Going Straight to the Source

MyLife Essay Contest 2015

Introduction:

Many Jews are under the mistaken impression that they must place their Jewish observance on the back burner in order to make a successful living. The following script highlights the Chassidic concept of Divine Providence (Hashgacha Pratis) and explains how it applies to a person’s pursuit of a livelihood.

Scene 1:

Toronto, Canada. March 2015
Sam Lukshenberg is a Jewish businessman. He owns ‘Sam’s Alarm Monitoring Centre’. For the third time this week, Sam calls home to let his wife Suzanne know that he will coming home late.

Sam: Honey, sorry. I have to work late again tonight. We are launching our spring advertising campaign next week.
Suzanne: Sam you are hardly home for dinner anymore. Did you forget tonight is Purim!
Sam: Oh right. Why don’t you just go ahead to the Megilah reading with the kids.
Suzanne: I am not going without you Sam.
Sam: Alright, fine. I’ll be home by 6.

Scene 2:

Sam arrives home and the family head out to the local Chabad synagogue. They pull in just in time to hear the Megilah (the scroll of of Esther) being read by the local Rabbi. After the reading is completed, the congregation is invited to enjoy a buffet dinner in the synagogue’s function hall. That is where Sam spots the Rabbi.

Sam: Hi Rabbi, You look pale and tired!
Rabbi: Hey Sam, I’m fine. It was a fast day today so this is the first time that I’m eating today.
Sam: No wonder you look so worn out. Actually you’re reminding me about something that I wanted to ask you. I’ll talk to you after you have had a chance to eat.
Rabbi: I’m fine to talk now. Go ahead; I’ll nibble- you ask.
Sam: Rabbi, I’m sure you would agree that after a three day fast a person would hardly look their best.
Rabbi: That’s true.
Sam: I was following along in the English translation as you were reading the Megilah. On the surface the story of Purim seems straightforward. An evil man convinces a mighty King to sign a decree to destroy the entire Jewish population.The king’s wife Esther, who is secretly a Jew herself, fasts for three days and then asks the king to rescind the decree. In the end the Jews are saved.
Rabbi: Ok, so what’s bothering you?
Sam: I don’t understand Esther’s approach to saving herself and her nation?
Rabbi: Why?
Sam: She fasted, along with the Jewish people, for three days and then approached the King to beg for mercy?
Rabbi: So?
Sam: Rabbi, after three days of fasting you and I would look anything but charming! What was Esther thinking!?
Rabbi: Good point. The answer is simple. Esther realized that it was not Achashverosh who was going to save the Jews.
Sam: What do you mean?
Rabbi: Esther was aware that every event that occurs in the world comes from God. She reasoned that fasting, praying and recommitting to God would awaken the Almighty’s compassion and thereby save her people.
Sam: Rabbi, I can understand that God can split the sea or cause a plague…but I don’t understand how God could cause a mortal king to change his mind?
Rabbi: There are things that God can do that are beyond our understanding. God’s ability to cause heads of state to have a change of heart is one of them.
Sam: Are you telling me that the decree that Achashverosh put into place again the Jews was really orchestrated by God!?
Rabbi: Yes. The nations of the world cannot do anything against God’s children, the Jewish people, unless He allows them too.
Sam: If they are His children, why would He allow them to suffer?
Rabbi: Well, let me ask you something Sam. Do you intentionally expose your clothes to hot water and soap in order to make your clothes ‘suffer’?
Sam: Of course not. I have stains on my clothes that can only come off with hot water and detergent.
Rabbi: Exactly! Jewish mysticism explains that God can wash off a person’s spiritual blemishes by exposing them to certain difficulties.
Esther knew that deep down it was not Haman’s hate for the Jews that caused the decree. Rather, the decree was God’s method of erasing His children’s sins.
However, difficulties are not the only way that sins can be cleaned up. Returning to God wholeheartedly can erase spiritual stains as well.
Sam: Rabbi, can we go back to the whole issue of approaching Achashverosh for a moment.
If God is in charge of everything why did Esther bother approaching Achashverosh at all?
Rabbi: Are you suggesting that Esther could simply have fasted and prayed and left it up to God to figure out a miraculous way to have the decree cancelled?
Sam: Yes.
Rabbi: Well, God does not want us to rely on open miracles. Occasionally He might split a sea or cause manna to come down from Heaven, but in general He wants to help us from behind the scenes. He does not want it to be too obvious that He is actually the One who is orchestrating things. He wants to remain hidden while assisting us.
Sam: So let me get this straight. Esther went through the motions of doing things in a natural way. She approached Achashverosh and asked for his help. That way God could help the Jews from behind the scenes and it would not look like an open miracle.
Rabbi: You got it Sam!
Sam: Interesting historical info Rabbi. Thanks.
Rabbi: Actually, all of these ideas are as relevant to Jews in our times as they were to our ancestors in Persia.
Sam: Really? Who is the modern day Achashverosh?
Rabbi: Well there is ‘King Overwork’ and ‘His Royal Majesty Overtime’. Many Jews believe that their fate is in the hands of these ‘mighty’ rulers.
They mistakenly conclude that by putting their efforts into serving these ‘kings’ they will be able to be financially successful.
Of course, Esther had to go to Achashverosh and do everything in her power to make him change his mind in a natural way- but this was just a formality.
She put her real efforts in appeasing the One who really runs the show- aka God.
Esther teaches us that the secret to success is to always remember that our efforts at work are just a container for God to pour his blessing into. Our work is just a camouflage for the real source of blessings which is God Himself.
Like Esther, we have to learn to charm the real King, God Himself, not Achashverosh. We need to do the things that He wants from us. Then from behind the scenes He will pour His blessings upon us.

Scene 3:

The next day is Friday. Sam returns to his office and works until 2pm. He then makes an unusual announcement to his staff.

Sam: Enjoy your weekend everyone. We are going to start to close early at the end of each week.
Sam’s Employee: Why the sudden change in routine boss?
Sam: I have to be home before sunset. My family and I have started to keep the Jewish Shabbat each Friday night. See you on Monday.

Here Are Some Practical Tips on How to Put Jewish Practice on Your Front Burner:

• Keep Shabbat. Start by lighting Shabbat candles before sunset and making kiddish once the stars come out.
• Spend the first 5 minutes of your day saying a short prayer (or putting on tefillin if you are a male).
• Read a Torah thought with your family at your dinner table. There is plenty of material to find at the websites meaningfullife.com & chabad.org
• Listen to a Torah class during your commute home or to work. There are plenty of audio downloads available at meaningfullife.com

A Short Take Away Message

We are all looking for financial comfort in our life. We should look no further than the source of success, God Himself. When we put Jewish practice in the forefront of our life, He will pour blessings into everything that we do.

Source Material:

The concepts in this script are based on Chassidic Philosophy. They have been culled from the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, including:

• Likkutei Sichot, vol. 31, pp. 170-176
• Toras Menachem, Purim 5726 (1966)
• Hayom Yom, entry for the 4th of Menachem Av.