[Avodah] The value of working hard while relying on the blessing of Providence in seeking a livelihood

[Prof. L. Levine]

Today I am getting messages saying, "Our Sages say that reciting “Parshat HaMan” on the Tuesday of Parshat Beshalach is a Segula (spiritually invoking action) for a good income."

What should our approach be toward earning a livelihood?
________________________________


The following is from RSRH's commentary on Shemos 16: 16 - 18.  BTW, RSRH writes a good deal about earning a parnasa in Parshas Shalach. However, I did not come across one reference to a segula in his writings on this topic in this parsha, and I am pretty sure that there is no reference to relying on segulos for anything in any of his writings! YL

16 This is what God has commanded: Let each man gather of it according to the need of his nourishment; one omer a head, according to the
number of your souls let each one take for the members of his tent.

17 The Children of Israel did so; they gathered, some more and some less.

18 But when they measured it with the omer he who had gathered much had nothing left over, and he who had gathered little did not have too little; each one had gathered according to the need of his nourishment.

16–18 They were to gather it, each man according to the needs of his household,
according to the number of souls, one omer for each person. If,
at the time when the manna melted away (below, v. 21), some had
gathered more than the correct amount, and some had gathered less,
nevertheless, when they came to measure it, it was found that he who
had gathered much had no excess, and he who had gathered little had
no deficiency: they had gathered as much as they needed to eat.

However, the intention to gather the appropriate quantity was apparently
an essential, indispensable condition; otherwise, after the first
experience, they need not have bothered to gather more than minimal
amount, since, in any case, everyone would receive what he needed,
and certainly, no more than his share.

In this lay the important lesson on the value of working hard while
relying on the blessing of Providence in seeking a livelihood for oneself
and one’s family.

Yitzchok Levine
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.aishdas.org/pipermail/avodah-aishdas.org/attachments/20220111/3c5b4326/attachment.html>