Daily Chizuk #0698

Don't Overdo It
There are times when a person wants something so badly that he’s willing to do everything in his power to get it. Although we are encouraged to make hishtadlut, our Rabbis warned that too much hishtadlut is forbidden. To do the right amount of hishtadlut is an avodat Hashem which connects us to Hashem, while too much hishtadlut has the opposite effect. The idea is to do enough to create a situation in which getting what we want will no longer look like a miracle. Once our efforts have made that possible and getting what we want looks like it could come through the natural way of the world, then we have fulfilled our responsibility and then we look only to Hashem to send the blessing. We don’t necessarily have to make the hishtadlut which will ultimately bring us what we want. As long as we do a hishtadlut that makes sense, Hashem will ensure to give us in the way He knows best.
Hishtadlut is necessary but overdoing it is not. The main hishtadlut is always our prayers and our good deeds.