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The Water is Already There

 

A community businessman once told me his fascinating story.

 

His business was very successful, at one point supplying more goods to Target than any other company.  At that time, 70 percent of his business came from Target.

 

Then, one day, out of the blue, another company that supplied to Target decided that they would continue selling to Target only if Target purchased other goods from them, too.  Target had no choice but to purchase for them.  And thus one morning, this fellow received a phone call that 70 percent of his business was gone.

 

That day, his father, who would come to his office from time to time, was there.  His father noticed that he was upset.  The son explained to him that the business could not possibly survive this.

 

"Let me ask you just one question," the father said.  "Is this problem bigger than Hashem?"

 

The man told me that this simple question changed his entire attitude.  He realized that his father was right.  This problem, like every other problem, was not too difficult for Hashem to solve.

 

Within a few short years, this fellow said, the business was doing far better than it did when Target was buying from them.  Indeed, no problem is bigger than Hashem.

 

With this story in mind, let us turn our attention to the story of Moshe hitting the rock. 

 

After Moshe's sister, Miriam, passed away, the miraculous well which accompanied Beneh Yisrael and provided water in her merit, stopped flowing.  The people complained to Moshe, and Hashem commanded him to assemble the people and bring water from the well by speaking to it.  As everyone knows, Moshe struck the stone instead of speaking to it, for which he was punished.

 

Among the many difficulties with this story is the fact that when Hashem commanded Moshe to assemble the people, He told Moshe to take his staff.  Even though Moshe was to speak to the rock, and not hit the rock, he was told to bring his stick.  Why?

 

The Hatam Sofer explained that Hashem was presenting to Moshe two options.  The first option was to recognize that the water was already in the rock – just as it had been for forty years until Miriam's passing, to realize that Hashem was ready and prepared to provide everything the people needed, and Moshe had to just say the word.  The other option was to feel the need to scrape and claw, to work hard to extract water.  The contemporary parallel between these two options are the different perspectives people have towards parnasah (livelihood).  Some people, like the businessman described earlier, recognize that the water is already there, that Hashem has the berachah ready for us, He is taking care of us, He has an infinite number of ways to provide us with our needs.  Others, however, live in a constant state of anxiety about the "water," wondering where it's going to come from.  They feel the need to "strike the rock," to fret and to work extra hard to obtain more and more money.

 

Moshe's mistake, according to the Hatam Sofer, was assuming that the people were not ready for the first option.  He decided – incorrectly – that the people needed to see the rock being struck, because they did not have sufficient faith in Hashem.

 

So many young men in our community – and throughout the Orthodox Jewish world – are very nervous about how they are going to support a family.  I speak to so many boys preparing to get married, and they express their concerns about affording Orthodox Jewish life.  I tell them that in order to get married they need to ensure to have enough income for the present, and the potential to grow.  They don't need to have enough money for tuition and a house right away.  They need enough for the immediate future, and the potential for growth – and then they can trust in Hashem for the rest.

 

We can spare ourselves a lot of unnecessary anxiety by remember that the water is always there, Hashem is ready to provide us with what we need.  Yes, we are going to encounter difficult times, like Beneh Yisrael did, when the "well dries," when we lose the big account or big customer, when the future is uncertain.  And when this happens, we need to remember that no problem is bigger than Hashem, that He can and will take care of us in the future just as He did until now.  With this mindset, we can live joyfully and contentedly, without the worry and aggravation that weighs so many people down. 

 

Hashem provided us with the "water" needed until now – and He will continue doing so in the future, as well. - Joey Haber

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https://itorah.com/weekly-inspire/the-water-is-already-there/15/31538