300 - Parnassah (Part-1)

The level of our belief in Hashem and His Torah and the guidelines that follow will make a big difference in how serious we are when it comes to following the advice that is given to us. Torah literature outlines numerous ideas that are conducive to financial success. We know that one of the fringe benefits of giving charity is that that act itself is conducive to one's own financial success on a spiritual level. If the Torah tells us that giving charity is going to be conducive to the success of our financial endeavors, there is no question in the world that that is the truth. Whether we see it or we don't, whether we understand it or we don't, we believe Hashem's perspective. If one is trying to catch out Hashem, it is very easy to find an excuse to do so.

There could be many reasons why a person who gave charity nevertheless does not experience wealth. One never knows the heavenly calculations. Maybe this individual was destined to go into tremendous poverty and now they are not in tremendous poverty but they don't have tremendous wealth. For their situation, this is actually considered tremendously wealthy. There could be many other reasons that are beyond our understanding but are of course calculated with absolute precision in Hashem's books. This fundamental principle is applicable to the performance of all of the mitzvahs that we do and all forms of our service to Hashem. 

If we are humble enough to realize that Hashem is so much greater than anything that we can imagine, completely incomparable to anything that we are and anything that our minds can comprehend, we certainly will be wise enough to stay out of Hashem's calculations of why certain things happen and rather perform our mitzvahs and service to Hashem based on the fact that we believe we have emunah in Hashem. 

Another endeavor which is conducive to our financial success, as outlined by the Torah commentaries in the name of the Gemara Yerushalmi, is for a person to recite the Torah passage about the mann every day. The passage about the man discusses the episode in times of old where food would fall from heaven to the Jewish people. The Torah commentaries point out that the main idea behind the recitation of the parashas Hamann is not the recitation itself, even though that is also important. But the main idea is internalizing the message of what one is reading. 

The message of the mann is very clear. Hashem exclusively provided food for the Jewish people. It might be that in today's day and age we don't witness the man falling from heaven at our doorstep. However, the Torah commentaries are highlighting to us that the principle is the same, even though we might have to go to work and we might experience the way we receive our sustenance in a different way, however, in essence, our sustenance comes exclusively from Hashem, and when one is able to internalize that mode of thought, that itself is conducive for financial success. Be it giving tzedakah or be it reciting the section of the man. Ultimately, all of these ideas branch out from the underlying foundation of emunah. If I believe in Hashem, I will certainly choose to follow His guidelines and His advice.