The Entire World is Ours
Rav Elimelech Biederman tells the story of Rabbi Zalman Brizel, a respected Jerusalemite from an earlier generation, who was once walking down the street when somebody approached him and said, “You have a look on your face as though you own the whole world. You look so happy and content, as if everything around you belongs to you!”
“That’s because I really do own everything all around me,” Rabbi Brizel replied. “All the stores and shops, everything you see on this entire street – it’s all mine. But Hashem knows how difficult it would be for me to have to manage all of it by myself, so in His infinite kindness, He hired people to take care of everything for me. I can prove it. Come with me.”
Rav Zalman brought the man with him into the bakery, and he asked the man for some bread. The man behind the counter gave him bread, and Rav Zalman pulled a couple of coins out of his pocket and gave it to him.
“You see?” he told the man. “All I need to do is give this man a few coins, and I get the bread I need.”
They then walked into the bank, and Rav Zalman walked up to the counter and asked for some money. The clerk immediately gave him the money he requested.
They left the bank, and Rav Zalman saw a taxicab ready to pick up passengers. He asked the driver to take him home, and the driver invited him into the car.
Rav Zalman turned to the man and said, “You see? I’m a king. The whole world is mine. Everyone is here to serve me. Why shouldn’t I be happy all the time?”
Rav Zalman in this story teaches us a new way to look at the world and at our lives. Hashem takes care of everything for us. All we have to do is pay a bit of money, and we get everything we need. Rather than compelling us to have to worry about everything, Hashem mercifully delegated our responsibilities to make our lives easier. Rav Brizel saw himself as a wealthy man, because he saw the world and all its inhabitants as ready to serve him and provide his needs. And with this outlook, he was able to live with joy and contentment.
A person walks into a shop and decides to treat himself to an especially fancy cup of coffee, which costs him $4. Let us think for a moment how much was done for him to be able to enjoy that cup of coffee. The beans were planted, the field was tended to, the produce was harvested, the beans were processed, packaged and shipped, and then a company set up a store where the beans were boiled and filtered to create coffee. All this was done for just $4. It’s mind-boggling how many people worked so hard so this man could enjoy his cup of coffee, paying just $4 for all this effort.
A person sits down to eat some spaghetti. The wheat was planted, harvested, ground and then processed into spaghetti, and then it had to be packaged, shipped and prepared for consumption. For just a few dollars, all this was done so this man could enjoy a plate of spaghetti.
Shabbat is the time for us to reinforce this tenet of emunah – that the world is truly ours, and Hashem ensures that all the stores and businesses that serve us are properly managed so we do not have to work too hard and deal with too much pressure.
Somebody told me of a special series of lectures that were delivered to a group of young aspiring entrepreneurs, explaining the secrets to success in business. Each speaker discussed one key to success. One businessman spoke of the importance of emunah. Another focused on ethics and honesty. There was a speaker who discussed the importance of paying taxes and respecting government authorities. One speech was given by a businessman who pointed to Shabbat as the secret of success, and he explained how he directly experienced the success brought about by Shabbat observance. When he first started out in business and opened a retail store, he explained, he did not observe Shabbat. He worked seven days a week in an effort to build up the business and make money. Gradually, however, as he came to understand the importance of observing Shabbat, he realized that he should not be working on Shabbat. He made an arrangement through a Rabbi to sign a formal contract assigning ownership over his business on Shabbat to a certain non-Jew. After considerable time and effort, he was able to find a manager whom he trusted and felt comfortable to leave in charge of the store on Shabbat. Later, he closed the store on Shabbat entirely.
This process wrought a fundamental change in perception. The man realized that he did not have to personally tend to all the needs of the store, and was able to delegate responsibilities by hiring a manager. This led him to the idea of opening a second store and hiring a trusted manager to run it. One thing led to another, and eventually he became the owner of a large and successful chain of stores. His success, he told his audience, is directly attributable to Shabbat. The experience of Shabbat trains us in the skill of delegation, of relieving ourselves of the heavy burden of exclusive responsibility. Shabbat forces us to “delegate” responsibility over our livelihood to the Almighty. On Shabbat we are told to leave our businesses and professions alone and entrust them with Hashem. He is the best and most reliable manager. He tells us every Friday as Shabbat begins, “Go relax and enjoy yourself. I’ll take care of everything. You have a full day off. You don’t have to call or check in on anything.” People wish they had a trusted manager like this, who runs the enterprise capably and reliably so they can relax and not think or worry about the business at all.
If not for Shabbat, this lecturer would still be working seven days a week on just one store. Thanks to Shabbat, he was able to free himself and trust that Hashem will care for his business, and now he has a thriving chain of stores.
By not talking or thinking about our businesses or professions on Shabbat, we train our minds to think in these terms, to trust that the entire world is ours, and Hashem finds the people to take care of everything for us.
This is the meaning of the pasuk in Tehillim (55:23), השלך על ה' יהבך והוא יכלכלך – “Cast your burden upon Hashem, and He will support you.” The Gemara in Masechet Rosh Hashanah (26b) tells that the Rabbis did not know what this pasuk meant until one of the Sages was traveling with a certain nomad who offered to carry the Rabbi’s heavy package for him, and he used the word יהבך for “burden.” The pasuk encourages us to give our “burden” to Hashem, to trust that He’ll take care of things for us. Although we have to put in a day’s work, we do not have to worry or fret beyond that. As Rabbi Brizel taught us, we are kings, and Hashem ensures that everything is in place for us as long as we do our small part.
Let us, then, allow ourselves to withdraw completely from our businesses and jobs on Shabbat, and entrust our entire “to-do list” in the most capable “hands” that exist – our Creator. This weekly exercise will then enable us to live throughout lives with the confidence and security that all our needs are being cared for at all times, without any need for worry or anxiety.