The ninth bracha of the Shemoneh Esrei is about our parnassa, our livelihood. The Kol Bo writes that the blessing starts with the letter beis and ends with the letter mem (the words bareich and hashanim), to hint to the Name of Hashem which contains 42 letters, and that it’s manifestation should assist us with our sustenance. (The gematria, numerical value of beis = 2 and mem = 40; thus 2+40=42.) The Otzar HaTefillos adds that the beis alludes to Torah shebichsav, the Written Law which begins with a beis (Bereishis), and the Oral Law which starts with a mem, (Mei’eimasai). This hints that in the merit of our learning and fulfilling the Written and Oral Laws, we should receive a goodly livelihood. As we are taught in Pirkei Avos, “Im ein Torah, ein kemach – If there is no Torah, there is no food.”
Perhaps the blessing of parnassa is the ninth bracha of the Shemoneh Esrei since the number nine is the mispar katan (a gematria which uses the value of the letter without the zeros) of emes, truth (aleph = 1, mem = 40 which becomes 4, and taf = 400 which becomes 4, or 1+4+4=9). This is very fitting for the blessing of making a living since the very first question we will be asked when we get to the Next World [Masechtas Shabbos, 30a] is “Nasata v’nasata b’emunah? – Did we do our business and commerce with honesty and integrity?”
We start the blessing asking Hashem to bless us with a profitable good year. This begs the question, Why are we praying for this every day when the Gemara teaches us [in Masechtas Rosh Hashana], “Mezonasov shel adam kitzuvin lo mei’Rosh Hashana – The livelihood of the person is fixed on the New Year and sealed on Yom Kippur.” Since it has already been determined, why do we pray every day for a favorable income? The siddur Yismach Yehudah cites the Birchas Peretz who explains that firstly, if on Rosh Hashana it was decreed that we receive poverty and hardship, daily praying accompanied by repentance and meritorious actions can reverse the decree. Secondly, even if we were blessed with a year of prosperity, we must be concerned shemah yigron hacheit, perhaps recent sins that we’ve committed might cause us to lose our yearly promise. Thus, we pray anew for Hashem’s mercy.
When we ask Bareich alenu, the Mishna Berurah [in 115:1] says that we should petition for a livelihood b’nachas v’lo b’tzar, heter v’lo b’issur, with ease and not distress, in a permissible way without anything dishonest or forbidden. We emphasize Bareich alenu, Bless us, that Hashem should give us our livelihood directly. We shouldn’t need to get loans or handouts, as we say in our bentching, “Lo lidei matnas basar v’dam, v’lo lidei halvasam – Not through gifts from flesh and blood (which the Satmar Rebbe, zt”l, zy”a, interprets to mean that we shouldn’t even need to come on to our own flesh and blood, meaning our relatives) nor through their loans.
We then say es hashana hazos, this year. Rav Avraham, the son of the Gr”a, zt”l, zy”a, says that the word shana, year, is the same letters as shina, meaning to change. He says this is to allude that Hashem should bless us because of the positive changes that we try to make daily in our lives.
The blessing continues es kol minei s’vuasah l’tovah, all our yields for the good. One might wonder if our income is blessed, why we have to add ‘for the good?’ The answer is, as the posuk tells us, “Osher shamor l’baalav l’raaso – Wealth sometimes is kept for its owner to their detriment.” We were all horrified about the fate of the five lives lost in Titan submersible. For them, the $250,000 they had to spend on this ill-fated venture did not serve them well. Too often, wealth can give a person opportunity that gets them into trouble. We ask Hashem that the prosperity He provides us with should only result in our good.
Similarly, often times when one has lots of money, they feel they don’t need to turn to Hashem for help. As the posuk warns, “V’ayishman Yeshurun vayivat – When the Jews become fat with wealth, they kick away Hashem.” Thus, we ask Hashem that our good fortune should only be for the good, and not induce a distancing from our Creator.
We continue that the blessing should be al pnei ha’adamah, on the face of the earth. The Ohr Torah explains that the face of the earth refers to Eretz Yisrael. We ask Hashem to direct His blessing to the Holy Land which is the vehicle that sends blessing to all of us. As the Torah describes Eretz Yisrael, “Eretz asher Hashem Elokecha doreish osah – The land which Hashem our G-d seeks its welfare,” and from there blessing emanates to the rest of the world.
This is why, in the second blessing of bentching, everyone says, “Nodeh l’cha, Hashem Elokeinu, al shehinchalta laavoseinu eretz chemdah, tovah ur’chavah – We thank you, Hashem our G-d, for bequeathing our ancestors a desirous and bountiful land (Eretz Yisrael).” Why, when we break bread in the New York, New Jersey, California, London or Australia, do we thank Hashem for Eretz Yisrael? The answer is, we realize that all blessing is transmitted to us from the blessing of Eretz Yisrael.
We next request from Hashem sabeinu mituvechah, satisfy us from Your goodness. Here, we ask Hashem for the great gift of satisfaction. Money can cause a lot of unhappiness since “Mi she’yeish lo manah rotzeh masaiyim – One who has one hundred wants two hundred.” More money is not the answer. To the contrary, it just escalates the problem for one who has 10,000 wants 20,000, one who has 100,000 wants 200,000, and one who has 1,000,000 wants 2,000,000. Furthermore, the accumulation of more and more assets causes more and more problems. As we are taught in Pirkei Avos, “Marbah nechasin marbah daiga – With an increase of possessions there comes an increase of worry.” We therefore ask Hashem to bless us with the coveted attitude of being satisfied with what we have. As it says further in Pirkei Avos, “Eizehu asher? Hasomei’ach b’chelko – Who is wealthy? He who is happy with his lot.”
We cap off the bracha with the request that Hashem should bless our year kashanim hatovos, like the (previous) good years. The Siddur HaMeforesh says, this refers to the years of Yitzchak who planted and reaped a yield one hundred times more than he sowed, and to the year of Elisha, where a little oil filled up the scores of vessels in the home. I also like to have in mind that Hashem should grant me a good year like the good years I’ve had in the past. This gives me an incidental way to thank Hashem for His previous benevolences to myself and my family.
In the merit of realizing that parnassah is from Hashem, may He bless us with long life, good health, and everything wonderful.
Transcribed and edited by Shelley Zeitlin.
