Rabbi Yoel Pinto, the son and successor of the Admor Rabbi Yeshayahu Pinto, speaks about the need to stop the race of life and dedicate oneself to faith in the Almighty, emphasizing that livelihood and success are not dependent solely on human effort.
During a recent lecture, Rabbi Yoel Pinto explained the Jewish worldview on work, livelihood, and success in life, stressing that living according to the Torah requires us to live “uncertain” lives in the material sense, in order to develop complete trust in the Almighty.
According to him, the Torah does not allow a person to work in a systematic and continuous manner, as it demands regular pauses that lead to a dedication to faith and trust. “A person who wants to succeed in life may think that he must work endlessly, devote all his time and energy to work, and thus become wealthy,” Rabbi Yoel said. “But the Torah does not approve of this. It requires him to stop once every seven days – to cease work on Shabbat – and to entrust his livelihood in the hands of the Almighty.”
In this way, Rabbi Yoel Pinto emphasizes, Shabbat is not merely a day of physical rest but also an exercise in faith. A person is required to stop his work, even though he needs a livelihood, and to devote himself to the belief that the Almighty will provide all his needs.
But the Torah does not stop at a weekly pause. It also requires a Sabbatical year – once every seven years, when a person is forbidden from cultivating his fields and earning a livelihood from the land. “A person wants to plant, cultivate the land, increase his income,” says Rabbi Yoel Pinto, but the Torah stops him and teaches him that he cannot rely solely on his own abilities. In doing so, it educates him to believe that success and achievements do not depend solely on human effort.”
Rabbi Yoel Pinto emphasized that the purpose of Shabbat and the Sabbatical year is to instill in a person trust in the Almighty and to remind him that livelihood and success are not a direct result of the amount of work or personal skills but are blessings from the Almighty.
“What does the Torah teach us? What does it grant a person? Trust in the Almighty and the knowledge that a person does not earn a living, succeed, or achieve only according to his abilities,” he concluded.
This article was written in cooperation with Shuva Israel