Volume 2
Business Inspiration
FINDING THE RIGHT PERSON
Rabbi Hirschel Chitrik, a prominent jeweler, was once working on expanding his jewelry business by initiating a new division or company. When he reported this to the Rebbe, the Rebbe asked him: “Who will you rely on to manage the new company?” “I am searching for the right person,” Chitrik replied. The Rebbe responded with a perceptive insight on the subject of initiating new undertakings. “A gutte mentch gefint’men nisht; a gutte mentch macht’zich. The right person is not someone you find. He is someone you just happen to come across!” Perhaps the message here is that you should not undertake a new venture counting on being able to find the right manager, as chances are you will not find such a person. Instead, only initiate it if you have already happened to come across the right person to manage it.
As told by his son, Mr. Ari Chitrik
Practical Advice
WELCOMING DAAGOS HAPARNASSAH!
The Alter Rebbe explains that the mabul was not simply a punishment. Just like the water of a mikvah, which contains forty se’ah, the forty-day mabul purified the world from the impurities that had previously filled it. The worries that can overwhelm a person trying to make a living are referred to as “torrents of water.” Just as the waters of the mabul purified the world, these worries cleanse him from unwanted elements. A mikvah represents bittul—indeed, טבילה shares the same letters as הביטל .By being batel and leaving your yeshus and self-centeredness behind, you become elevated and can absorb holiness. This is the real reason why a person may be inundated with business-related worries. Although they temporarily disturb and confuse him, they accomplish that his yeshus becomes broken, allowing him to be a vessel for holiness. And since these worries are there not to punish but to cleanse, as soon as he allows them to accomplish their goal—be it in one instant—there is no need for them to remain, and he can enjoy a pleasant existence, both materially and spiritually.
Likkutei Sichos vol. 1, pp. 4–5