Reply To: "Your not mechuyav to do it altz hishtadlus but you can do it if you want to…"

So a summary of the way I see it, with a partial possible answer to my original question (thanks to you all):

I think we all MUST do a certain amount of hishtadlus.

There are those that are exempt from “normal levels” of hishtadlus and can just do minimum amounts of hishtadlus.

It seems to be a sliding scale depending on your [not sure here:] righteousness?+emunah?+bitachon?+societal-norms? etc.

I am unclear if there is consensus to this but I personally feel: Hashem can figuratively look down and say:

Either:

A) “your being a stubborn ox – pretending like you run the show – until you become a bit more humble and leave things up to me to some degree, you will be held back.”

or

B) “your being a fool, pretending like life is all miracles etc. You are supposed to work/not depend on nissim/be “normal”/”bzeias apecha tochel lechem” etc. – you are holding yourself to be some groisah tzadik, and although you are special to me and I love you more than you can imagine, you are not on the madreiga of the many before you who still put in far more effort towards their parnassa/reputation/shidduchim/health/etc.”

….

So like I was flustered about before. It really confuses me when I am offered the option of “it’s not in “chiyuv zone” and it’s not in “forbidden-over-doing-it” zone – it’s in that gray area in between.

How do we define that gray area?

I suggest it may be that: it is just that it’s not an exact science and the Rabbi was saying that my example of “work” was “not universally in “chiyuv zone” but if you feel that you might not be on the madraiga of average person [in this community?] and are nervous that it might be “your personal chiyuv zone” then I would say it’s not so far off that you have to worry that you are moving into “forbidden-over-doing-it” zone….so you can go ahead and do it and not worry.