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Question
I am a Yeshiva man, age 32, big Matmid. I am looking for a part-time job for 3 years. I need something to my day besides for learning (not because I need money) but nothing came up. I do Hishtadlus, but not too much because I am very much into Bitachon, and I feel if I do too much Hishtadlus it will ruin my Bitachon. I think I do enough Hishtadlus. What should I do? Please don't answer that Hashem has His ways and itโs going to be good. I already heard all these Shticklach Torah.
Thank You!
Answer
There are many different legitimate (!) approaches regarding the proper balance between human efforts expressing manโs free-will (Hishtadlut), as opposed to oneโs faith (Bitachon) in Hashem that everything He sends us, is โfor the bestโ. Chassidei Breslav lean more in the direction of Bitachon, while Rambamists lean more in the direction of Hishtadlut. You have legitimately chosen your intellectual path (saying โI am very much into Bitachonโ), but if youโre not getting the desired results, and youโre not happy, or โsomething is missingโ, or your learning is suffering and you need something else for variety, than obviously you should consider, at least temporarily, leaning a little more towards hishtadlut. โEllu vโellu divrei Elokim Chayimโ, and just like in halacha, where thereโs an idea of โkim liโ (= an individual can declare: โI hold like this opinionโฆโsee for example Kuntres Hasfeikot 6, 6 on the Shachโs Takfo Kohen), how much more so in hashkafa, you can change your approach, if need be, even temporarily. This obviously isnโt a weakness in Bitachon and surely wonโt โruinโ it, but a realistic evaluation of your present situation which apparently is problematic.
Always remember that our Father wants His children to be happy, learn Torah, find the proper (even if changing) subjective balance between Hishtadlut and Bitachon, etc. etc., and just analyze what will help you achieve this mutual goal which will also make you happy, and benefit your learning, family life, etc. Hashem created us as โholisticโ beings, and if even one thing bothers us, it may have negative ramifications on everything, so we must deal with it.
B'hatzlacha and Shabbat Shalom!
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