If someone is not earning the money he needs from his current job, does that mean that he should look for a new job or perhaps take on a second job? The answer is, if it makes sense for him to earn the money that he needs from his current job, in his current hours, then he does not need to change a thing. The Chovot HaLevavot writes in this instance, the person has an opportunity to show his emunah and tell Hashem, he knows He is in charge of parnasa and He is giving him exactly what He knows is best for him to have at this moment. He can then trust that, going forward, Hashem is going to take care of him in the best way possible for his purpose in this world. The rule in hishtadlut is, as Rav Zundel from Salant said, our hishtadlut is just necessary to camouflage Hashem so it doesn’t appear like we are being supported through a miracle. Once we have done that, we have fulfilled our part. However, Rabbi Dessler writes, if a person will attribute his lack of funds because of an insufficient hishtadlut , that would be a severe blemish in emunah, and we don’t want that to happen. And therefore, he says, everyone has to look deep into themselves and make an honest assessment at his level of emunah. If in an instance that he wouldn’t be earning as much as he needs, he would second guess the amount of effort he is putting in, then he may need to do more. He needs to find the level of effort where he will be comfortable saying, “I definitely did enough and if the money is not coming, it is only because that is what Hashem wants.” It is not ideal to put in more than necessary hishtadlut . And therefore, a person should work on his level of emunah to understand that Hashem doesn’t need his help to give him more money. But until he gets there, he may need to do more than he is doing at the moment. The higher the level of emunah a person has, the less hishtadlut he will need to do. Rav Shimshon Pinkus, zatzal , once received a letter from somebody who asked him three questions. #1. Would it be a lack of bitachon to add an extra deadbolt lock to his door? #2. Would it be a lack of bitachon to send his wife out to work to help support the family? #3. Would it be a lack of bitachon to put in extra hours of work? Rabbi Pinkus said he knew this man was very religious and there was no doubt that if the answer was not to put the extra lock, he wouldn’t. The problem is, he would be making that decision not out of genuine bitachon in Hashem, but rather because the Rabbi told him to do so. It would not be because he truly felt that Hashem could protect him without the locks. However, it is not magic, as though by not putting on a lock on the door that will ensure that no burglars will come. If one honestly believes that Hashem controls the world, including the burglars, and he feels comfortable and secure with Hashem’s protection, then he would not need to even ask the question to begin with because it would be obvious to him that Hashem doesn’t need an extra lock to protect him. Of course, Hashem can support a person without him putting in any extra hours, but if that person doesn’t feel comfortable and secure about it, and it is not obvious that Hashem is caring for him, then he is not yet on the level of benefiting from this especially close relationship with Hashem. This is a feeling that must be developed within a person and not something he is told to do. I read a story of a man who sold sefarim in Bnei Brak. The man had a sterling reputation and did enough business to support his family. However, when his son was getting married, he needed to contribute a certain amount towards the purchase of an apartment for him. His share was tens of thousands of shekels, which he did not possess. The day was approaching where he had to pay to secure the apartment. He decided to close his store early and he opened a Tehillim, and he begged Hashem to send help. A short while later, someone started knocking on his door. He continued saying Tehillim but the