The need is unfortunately growing, and increasing tefillah is of utmost importance
Several years ago, a mother with three children in shidduchim felt completely overwhelmed by her predicament. On one hand, if she spent all day doing her hishtadlus and sparing no effort on her children’s shidduch prospects, it would leave her with no time for the rest of her family’s needs. On the other hand, if she paid little attention to the shidduch process, then she felt guilty that she wasn’t doing her proper hishtadlus.
This dilemma was causing her incredible stress and affected her ability to function properly. She presented her dilemma to her rav, who in turn presented this question to the Philadelphia Rosh Yeshivah shlita, and he told her making one phone call a day would fulfill her obligation of hishtadlus.
I would like to suggest that the Chazon Ish ztz”l would have added another dimension to this response as well. And that addition would be tefillah.
The Chazon Ish (Maaseh Ish, vol. 7, page 103) teaches us that while hishtadlus involves performance of deeds, if one limits his hishtadlus to only deeds, and does not also daven, he hasn’t met the requirement for hishtadlus, the primary facet of which is tefillah.
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