We are obligated to act b’derech hatevah – in the ways of the world, knowing all the while that the outcome is completely out of our hands.

We work for a living, knowing that the amount of money we are to make has been set on Rosh Hashanah. We go to the doctor, even though we know our health is determined solely by HASHEM. We are obligated to go to great lengths to protect our safety, even though we know that whether we live or die has been predetermined. We put in our effort, knowing all the while that it is HASHEM’s world and that He alone determines the outcome.

Understanding this balance, however, is far easier said than done.