Parashat Chayeh Sarah: The Right Hishtadlut

Living Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear

One of the reasons that we are required to make hishtadlut when trying to accomplish something is because Hashem wants us to camouflage His involvement in it. We are to do as much as needed to make it appear that we are the ones accomplishing, but realize that, actually, our actions are not what bring results. Only Hashem does. This is one of the big recurring tests in life. We must be cautious during our hishtadlut that we don't believe that we are the ones getting it done. One of the ways that we can test ourselves is by seeing how much effort we are putting in. If we already did enough to accomplish the goal, yet we continue to put in more and more effort, that is an indication that we really believe we are the ones producing. If we are able to stop when we feel we did enough, then we are showing that we believe it's Hashem. The Brisker Rav pointed out a beautiful lesson in hishtadlut that we learn from this week's parasha, Chayeh Sara, from Avraham Avinu. Avraham sent his faithful servant Eliezer on a mission to find a wife for Yitzchak, but there were some things that were not going to be in his control. And so Eliezer asked Avraham, what if the girl does not want to come back with me? Now we must know Eliezer was the son of Nimrod, who was able to ensnare the entire world with his ability to persuade. Eliezer must have had some of that ability himself. He was also coming with an exorbitant amount of money. When Eliezer asked Avraham what to do if the girl doesn't agree to come, Avraham could have easily told him, don't give up so easily, be stubborn, use your wits to persuade her. If need be, you could buy them with money and gifts, whatever it takes, make sure that you don't come back without her. This would have been a very understandable and logical hishtadlut, yet that was not the response that Avraham gave. Avraham told him, if the girl doesn't want to come back to you, then you are absolved of your mission. You don't need to persuade or buy anyone. All you need to do is enough hishtadlut to get the job done in a natural way and that's it. Avraham understood we are not the ones who produce results and we never have to take desperate measures to get what we want. This is a vital lesson for life. Of course, we need to make hishtadlut, and we can't be lazy about it. It has to make sense that the effort we are putting forth should be enough to produce the desired results. However, more than that is detrimental. Furthermore, our hishtadlut must be accompanied by genuine tefila which shows that we understand Hashem is producing the results. Making the right hishtadlut with the right intentions is a great zechut which will help bring about more Heavenly assistance. Whenever we make any hishtadlut in any area, we must remind ourselves of these concepts. If we really believe that Hashem is in charge, we'll never do anything shady to bring about results. We'll never make too much effort and we'll never act desperate. Avraham Avinu was confident that Hashem was in charge of the shidduch. In the end, Eliezer did not need to do any persuading. Even though Rivka's father and uncle tried to stop the shidduch from happening, Hashem foiled their plans and brought the shidduch to fruition. Hashem is always in charge. He is always the One bringing the results. We must truly internalize this and have it show in our actions. Shabbat Shalom