Ad Bli Dai

9 Shevat 5782

[G‑d told Moshe,] “Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea.” (Shemos 14:16)

“The splitting of the Sea of Reeds was a miraculous and supernatural event. Yet there had to be a natural action to ‘ignite’ the miracle: G‑d instructed the people to journey forward and Moses to lift his staff over the water. G‑d always demands some human act first and only then does He perform miracles.

This is because events that occur without our involvement do not truly affect us. Only when we expend some effort do we appreciate G‑d’s miracle. The same applies in all areas of life. Asking for G‑d’s blessings is not sufficient; we must make some effort that can serve as a conduit for the blessing.” (Lubavitcher Rebbe, Daily Wisdom)

Similarly, we find that Rav Chaim Kanievsky Shlita is quoted in Orchos Yosher as saying, “People come to me with problems and suffering, and I ask them to make some small effort, such as growing a beard, taking off their wristwatch, and the like. If they make an effort to do something in honor of Hashem, it will serve as a merit for them.”

“As it is written, ‘I am foolish and ignorant, I am as a beast before You—and I am constantly with You…,’ meaning that ‘because I approach You as a fool and a beast—i.e., through the irrational power of faith—precisely therefore and thereby am I constantly with You.’” (Lessons in Tanya, Likutei Amarim, end of Chapter 18)

How something small and seemingly irrelevant could lead Hashem to cause miracles and great salvation on our behalf is beyond our comprehension. However, we see from many irrefutable sources that this is the case. Every small thing we do serves as a kli, a vessel, for Hashem’s unfathomable blessing. It is precisely because of this blind faith, this submission to the incomprehensible, and not because of our great comprehension or “rationality,” that we merit to be close to Him.

“Man is in his glory but he does not understand; he is compared to the silenced animals.” (Tehillim 49:21)

Rashi explains this verse, “Man is in his glory but he does not understand: The way of life is placed before him; if he follows it, he will be honored, but he does not understand the good [resulting therefrom].” This is exactly what we stated above. We follow the ways of Hashem, the ways of goodness and life, to the best of our abilities, sometimes only with minor effort on our behalf, and Hashem bestows blessing with no proportion or measure, ad bli dai.