What is the correct approach a person should have toward his work and livelihood?
On the surface it seems like a contradiction. On one hand we know that Hashem is the One who provides our parnassa. Our livelihood ultimately comes from His blessing. On the other hand, the Torah teaches that a person must make a natural effort—a vessel or vehicle—through which that blessing can come.
So how does a person balance these two ideas?
A person must remember that although he needs to make a natural effort to earn a living, the success of that effort comes only from Hakadosh Baruch Hu. When a person keeps that perspective, he will not place his trust entirely in the job itself. Instead, he understands that the job is merely a means, while the true source of blessing is Hashem.
Therefore the most important thing in life is not the vehicle through which parnassa comes, but the blessing that comes from Hashem.
And how does one receive that blessing? By doing what Hashem wants: coming to shul to daven, learning Torah regularly, and living a life of mitzvos. These are the things that bring Hashem’s blessing. After that, a person goes to work and engages in his livelihood.
This idea is reflected in the wording of the Torah: “Sheishet yamim te’aseh melachah”—for six days work shall be done. The Torah does not say “you shall do work,” but rather “work will be done.” The implication is that the work happens because it needs to happen, but it should not become the central focus of a person’s life.
There is a well-known story about a chassid who worked in a business making rubber galoshes. When he once came to the Rebbe, the Rebbe said to him:
“I see that people put their feet into galoshes, but I never see anyone put their head into galoshes.”
The Rebbe was gently telling him that although he worked in that business, he was becoming overly absorbed in it. His head was inside the galoshes, so to speak.
The Torah says “Yegia kapecha ki sochel”—you will eat from the labor of your hands. The Torah specifically speaks about the hands, not the head. The message is that a person’s hands can be engaged in earning a livelihood, but his mind and deepest energies should remain focused on Torah and mitzvos.
Of course, in modern life many professions require a person to use his intellect. Business, science, and many other fields demand thinking and planning. But even then, there is a difference between using one’s mind practically and dedicating one’s deepest intellectual and spiritual focus.
Even when a person must use his intellect in his profession, the deepest level of his thinking and his true inner focus should be reserved for Torah and matters of holiness.
In this way a person keeps the proper balance. He makes the effort necessary to earn a livelihood, but his true priority remains his connection to Hashem through Torah and mitzvos.
That perspective allows a person to live with the awareness that the blessing comes from Hashem, and the work is simply the vessel through which that blessing is revealed.