Parshas Shoftim- Reb Sabra

In Vilna at the turn of the 20th century the enlightened Jews put up a
skit making fun of the Torah and those who kept it. The script was
taken out of this weeks parsha and was about how the Torah tells us to
choose our army for wars to be fought.
The curtains rose and you see a crowd of people standing around as if
prepared for a battle when the commander gets up to make an
announcement. Whoever built a new home and did not live in it yet
should return home for he might be killed in battle and someone else
will live in his home. At this announcement some of the people on
stage jump up and run off the stage joyously "yay we don't have to
fight". the commander continues "whoever planted a vineyard and didnt
harvest it return home, for he might fall in battle....." at this some
more people jump off stage. the announcements continue "whoever
betrothed a woman but has not yet lived with her(or is in the first
year of his marriage shall return home". and at this some more people
jump off shouting "matchmaker i need a shidduch". and the audience is
laughing at this ridiculous way of choosing an army.
But it gets even funnier; at this point there is about half of the
original "army" on stage when the commander gets up and says "whoever
is scared and fainthearted let him return home lest he lose his heart
in war and cause his brothers to fall" at this all the rest of the
"army" jumps off stage "I'm scared, I'm frightened", and on stage are
left three old men, the Chofetz Chaim, R' Chiam Ozer(the rabbi of
vilna) and R' Chaim of Brisk. With this the curtain falls and the
audience is in tears from laughter at the ridiculous way the ancient
jews did war.
Someone who saw this play came to report back to R Chaim of Brisk
about this play, and asked him whats the answer to them, from what it
looks like this is the way the Torah commanded us to do war, so are
they right or is there another way of explaining the subject? R' Chaim
answered him their 100% right this is what the Torah wants our army to
look like, and this is the way the Jewish army was when they were in
Eretz Yisrael and had their own army, three old Torah scholars vs. an
entire army of elephants(eg. the Macabees were 13 soldiers taking on
the entire Greek army, and we all know the outcome of that). However
said R' Chaim they missed one point, they missed showing the end, the
end result that they missed that these three old men with their canes
go on to win the war. That is something they didnt show and wouldn't
show for that would take away the humor of their fun poking.

We look at the world and see everything works with cause and effect,
the more effort put in the better the result, the bigger and stronger
usually win, no pain no gain etc. However looking at the world this
way sometimesw makes us forget that Hashem s running the world and is
in charge of bringing out the final product of our efforts. We do our
jobs, and we must do our jobs, but then how it all ends up working out
is ultimately up to Hashem.

The Gemara brings that a Roman once asked R' Akiva what does Hashem do
all day? R' Akiva replied He acts as matchmaker.
the basic understanding of this answer is that he matches up couples
for marriage. but a deeper way of understanding the Gemara is that
everything we do in life in order for it to succeed needs help input
and the skills of others. for example, lets say you have great
marketing idea for your company, you'll need the right person to tell
him your idea and hopefully he'll see it as a good idea too. then you
need to find the right graphic designer to bring out the idea just the
right way. you'll also need approval from the entire marketing team
and board of directors before your idea even gets a chance to make out
into the world, not to say who said that the public will like it. For
all the pieces to fall into place, for you to meet just the right
person and that he should know just the right place to get things done
you need a "Matchmaker" Who will allow all the circumstances to work
out, if He deems it to and if He doesnt approve of it as great as your
idea is you just won't bump into the right people or be in the right
places, for the "Matchmaker" wasn't working with you.

So let us remember that ultimately Hashem is running the world (and
He doesn't need our help running it). And if He deems fit even three
old bent over Torah scholars will beat an entire world with its most
sophisticated weapons.
So trust in Hashem live according to His dictactes and He will match
you up with the things that will lead you to suuccess