QUESTION: (This is transcribed from questions that were posed to Harav Avigdor Miller, Z"L)
How can one continue with thoughts of Hakadosh Baruch Hu if he is busy throughout the day with material things, and he's in contact with people?
ANSWER:
If you learn to utilize these things, they will remind you of Hakadosh Baruch Hu, because everything in the world is actually made for the purpose of reminding you. Let's say you're a grocer, as you stand behind the counter and somebody asks for a can of sardines, or for a herring, so you're thinking, "Where does this come from? It's from Hakadosh Baruch Hu who gave it an instinct. Far away in waters of some distant ocean this creature is fruitful and is multiplying itself, for the purpose that it should be served on your table, and here you're handing it across the counter, it's the result of the Niflo'os Haborei."
You know how many miracles have to take place before you have a herring? First of all the herring has to reproduce. How could a herring reproduce in the ocean? There are no places for them to go out (on a date) together, there are no homes where they live together; it's a very difficult business for fish to reproduce. It's a miracle that they reproduce at all. And how can they find food? There's food available for herrings too, and there are nissim upon nissim.
When the grocer hands a bag of apples across the counter and he thinks, "Where did these apples come from, where did the beautiful red color come from? And why did the red color come just only when the apple became sweet and soft, but before it was green? Why is it that only when the apple is ripe does it turn red?" And he's thinking these noble thoughts, and if he's trained, a grocery store is the very best place to study Chovos Halvavos, and to study Bereishis barah Elokim and to come to emunah. In addition, while he's handing things across the counter he's thinking, "I'm serving Hakadosh Baruch Hu, poseiach es yodecha, he opens up his hands like Hakadosh Baruch Hu does, umasbiah lchol chai ratzon."
The fact that he's getting paid for it, he ignores that. It's a little lubrication to make it easier to do that, but actually his intention is to walk in the ways of Hashem. So a grocer and a butcher, these people certainly find it easy to serve Hakadosh Baruch Hu.
If you're a dentist or you're a physician, so rofei cholei amo Yisroel, what's greater than that? Helping the Jewish people! Saving Jewish lives, that's the nation of Hakadosh Baruch Hu. What isn't there that a man couldn't utilize? Except if you're running a movie, that's a question, that's a hard job to find some justification. All legitimate parnossos are ways and means of spurring our minds to think of Hakadosh Baruch Hu.
You're selling jewelry: You know what jewelry means? A big amount of jewelry goes to chasanim to give to their brides. You know what's going to happen now? It's the beginning of a great career. A young man is marrying a young woman and he's giving her a ring, that's encouragement for the great career that's waiting for them, a career of bringing into the world the Jewish nation. So what's better than that?
Important Numbers
