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I have heard it quoted many times in a variety of contexts the following words: "Hashem only gives people what they can handle" or "Hashem never gives people more than they can handle."

I assumed the source of this statement was the Gemarah "Ayn HKB"H ba b'trunyah im briyosav", however, this Gemarah is referring to a different point: God does not demand from a person more than they can do. The idea I am quoting is that God does not give anyone a challenge they cannot overcome, not that God doesn't expect one to overcome an overwhelming challenge.

I'm looking for a source that confirms or denies the statement as I heard it.

LN6595
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  • I hope my question is clear - feel free to edit it for clarity. I'm looking for sources proving or disproving a comment people say. – LN6595 Dec 21 '15 at 22:57
  • @Rish Strongly related, thanks. But not duplicate - I'm asking about this specific wording, which those answers don't directly address. – LN6595 Dec 21 '15 at 23:10
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    what God demands of a person vs. what circumstances He gives to a person. It depends what you mean by "handle"; God sometimes puts people in situations where they cannot survive, for example. So a person can't be expected to "handle" (i.e. survive) a 10-ton boulder crashing down on them (though they should never despair that God might allow them to survive through divine mercy). But if by handle, you mean "respond to appropriately," then it does seem that this is essentially a duplicate of the other question. – Fred Dec 21 '15 at 23:14
  • @Fred Here are some synonyms: "handle" means "cope with" "manage" "be ok despite" "hold things together". Someone who has a mental breakdown, is not "handling it" according to the (faulty?) quote above. Again, please make any edits you think would enhance clarity. – LN6595 Dec 21 '15 at 23:49
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    @LN6595 So are you asking (for example) whether everyone who ever had a mental breakdown could have avoided it if they had only used their capabilities in the given circumstances in the best way they could? – Fred Dec 22 '15 at 00:01
  • @Fred That would be the implication of the quote. Is it correct? Is it a Jewish idea at all? – LN6595 Dec 22 '15 at 13:55
  • Re "what God demands of a person vs. what circumstances He gives to a person", it's unclear to me which of those you're asking about and which you're attributing to that source. – msh210 Jun 12 '17 at 06:32
  • @msh210 I edited the question and hopefully clarified it. I know this was marked as a duplicate but I am specifically not looking for a discussion of the Gemarah quoted in the other question. – LN6595 Jun 14 '17 at 21:56
  • (re your last comment) The other question doesn't mention g'mara, and seems exactly the same to me as this one. – msh210 Jun 14 '17 at 22:00
  • @msh210 Yes, but the answers to the question do. The difference between my question and that question are admittedly quite subtle. – LN6595 Jun 14 '17 at 22:04

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