A woman once died in childbirth, but the baby survived. The father, however, did not have sufficient
funds to hire a wet-nurse. But a miracle
occurred and he was able to nurse the child himself!
Why did God need to alter the laws of nature? Why didn’t He simply provide the father with
the financial means to hire a woman to nurse his baby?
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן:
מַעֲשֶׂה בְּאֶחָד שֶׁמֵּתָה אִשְׁתּוֹ וְהִנִּיחָה בֵּן לִינַק וְלֹא הָיָה לוֹ
שְׂכַר מְנִיקָה לִיתֵּן, וְנַעֲשָׂה לוֹ נֵס וְנִפְתְּחוּ לוֹ דַּדִּין כִּשְׁנֵי
דַּדֵּי אִשָּׁה וְהֵנִיק אֶת בְּנוֹ. אָמַר רַב יוֹסֵף: בֹּא וּרְאֵה כַּמָּה
גָּדוֹל אָדָם זֶה שֶׁנַּעֲשָׂה לוֹ נֵס כָּזֶה! אֲמַר לֵיהּ אַבָּיֵי: אַדְּרַבָּה
כַּמָּה גָּרוּעַ אָדָם זֶה שֶׁנִּשְׁתַּנּוּ לוֹ סִדְרֵי בְרֵאשִׁית. אָמַר רַב
יְהוּדָה: בֹּא וּרְאֵה כַּמָּה קָשִׁים מְזוֹנוֹתָיו שֶׁל אָדָם,
שֶׁנִּשְׁתַּנּוּ עָלָיו סִדְרֵי בְרֵאשִׁית. אָמַר רַב נַחְמָן: תִּדַּע,
דְּמִתְרְחִישׁ נִיסָּא וְלָא אִבְּרוּ מְזוֹנֵי
Rav Yosef said: Look how great this person was that a miracle of that
magnitude was performed on his behalf. Abaye said to him: On the contrary, how despicable
that person was that the order of creation was reconfigured on his behalf. Rav
Yehuda said: Look how difficult it is to
provide for a person’s sustenance, for the order of creation had to be changed
on his behalf. Rav Nacḥman said: Know that it is so, as miracles happen often; and
yet food was never miraculously created.
The Vilna Gaon explains the difference between altering the man’s anatomy and
biology versus providing the funding to hire a wet-nurse. The former ensured the baby would be
fed. The latter would have left the spending
decisions up to the father and would not have guaranteed that the baby would
receive sufficient sustenance.
That’s the meaning of Abaye’s sharp criticism of the fellow. If he had been a good person, Heaven would
have simply provided him with the extra cash he needed. Clearly, he couldn’t be trusted to use the
funds for their intended purpose. And so
the sole solution to the child’s feeding problem was to change the laws of
nature.
Rav Yehuda responds to Abaye’s criticism and points out that it’s not that easy
to make a living. Our Sages have
declared (Sotah 2a) that “the provision of a livelihood is as complicated (for
God) as the splitting of the Red Sea.” Now,
for God, nothing is difficult. The point
is that from our perspective, the parting of the Red Sea was a supernatural
event. Likewise, we should never take
our sustenance for granted. A steady
income is a blessing from Heaven.
Proof of the appreciation we must have for our parnassah (livelihood)
is that, in this case, it was ‘easier’ for God to alter the laws of nature than
to find this fellow a better-paying job. Why that was the case, the Gemara does
not say. Perhaps the man was physically
or otherwise impaired. Perhaps he was
overwhelmed by his new role as father and sole-provider. Who knows how many other children they had at
home? Altering the man’s biology was the
quickest solution to the problem.
Actually, Rav Nachman responds, the quickest solution would have been for
food to magically appear in the house.
But that never happens. Every
miracle requires a conduit to draw down Heaven’s bounty. Even when the Prophet Elisha provided an
abundance of oil for the poor widow, she still needed to gather pots and pans
to become vessels for the blessing. Even
winning the lottery requires the purchase of a lottery ticket!
Most of the time, of course, the vessel for God’s blessing is one’s
occupation. Yes, God will provide. But unless you find gainful employment, there
will be no conduit through which He can provide Heaven’s bounty. And if this individual had no earning
capacity, all the potential heavenly bounty is worthless. One needs a vessel to capture the blessing.
Have you ever received a knock at the door from a schnorrer (beggar) and
been tempted to tell them to get a job?
Who do they think they are, sponging off the hard work of others? Isn’t it time they got up and engaged in a
hard day’s work, like the rest of us?
Now, take a step back, and think about a day in the life of a
schnorrer. They get up early to do the
shul rounds. Some shuls allow them to
collect throughout the service. Others
make them sit there and wait until the conclusion of the service. They manage to get a couple of quid before
running off to try their hand at another shul.
After shul, they start to pound the pavement. Most people look through the keyhole and don’t
open the door for them. Of those that
do, many slam the door in their face.
And others give them a few dollars, dismissively.
If you think that’s an easy way to make a living, try it one day. The effort one must make to earn a living as a
schnorrer is quite something. You don’t
go into the schnorring business because you’re lazy. Presumably, the only reason schnorrers engage
in their line of work is that they could not find a job in a more honourable
occupation. Some may by physically or psychologically impaired. Others may have spotty records or backgrounds
that are impeding their employability. And
yet others are struggling to the extent that they have no fixed address. How do you apply for a job without an
address?
It’s not easy for anyone to earn a living.
Every human being must be treated with the utmost dignity and honour. Next time you get a knock on the door, may
you take a moment to ask yourself what motivates a person to spend their days
and weeks knocking on doors, and thank Hashem who has provided you with alternate
means to earning a livelihood!