how, on one hand, we have to do our hishtadlut-we must go to work and put in the proper efforts, and yet at the end of the day, those efforts are not really the cause of the outcome, whether it is money, or healing or anything else. It’s not coming from you, it is coming from the decree of God. But still, we need to put in our hishtadlut. So how do they work together?
Chacham Ben Sion Abba Shaul, in his sefer Or L’Sion Hochma UMussar, brings down a beautiful mashal. He says it’s like a plane or train. If you want to get a ride, you have to buy a ticket first. Once you pay the ticket fare, you can get on the plane, but it’s quite obvious that the ticket is not what causes you to get from point A to point B. The ticket is not at all a help or aid in your trip. It’s just a means to get you on the plane, and if you don’t have a ticket you can’t get on.
In today’s day and age there are other obstacles we encounter, such as forgetting a PCR test, or proof of negative Covid status. If you don’t have those papers you can’t get on the plane, but having those papers isn’t what gets you on the plane. They are just the necessary details in the rules and regulations of the flight company.
So too, says Hacham BenSion, with the rules and regulations of God‘s flight company, which says that you must do your hishtadlut.
Hishtadlut had its own set of rules and regulations. Once you have done your hishtadlut, that is what let’s you on the plane. But once you’re on the plane, it has nothing to do with hishtadlut.
This is a very beautiful way to think about it.
Sometimes, you keep doing more and more, but you might not see the results until you do your final hishtadlut. Think of it as missing that one last paper, that one last detail that is necessary to get you on the plane. Ultimately, it’s the plane that takes you where you want to go.
With this, Chacham BenSion explains why there are great Sadikim that get their parnasa without their hishtadlut. How does that work?
There are the extremes like Rabbi Chanaya Ben Dosa, Rav Shimon Bar Yochai, with special ways of getting parnasa. and even great Gedolim of today that somehow magically get their parnassa.
It’s like someone who works for the airline. He doesn’t need a ticket. He just shows his badge and they let him on. Everyone wonders how that guy got on without a ticket. How do you get from New York to Florida without a ticket? Isn’t that impossible? No it’s not. It is just a question of getting on the plane. He got on the plane without a ticket, and you got on a plane with a ticket, but the plane got you both there.
So too, it was God‘s decree that got the Sadik there, and it was God‘s decree that got the regular person there.
Some people get on the plane with the ticket, and some people can get on the plane without the ticket, but is it is not the ticket that gets you there.
The more you think about this mashal, the more beautiful it is, in explaining this very important concept.
It is never the ticket that gets you there, it is always the plane. The plane is God’s decree, and different people need different levels of effort ( different tickets) to get on the plane. What a beautiful mashal.
Have a wonderful day.