T16 (Tinyana) PNC - Madua K'sheAdam Mevakesh Parnasah (Why When a Person Seeks Livelihood)

Beginner: They asked: why, when a person seeks parnasah, is it not given to him prepared and set from heaven, but instead through causes — each according to his cause: this one needs to sow grain, plough, and reap; this one needs to travel; this one needs to trade. Why must HaShem clothe parnasah in labor? The answer: the labor is itself the human contribution to a divine kindness, and that contribution is precisely what makes the parnasah his own. Intermediate: מדוע הפרנסה אינה ניתנת מן השמים מוכנה, אלא ע"י סיבות — כל אחד לפי סיבתו? *Resolution*: the labor is the human investiture; without labor, the parnasah would not become 'his own' — it is the work that converts gift to earnings.