Emuna in the Craziest Place

Being unemployed has to be one of the most difficult test in emuna there is. It’s not a quick test, like pulling out a dime out of your pocket instead of a quarter. From the moment you are not making income, It can take anywhere from 4 weeks to 6 months to return to the office. It’s like holding up a 1 ton emuna weight, and having to keep it in the air every moment you are tested.

There are long, drawn out moments where you feel that you are as far away from work as you can possibly be. There are those times when you dread the prospect that your family could be thrown out of your home, unable to find a place to sleep, or G-d forbid, even pay your next grocery bill.

Beneath the bottom of these pits lie some of the greatest treasures imaginable. They are hidden, like every buried treasure, to be unearthed only after great toil.

In this latest episode of my life, Hashem has unearthed for me three special gifts.

The first one came about four weeks into, ahem, seeking my next opportunity. The company gave me an IQ test. About an hour after taking the test they give me the good news: I have the IQ of a Nobel prize winner. Then followed the not as good news: having a personal outlier made me a bad fit for the team.

In short, I was told I have the capacity to understand thermodynamics, but cannot get a job washing dishes. That’s when the rush of self-hatred hit me with momentous fury. For all my smarts, savvy, and the effort I put in, nothing is happening.

Right after I sunk to the bottom of my swamp of self-pity, Hashem showed me His treasure. If nothing I am, or know, or do can accomplish anything – then I have only Hashem to rely on. Putting all of my life in Hashem is easy to read about, but to take it to heart, to really understand that everything I am doing is a mere illusion – that takes emuna, or a very difficult situation!

It was mere minutes that Hashem unearthed another treasure:

So here I am, no job. No interviews. No leads. Nothing. The only action is in the form of a nasty voice inside me advising that I take a break and go out for a walk, or just take the rest of the day off.

I keep sending out invites on LinkedIn to people I want to start emailing. About 30 minutes later the phone rings. It’s one of those LinkedIn connections. We set up an interview for 3PM. Within 3 hours of being at point zero, I am talking salary expectations with the CEO.

Hashem reminded me: G-d can bring salvation in the blink of an eye.

There is a dear old man who asks for help near one of the local SuperPharm outlets. My wife insists on giving him something every opportunity she can. Today, all she could do was apologize that her husband is looking for work and the moment things get better, she will make it up to him.

The man was a G-d fearing Jew. He smiled, reassured my wife, and then gave us an important lesson:

If you are looking for livelihood (parnasah), it is vital that you recite the Grace After Meals (Birkat Hamazon) carefully. Make sure you pronounce every syllable correctly. Recite the prayer slowly to make sure you do it correctly, with great precision. Go over the meaning of the words and understand what you are saying. This is a great way to ask Hashem for blessings in livelihood.

Instead of us giving to him, he gave us.

That was the third treasure: Don’t start with the head hunters, HR people, or CEOs. The first and last place you go to for work is Hashem. Before demonstrating a new skill or recent accomplishment, show Hashem something you did to get closer to Him. Prove to Him how this, or any, long term challenge brought you closer and He will review your situation. Nobody needs to wait for Hashem to accept an invite to connect on LinkedIn, or to call back, or to set up an interview. He is ready to hear from you every moment, of every day, anywhere you please.

Emuna is like the air we breathe. It’s all around us.