How Much Effort? Hishtadlus and the Rosh Hashanah Decree

Q: How much effort should a person put into making money?

A: It’s foolish to try to hasten the process of anything in the world, like gaining wealth or power quickly, without understanding that you have to apply to Hashem, the Source of all causes. It’s a weakness in your understanding if you don’t put your main effort into fulfilling His mitzvos and accepting His Torah. You are mistaken if you think that your efforts alone are going to give you success, a quick turnover, or a quick achievement. You are mistaken if your mind is preoccupied with those efforts.

There is a great test in knowing how much effort a person is expected to put into whatever he is doing. It’s difficult because he can easily deceive himself. He might think that it’s necessary to do more than he actually needs to do. Alternately, he might deceive himself into thinking that he can do less. Hashem gave a person a seichel (intellect) to counsel him.

What should your attitude be to making money? It should not be the central focus of your life. However, you may put significant effort into making money if it is for the purpose of supporting yourself and fulfilling your obligations to your family and others who are dependent on you. You’re justified in putting in effort to maintain your property and your wealth, and even increasing it. The important thing is that you should do it as a servant of Hashem.

If Hashem gives you wealth, He is saying to you, “You’re My treasurer. I’m giving you so much wealth; see to it that it doesn’t get lost or dissipated.” As a loyal treasurer, you are busy investing Hashem’s money and making more and more. That’s fine as long as you remember it’s not yours. Don’t become overenthusiastic with what you have gained.

If you trust in Hashem, you know that the money you earn is not really yours, and therefore you manage it wisely as an agent for Hashem. What does that mean in practice? If you make a thousand dollars a week and you need only eight hundred dollars to live on, don’t just give away two hundred dollars. Manage it in a responsible way. Give the appropriate ma’aser to charitable causes and put away what you will need to cover anticipated future expenses. Whatever you save should be prudently invested because you are acting as Hashem’s treasurer. We find that pious people are very careful about their property and seek to increase their assets in a prudent fashion.

Remember, you’re holding the money for Hashem, so you can’t waste it or give it all away.

Q: If a person’s parnassah is decreed on Rosh Hashanah, why does he have to go out and work? Let him lie in bed all day.

A: Here’s how it’s decreed: it’s decreed on Rosh Hashanah that if you’ll do this and that, you’ll get your parnassah. That’s what’s decreed. If you do something else, you’ll get something else.

People think it’s a simple thing — that it’s written, it’s inscribed such an amount and that’s all. Certainly, it’s decreed… but what’s decreed?

If it’s decreed that a man will have a full year of happiness, but he decides to bang his head against a brick wall just for fun — he wants to bang it three or four times sharply against the brick wall — he’ll get a concussion and his happiness will depart. He can’t say, If it’s decreed, I’m going to live happily, even though I’m banging my head against the wall. The wall will become soft as mush.

No, it’ll be hard as brick!

So, it’s decreed based on certain conditions, and only if he follows those conditions is he going to get it. That’s what’s decreed.