Gathering Manna In A Modern World
The Gemara (Yoma 75a) mentions that when the Jewish people were in the desert G-d delivered a person's daily manna according to that person's individual merit. While a rasha had to travel a great distance to gather his manna, a tzaddik's manna was delivered right outside his tent.
Perhaps today we receive our manna in a similar, but slightly different manner. If we are worthy, we are given a job that we find meaningful and personally fulfilling. But when we are not worthy, we are forced to work in a job that is outside our area of interest - solely for the purpose of obtaining a paycheck.
I am still pondering this interpretation that was suggested to me. What are your thoughts?
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UPDATE: See here for my friend Chabakuk Elisha's insightful comment to this question.
9 Comments:
I have to disagree. I don't think it is always the case that only worthy people have great jobs. Think back to the folks who immigrated to this country. Many of them had to take awful jobs simply because they didn't know the language very well, even if they had great skills and a solid work ethic. That's still the case today.
Of course, you could make the argument that someone with a good work ethic and a desire to improve his or her lot in life won't stay in an awful job for long.
It just doesn't jibe with me. I can't say that I have one particular reason why other than it doesn't fit what I think Hashem wants.
Not a great answer but...
I think that the Manna is found where we decide it is - and situations are often what we make of them. Like my wife always tells me, when G-d gives us lemons, we just need to make lemonade.
The scenario that you mention is surely not true during Galus, where the hastora is very great, and righteous vs the not-yet-righteous is truly obscured.
We are told that Moshe Rabbenu was perplex with the problem of why good things happen to bad people and vice versa. The truth is simply that seemingly unfair circumstance are not really understandable to us with our limited perspective, and we rely on G-d's perfection.
When learning Iyov (Job) the lesson seems quite striking - that the opposite of your supposition is often true, and that our struggles are necessary for us to rise to a higher level.
I recall a shiur where I heard an interesting perspective:
When we are challenged with struggles, it is G-d giving us an opportunity to overcome them and elevate ourselves to the next level. If we fail, we only prolong our misery, since we have not risen, and thus, will have these struggles again - for that is the only way to reach a higher level. By overcoming them, we have succeeded - and thus the struggles have been overcome, and we wont need to be faced with them further (until we are ready for our next promotion :-/), as we have reached the higher level.
But, as I once saw on a sign in a frum doctors office, "G-d, I understand that You only test those that are capable of overcoming the challenges - but please do believe in me so much."
(I meant "DON"T believe in me so much")
Chabakuk Elisha: Thank you very much for your thoughts. I am still hoping that you will start a blog of your own :)
Oy!
A blog of my own?! Maintaining a bog-site sure sounds like too much work for my schedule. But yours is a very nice - the nicest one I've seen... I hope to visit here more often.
Thanks for the kind words (just what I needed, an ego boost :-/)!
With wishes for a wondeful & enlightening Shabbos to all.
Chabakuk Elisha: Please send me an e-mail to asimplejew@yahoo.com, perhaps you would consider "guest posting" every once and awhile. What do you think?
I think it's sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy for most people. If you choose something fulfilling and meaningful, then you have shown yourself worthy of it and you will find it.
I don't agree with the statement either. But, I do know that G-d alone knows what is best, not only for you but the others that will be interacting with you. So maybe he has placed you there, not necessarily for you, but for someone else.
The polyps which construct the coral reefs, work away under water, never dreaming that they are building the foundation of a new island on which, by-and-by, plants and animals will live, and people.
If your place in G-d's ranks is a hidden and secluded one, do not murmur, do not complain, do not seek to get out of G-d's will, if He has placed you there; for without the polyps, the coral reefs would never be built, and God needs some who are willing to be spiritual polyps, and work away out of sight of men, but sustained by the Holy Ghost and in full view of Heaven.
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