Today: Recite Parshas Hamon

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parshas-hamonn[Links below.] Today, Tuesday of Parshas Beshalach, is a special day. Seforim tell us that it is extremely prudent to utilize this day to pray for parnassah, livelihood, for the next 12 months.

It is a widespread and accepted custom to recite “Parshas Hamonn,” the portion in the Torah that describes the way Hashem provided monn (i.e., parnassah from heaven) for the Yidden in the Midbar. This can be found in Sefer Shemos, Perek 16: 4-36. It is customary to read the pesukim twice and the Targum once, and also to recite a short tefillah for sustenance beforehand. (Click here for the tefillah as well as for the ArtScroll English translation of these pesukim. Click here for the parsha, including the Targum Onkelos.)

Reciting this parsha reminds us that just as Hashem sustained the Jews then, so too, He – and He alone – provides for each and every one of us now.

With Hashgacha Pratis, Divine Providence, Hashem looks after our every need down to the most minute and seemingly mundane detail.

The following is a short yet powerful essay by Rav Yissocher Frand, which teaches us an important lesson:

One Who Cheats In His Business Doesn’t Believe in G-d

By: Rav Yissocher Frand

Parshas Mishpatim begins “And these are the statutes that you shall place before them.” There is a very famous Rashi on the words “And these”. Normally “these” would mean “to the exclusion of others”. But Rashi says that the conjunction “and” adds to what came before (vov mosif), in Parshas Yisro.

In Parshas Yisro, G-d gave us the Ten Commandments. Rashi here says that just as the Ten Commandments were given at Sinai, so too the laws that are recorded in Parshas Mishpatim were also given at Sinai.

The truth of the matter is that this Rashi requires understanding. There is another famous Rashi [Vayikra 25:1] on the words “On Mount Sinai” (mentioned in connection with Shmita) which asks, “What is the connection between Shmitah and Mount Sinai?” Rashi there answers that just like the laws of Shmita were given with all their rules and intricate details at Sinai, so too all other commands were given with their rules and intricate details at Sinai.

If that is the case, what is Rashi adding here, by telling us that the laws of Parshas Mishpatim were given at Sinai? We know that — the whole Torah was given at Sinai!

The Ramba”n says a very interesting thing. According to the Ramba”n, Parshas Mishpatim and the Parsha of the Ten Commandments were said together at the initial meeting of G-d with Moshe on Sinai (prior to the 40 day period when Moshe learned the rest of the Torah). Subsequent to that, Moshe Rabbeinu came down, taught the Jewish people what he had learned from G-d and then went back up to Mount Sinai to learn more.

What emerges from this Ramba”n is that the laws of one ox goring another ox, of digging a hole in the public domain, or paying workers on time, all the mundane intricacies of life have the same status and were given at the same time as the Ten Commandments. Therefore, Rashi is stating something significant.

But, is it not peculiar that almost in the same breath as G-d spoke “I am the L-rd your G-d who took you out from Egypt…”, the foundation of Judaism, He also told us about our responsibilities when we borrow our neighbor’s car?

Why does Parshas Mishpatim rate the same session as “I am the L-rd your G-d”?

Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt”l, said that this comes to teach us that if a person does not keep Parshas Mishpatim (monetary laws), he doesn’t believe in “I am the L-rd your G-d” either.

“I am the L-rd your G-d” is the theory — I believe. But the other side of the coin, the practice, is do you cheat in your business? If you cheat in your business, you do not believe in “I am the L-rd your G-d”.

Rav Moshe continues, if a person believes in G-d with more than lip service, then the person believes that G-d provides him with a livelihood. If a person believes that G-d provides the livelihood, then what reason is there to cheat? “A person’s livelihood is fixed for him from Rosh HaShannah” [Beitzah 16a]. If one believes that, there is no need to cheat. Anyone who cheats, does not believe it.

That is why “I am the L-rd your G-d” is in the same session as the law of how to pay one’s workers.

