פרנסה

There is an interesting quote from מסכת פסחים, regarding פרנסה, earning a livelihood. When Yakov blesses Yosef, he tells him that Hashem who was my shepherd at all times, and the angel who redeemed me from all evil, should bless the lads, Efraim and Menashe.

The Talmud notes that Hashem was the shepherd concerning פרנסה, and the angel was the messenger when it came to redemption. The conclusion is that one’s פרנסה is more difficult for Hashem to provide than גאולה. It is further stated קשים מזונותיו של אדם כקריעת ים סוף, Parnassa is as difficult for Hashem as the splitting of the Red Sea.

The תורה תמימה beautifully explains these puzzling quotes. In essence, nothing is difficult for Hashem. The

difficulty is finding זכות to show we are deserving of Hashem’s abundant blessings. They needed to show Hashem in Egypt and we need to show why we are deserving of פרנסה today.

May we all be זוכה to receive שפע and ברכה from Hashem.