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Daily Chizuk #1633
Parnasa / Money
How Hashem Measures Success: From Large Tzedaka to Holy Children
How Hashem Measures Our Success
People sometimes see others giving millions to tzedakah and wonder why they don't have the same zechut to give such large amounts. Others see children with exceptional middot and ask themselves, "Why do they have such great children, while ours are so difficult?" Some struggle to grasp even the basics of Torah learning, while others seem to understand the most complex sugyot effortlessly. It's natural to wonder why Hashem didn't give everyone equal opportunity, especially when the purpose of this world is to serve Him.
Hashem rewards effort, not results. A person struggling to make ends meet might earn more reward for a small donation than a wealthy person who gives large amounts easily. It's all relative. What matters is how hard it was to give, not how much was given.
A rebbe who teaches day after day and sees no apparent nachat from his students is not a failure. Results are not in his hands. Effort is.
Hashem pays us for our hishtadlut—our effort—not our outcome. Imagine if Rabbi Akiva had given up after losing his 24,000 students. The world would have missed some of the greatest sages who ever lived. But he didn't give up. He started again. He knew that his mission came from Hashem, and that the results were not the measure of his success.
The Gemara tells us that after 120 years, a person will be asked: "עסקת בפריה ורביה?"—Were you involved in trying to build a family? It doesn't say, "Did you succeed?" because that part is not up to us. We are also asked, "קבעת עתים לתורה?"—Did you set times to learn? Not, "Did you master Torah?"
Everyone truly does have equal opportunity—because everyone is judged by their effort, not their results. And effort is something that each of us can choose to give, every single day.
People sometimes see others giving millions to tzedakah and wonder why they don't have the same zechut to give such large amounts. Others see children with exceptional middot and ask themselves, "Why do they have such great children, while ours are so difficult?" Some struggle to grasp even the basics of Torah learning, while others seem to understand the most complex sugyot effortlessly. It's natural to wonder why Hashem didn't give everyone equal opportunity, especially when the purpose of this world is to serve Him.
Hashem rewards effort, not results. A person struggling to make ends meet might earn more reward for a small donation than a wealthy person who gives large amounts easily. It's all relative. What matters is how hard it was to give, not how much was given.
A rebbe who teaches day after day and sees no apparent nachat from his students is not a failure. Results are not in his hands. Effort is.
Hashem pays us for our hishtadlut—our effort—not our outcome. Imagine if Rabbi Akiva had given up after losing his 24,000 students. The world would have missed some of the greatest sages who ever lived. But he didn't give up. He started again. He knew that his mission came from Hashem, and that the results were not the measure of his success.
The Gemara tells us that after 120 years, a person will be asked: "עסקת בפריה ורביה?"—Were you involved in trying to build a family? It doesn't say, "Did you succeed?" because that part is not up to us. We are also asked, "קבעת עתים לתורה?"—Did you set times to learn? Not, "Did you master Torah?"
Everyone truly does have equal opportunity—because everyone is judged by their effort, not their results. And effort is something that each of us can choose to give, every single day.
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