The Segula for Parnasa

Living Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear

Those who are struggling with parnasa are constantly praying to Hashem to make things easier for them. It's so difficult for a person to always be behind on his bills. It's so stressful to have to rethink every purchase, even the basics. People love to hear of a segula they could do that will help improve their financial situation. Why does a God-fearing Jew want extra parnasa ? Just to take care of his family in a respectable way. There is definitely a segula that can help with that. Shulchan Aruch writes in the laws of Yom Tov that a person should give his wife and children something special to bring them joy on the holiday. And we also have to give food to the convert, the orphan, and the widow, as well as other poor people. The Mishnah Berurah there brings the pasuk in parashat Re'eh where this obligation to feed the needy is stated. And there, Rashi writes, there are four categories of poor people mentioned in the pasuk and four family members mentioned. Hashem tells us, you make my poor and destitute happy and I will make your family happy. This is a wonderful guarantee. Rabbi Tzvi Nakar told a story about a man who dealt with financial difficulties for years. No matter how much he earned, he always finished the month in the red. He tried to save, he tried taking on a second job, but me'et Hashem, he was always a bit short on covering his expenses. He did not sink into debt. He did not get into major financial trouble and never used his money irresponsibly. He and his family lived simply and bought just what they needed. He actually made a decent salary. It was just that with a large family, there were constant expenses to take care of. If he would ever manage to get out of the red, a child's glasses would suddenly break, an unexpected expense that put him back under. This continued for years and he never complained. Whatever Hashem gave them, they thanked Him for. It was not his goal to make it rich, but it did bother him. Why couldn't he just make a little more money to have some breathing room? A couple of years ago, something happened that changed his life. His good friend's brother-in-law suddenly passed away, leaving behind several young orphans. He didn't know them personally, but the whole episode affected him in a deep way. He heard from his friend about the distress of the widow and orphans and really wanted to help. When his friend made a collection for them, he made sure to contribute a monthly pledge that would automatically be debited from his account. Then, when Sukkot was approaching, he went with his wife to buy their children special toys in honor of Yom Tov. In a momentary flash of inspiration, he realized those orphans did not have a father who was going to buy them toys. At that moment, he and his wife decided whatever they buy for their children, they were going to get double of, to give to the orphans as well. It was quite expensive considering their financial situation, but they knew of the great virtue involved in helping widows and orphans and also knew that Hashem said, "You make mine happy and I'll make yours happy." Since then, he does this every single holiday. For the first time in fifteen years of marriage, he began seeing blessing in his money. He did not switch jobs, but his income grew unexpectedly. And more than that, the money he earned stretches and he's able to use it for good things. It's unbelievable. For years, he had been living with outdated furniture, barely getting by, and now his money is finally blessed. It is indeed a great segula to take care of orphans, widows, and the downtrodden. The pasuk in the Torah stating this obligation is actually written regarding the holiday of Shavuot. May we all be zocheh to help others and have Hashem help us.