The owner of a field should plow it clear it of thorns sow it and water it if water is available and at the same time rely on the Creator may He be exalted to make it fertile protect it from disasters increase its yield and bless it.  He should not leave the earth untitled and unsown relying on the Creators' predetermination that it will bear fruit without him first sowing seed.  In the same way, artisans, merchants, and laborers must pursue their livelihood in their respective callings while trusting in GD that sustenance is in His power and under His control, that He guarantees it to a man and provides it to him by whatever means He pleases  One should not think that the intermediate cause can help or harm him at all. pg 405

 If he survives with the help of the Creator may He be exalted he will lose his merit and reward.  What we have said of life and death applies also to the duty of seeking the proper means of preserving health obtaining food clothing and shelter acquiring worthy qualities and avoiding what mitigates against them while maintaining the clear conviction that the means to these cannot help at all unless Gd decrees it. pg 405

 (One must take precautions ) That is why you will find that when Shemuel.. asked H'shem (how he could go to anoint the king) "for if Shaul hears of it he will kill me" (Navi Shmuel) it was not considered a lapse in his reliance on GD.  Rather GD's answer to him indicates that his prudence was commendable.. If Shemuel's question had been a lack of trust the reply to him would have been so.  Now if Shmuel with his perfect piety did not take the liberty of exposing himself to a slight risk of danger though his doing so would have been in response to the command of the Creator may he be exalted then it would certainly be reprehensible if that were done by someone who was not acting in response to the command of the Creator May He be exalted. pg 405

 Yaakov Avinu suffered great pain in raising his children and all of the efforts went to provide them with the shefa and abundance of blessings in order that they would be able to be completely righteous Tzaddikim so that nothing would prevent them from serving H'shem.   A Tzaddik who follows in Yaakov's footsteps and also draws down blessing to the world is called in Yaakov's name. Mipeninei Noam Elimelech  The Ba'al Shem Tov used to perform kefitzat ha-derech a miraculous shortening of distances every week after Shabbat together with his disciples.  They visited the home of a couple and informed them that because of their extended rejoicing, it has been decided in Heaven to grant them either abundant wealth or a son who would brighten the world with his Torah learning   The couple decided they had no need of wealth but they certainly wanted a son.  The Ba'al Shem Tov advised them to name the child after himself Israel and so it was   T...

 (The Torah) has cautioned us not to kill any human being in any way saying "Do not murder (Shemos)  The closer his relationship is to the murdered person the more culpable is the murderer.  Accordingly as non is close to a person that he is to himself he who kills himself undoubtedly deserves severe punishment.  Fo he may be compared to a servant whose master ordered him to guard a certain place for a certain amount of time warning him not to abandon his post until the arrival of his messenger When the servant saw that the messenger was late in coming he abandoned his post before the latter came.   As a result, his master grew angry with him and punished him severely. So too one who commits suicide leaves GD service and rebels against Him by exposing himself to lethal danger pg 403

The Torah warns " Do not try H'shem//"(D'varim)  For one who acts in this fashion cannot escape one of the following two possibilities either he will perish or he will survive.  If he perishes through his rashness he will have committed suicide for which he will be held responsible as if he had killed another human being notwithstanding the fact that his dying in this way was in accordance with GD's decree and took place with His permission  pg 403

 A person should not expose himself to danger relying on the Divine decree that he will live a definite term and ingest deadly poisons or risk his life by battling lions or other wild animals if he does not have to or by hurling himself into the sea or into fire or undertake other ventures in which a person cannot be sure of his safety and endangers himself.  pg 401\

There is an obvious question (on the Parsh): Why did Yaakov cross his hands?  He could have just as easily had the tow sons switch sides and yet for some reason he opted to cross his arms.   The Noam Elimelech explains that while Yaakov Avinu felt compelled to place Efraim before Menashe he also tried to avoid making a big deal out of it so as not to offend Menashe. There are two other noteworthy aspects in Yaakov Avinu's behavior. Yaakov Avinu didn't explain himself to Yosef or to Efraim and Menashe. He did what he needed to do and left it at that. Additionally, after Yosef prompted an explanation, Yaakov Avinu praised Menashe and added that Efraim would be even greater. Yaakov Avinu didn't say that Menashe wouldn't be as great as Efraim so as not to imply that there was some sort of flaw in Menashe; rather, Yaakov Avinu emphasized the greatness of both of them. We are all Yaakov Avinu's children. Not only are we all Avrohom, Yitzchok, and Yaakov's children, bu...

 Although a person's end and the length of his life are determined by the decree of the Creator may He be exalted he must still pursue the necessary means of subsistence food and drink clothing and shelter in accordance with the needs and not leave this to GD saying "If GD has foreordained that I will live He will preserve my soul within my body without food all the days of my life and I need not bother or seek a livelihood and endure the toil and exertion this entails.  pg 401

 With the clear conviction that his affairs are given over to the decrees of the Creator May He be exalted and that the Creator's choice for him is the best choice he must at the same time pursue means beneficial to him and choose what appears to him to be the best course of action in the matter and GD will carry out what He has foreordained. pg 401

 One should realize that...  one can attain only what has been determined by the Creator to be most fitting for his situation in this world and the next and for the ultimate good that the Creatror's governance of him and all those is absolute in none of them can human beings make designs or exert control except with His permission and by His decree and ordinance.  Just as one's life and death illness and health are not in the power of the creatures neither are his livelihood and maintenance clothing and other bodily concerns under their control pg pg 401

 Shabbat is completely enveloped in the aspect of the love of H'shem and a person must connect the Shabbos with the rest of the week which represents the aspect of fear of H'shem.  Fear must spring forth from love.  When we connect the holy Shabbos to the weekday the love of Shabbos then precedes the fear of the weekday and thus fear grows from love.  From  Mepeninei Noam Elimelech