The Bet Halevi explained previously that if not for Adam’s sin, the perfectly righteous man would have all his needs provided for him without any effort. It's only due to Adam’s sin that Hashem decreed that man must go through the motions of doing work in order to acquire sustenance. The
Bet Halevi now notes that we find that when great Sadikim were prevented from doing Hishtadlut, they had perfect faith that Hashem would provide for them, and He did so.
Once they had no opportunity to do hishtadlut, they were, so to say, absolved from it. For example, the ravens provided sustenance for Eliyahu HaNavi, and when Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was in the cave, God created a carob tree for him.
Of course, we're not on their levels, but he brings these experiences down as an instruction book for us, because we can learn from them.
The Hovot Halevavot tells these stories as well, and he even talks about the manna.
So, we can see that although we're not on their level, these stories are still relevant to us.
The Torah commanded us to put the manna in safeguarding to show future generations. Because at the end of the day, Hashem provides in miraculous ways. What does miraculous ways mean?
I'll tell you a little story, that, once upon a time, I told, and a story on top of that story.
In the 1920s and 30s, it was very difficult for a religious Jew to get a job because when he said he didn't want to work on Shabbat, they would tell him not to come back on Monday morning.
There was such a man who kept on losing job after job. One Friday he said to himself, “I don't know if I can do this anymore. I think I just might go to work tomorrow.” But then, as he was walking home from work, contemplating that he had no and money, not sure what he would do, he noticed a freshly baked challah that was ownerless, sitting on top of a garbage can.
He took that as a sign from Hashem saying, “Here. I can provide for you,0 and he took the challah home.
That's the story. Hashem provides. This man got a loaf of bread from the heavens, not only when he needed it physically, but just when he needed it emotionally as well. I put this story in a book, and a lady read it and thought, “Rabbi, come on. Who's taking a loaf of bread off of a garbage can?”
The following week, while volunteering for Sephardic Bikur Holim, she went to visit an elderly person.
Lo and behold, this elderly lady told her visitor that she had gotten many loaves of bread that week from people..
“I really don't need this loaf,” she said. “Can you please take it?” It was a loaf of bread wrapped in cellophane with a ribbon on it.
The woman came to tell me the story, about how she had been thinking “Who would take a loaf of bread like that? It's dirty etc.”
And then she said, “Hashem decided to give me a loaf of bread, and He gave it to me in a cellophane wrap, with a ribbon on top.”
So we all have our manna; we all have our carob trees, we all have our ravens that are providing for us in ways that are not always the standard.
Keep your eyes open. You will see that when you've limited and exhausted your avenues of hishtadlut, Hashem can still provide, in ways that you never thought of. But again, you have to believe in it.
Have a wonderful day.