Chapter Three - Part 8: Proof that Human Intervention is Often Needed

When we contemplate a person’s needs, and how he is required to engage in various means and to exert himself in order to obtain his needs, then we will clearly observe this to be the case —that without the various means, the matter will not come into actuality.

For when someone needs food, even if the food is placed in front of him in a state already fit to eat, if he doesn’t exert himself to eat it by raising it to his mouth and chewing, he will not satiate his hunger. Similarly, someone who is thirsty and in need of water will also need to raise the water to his mouth to drink.

All the more so is effort necessary if the food is not ready for him to eat, so that he is required to exert himself to prepare it by grinding the flour, kneading the dough, baking the dough into bread, and the like. More exertion than this will be necessary, and it will be even more difficult if he needs to buy it as well as prepare it.

Even more exertion than this will be necessary if he lacks the money with which to buy the food, in which case he will need a far greater exertion and involvement in various means than that which has been mentioned earlier. For then he will be required to hire himself out for work, to sell some of his objects and possessions, or the like.