“Remember Who Gives You . the Blessings”

“Remember Who Gives You the Blessings”

In this week’s parsha, the Torah warns us to, “Beware that you do not forget Hashem, your God… lest you eat and be satisfied, build good houses and dwell in them; and your herds and flocks multiply, your silver and gold increase, and all that you have prospers—then your heart will grow haughty, and you will forget Hashem, your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt… and you will say to yourself, ‘My strength and the might of my hand have made me all this wealth.’”

Affluence is one of life’s greatest spiritual tests.

When things are going well and our needs are met, it’s tempting to believe that success is solely because of our own efforts; that we earned it through our own talents and hard work.

Moses cautions us not to fall into that trap.    

He is reminding us that everything we have is ultimately a blessing from God.

Interestingly, the more human effort a food requires to make, the more opportunity there is for us to forget that God is the true Source.  

Bread is known as the “staff of life.”                                                                                 To make it one must plant, harvest, grind, knead, and bake before it reaches our table. Because of this, we are asked to pause before eating it, to wash our hands, and bless God.                .                                                                                                                       In addition, after a meal which contains bread, we recite Birkat Hamazon, a beautiful, lengthy blessing thanking God for our sustenance.                                                                                        

These mitzvot remind us to not let the work of our hands bring us to forget God.

As the Torah teaches: “Man does not live by bread alone, but rather by all that comes from the mouth of Hashem.”

To be truly humble one must recognize our partnership with God.                                   We work hard and at the same time we are being enjoined to also know that our abilities, opportunities, and outcomes are gifts from God.       

That awareness may inspire us to “walk in God’s ways;”                                              

to emulate God’s kindness and generosity:

God gives, so must we.

God visits the sick, so must we.

God buries the dead, so must we.

God clothes the naked, feeds the hungry, and loves all of God’s creation and so must we.

May God bless us with the humility to remember God at all times and especially in times of plenty.

May God help us see our successes as blessings and not as something we are entitled to.

May we use our gifts to make the world holier, kinder, and more compassionate.

And may we always walk in God’s ways, bringing us into a closer relationship with God.

Shabbat Shalom

With love,Elissa