There was recently a meeting in New York of the Association of Jewish Certified Public Accountants; an organization appropriately called Cheshbon. Rav Schwab told this group that a person who is dishonest in business is a Kofer b’Ikkar (He denies G-d). For the same reason that we just mentioned — that if a person really believed, he would not need to cheat. One cheats because he thinks — “this will get me the parnossah”. Cheating indicates that he does not believe that G-d will take care of him.

Then Rav Schwab continued by saying the following. “You will ask that we see people who cheat a tremendous amount and are nonetheless, successful. Now if parnossah comes from G-d, how can that be?”

Rav Schwab explained that such people’s money comes from the ‘Sitra Achra’, from the forces of impurity in the world, not from G-d. No good will ever come out of the money that comes from the powers of impurity (Kochos HaTumah) in the world. He or his children or someone down the line will never see satisfaction (nachas) from that money.

The ‘test’ of earning a livelihood is not only a test of telling the truth, of not stealing, etc. It is a test of ‘I am the L-rd your G-d’. Daily, we are put to the ‘test’ of whether or not we really believe. If we really, really believe, then there is never a reason to be less than 100% honest in our dealings with other people and with ourselves.

{[email protected]/Noam Amdurski-Matzav.com Newscenter}


8 COMMENTS

  1. Let me begin by saying that I have no problem with anyone who would like to say Parshas Hamon today, or an day for that matter. I do have a problem, however, with the excessive stress on the use of Segulos. Our Chazal instituted daily Tefillos for Parnassa; do we say them with proper Kavanna?! Do we believe that those are effective?! Chazal tell us as well that giving Maaser makes one financially successful. Are we Makpid on that?! Just some food for thought!

  2. My rov says that segulos should be viewed as a form of hishtadlus, and nothing more. So say it, and still go about your business as usual. But once you go crazy with them they can become like an avodah zarah.

  3. “Seforim tell us that it is extremely prudent to utilize this day to pray for parnassah, livelihood, for the next 12 months.”

    What seforim? How about giving names and giving exact sources and page numbers so people can see if it is their minhog or the minhog of a different group?

    Limayseh some people say parshas haMan betzibbur in Shul everyday, while the Aruch Hashulchan (Orach Chaim 1:24) says that we do not do it.

    There should be an open discussion of this, ?????? ???? ????????

  4. In the Torah in the Parsha of Shemitta & Yovel, Hashem Guarantees & promises anyone that if they keep these Halachos they will always be taken care of. (either by getting double in the Sixth year or even having extra) Where is Shemitta & Yovel TODAY in the Diaspora? Where can we find this when outside of Israel is not even responsible for these Halachos? The answer is Hashem promises anyone that if he runs his business with %100 honesty (coming to work on time & not even a minute late, never using your office time to check your personal needs or the news on the computer, paying your employees on time etc…) he is guaranteed to always have money & never have the need to struggle to make ends meet. This is where we are holding today, for those of us that have been-& still are- honest, from before the economy started going downhill in the beginning of the century. They are the people that are guaranteed to make it through the economy-even- when it crashes.

  5. Who is the one that is ready to be an Employer? Why should i deserve to be an employer more then a employee? The one that his money & business won’t effect his relationship with Hashem he is still going to daven in a minyan every day & have a learning ??? every day. While an employee only works from 9:00AM to 5:00PM this time of work is his fence between him & Hashem telling him its time to go Daven & learn. But the person that realizes this does not need this fence as a reminder to go daven & learn Hashem sees he gives ???? he Daven & learns everyday why shouldn’t he be a multi millionaire he knows how to spend it right & appreciates that Hashem picked him to be an employer more then an employee. Why don’t jews run the biggest businesses in the world? Because if we do it will effect the relationship between him & Hashem (he will forget to daven & not be ???? ??? etc…) while on the other hand the phone company of IDT is owned by a jew by the name of Howard Jonas. Why is he the owner of such a big company? Why did Hashem pick him? Hashem saw in the future that this man has the potential to be rich & not forget Hashem that put him in this position & still do his ???? (Howard Jonas even has a book he made, the name is I’M NOT THE BOSS.)

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