A business owner once asked a group of professionals: “What do you get when you add 100 + 100?”
The statistician said, “If you disregard a negligible percentage of odd cases, in most instances it would equal 200”
The economist answered: “It would depend on whether the value of the second 100 depreciated by the time the equation is factored…”
The engineer answered: “200, if you can ascertain they will hold together...”
The accountant looked around and whispered: “What do you need it to be?”
A tremendous part of Emunah and Bitachon is being able to distinguish between that which is in our hands to change and that which is not. Without this insight, one is liable to squander opportunities for making real change in an area that he can affect, while wasting his time and energy trying to change that which he cannot.
In a letter to a Chosid who was concerned about [the lack of] Parnassa, the Rebbe writes: Surely it is unnecessary to explain to you the futility in worrying yourself about this matter. When the Torah tells a Yid that he must first make a vessel for Hashem’s blessing, it says בכל אשר תעשה… Hashem will bless all that you do. Do, but don’t worry! Hashem’s blessing does not require you to invest your mind, thoughts and worries, as the Torah says: יגיע כפיך כי תאכל (lit. you will eat from the toil of your hands) from toil of you your hands; not from the toil of your mind!
In a similar vein, although when it comes to the Chinuch of our children, we need to involve our “hands” - as well as our mind - but we must not worry.
The Rebbe instructs us to spend time, each day, thinking about the Chinuch of children and doing all we can to inspire them to follow in the ways of the Torah… but we need to remember not to worry about the outcome. So long as we do our Hishtadlus with dedication and humility, we can be sure that Hashem’s Brochos will come.
And even if we haven’t yet figured out how to make the perfect vessel - the perfect or most effective methods of educating our children - we must do the best with the tools we have and continue seeking inspiration, guidance and Koach from the Torah and those who can teach and inspire us to live by its directives.
Yet, just as it is with Parnassa, once we have done our Hishtadlus in making a proper vessel for Hashem’s blessing in educating our children, we must not worry about the outcome. In fact, it makes no sense to worry about it anyway, because inasmuch as creating a vessel for blessing is in our hands, the outcome is, was and always will be only in Hashem’s hands.
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