|
|
More things are possible in partnership with God
Torah Study
RABBI SHLOMO RISKIN
Ekev/Deuteronomy 7:12 - 11:25
One of the most well-known prayers in the Jewish tradition is the grace after meals.
And the commandment to recite grace after meals appears in this week's Torah portion: "When you have eaten your fill, give thanks to the Lord your God for the good land which he has given you" (Deuteronomy 8:10).
The Book of Deuteronomy deals specifically with the laws necessary for a nation on the threshold of entering the Promised Land. Once entering the land was imminent, the people would soon be required to get behind a plow and start working the fields of wheat and barley. It was possible that the farmers would start claiming that, "My own power and the might of my own hand have won this wealth for me" (Deuteronomy 8:17), the Torah notes.
All too often a person involved in the daily process of working the land, introducing irrigation systems to back up the unpredictable skies, engaging in the back-breaking labor of farming and initiating the 11 necessary stages of bread production, will most likely begin to believe that his own energy and skills are the sole keys to his success. Therefore, Moses presented the commandment to praise God for sustaining us with food in order to remind the nation that God continues to play a crucial role in providing sustenance.
It is important to note the seven species of foods mentioned in the context of the commandment to bless the land: "a land of wheat and barley, of vines, figs and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey" (Deuteronomy 8:8).
These seven species share a special feature in common: they require, in addition to hard work and intelligent agricultural processing, the proper climatic conditions, the right degree of sun, wind and rain, in the proper proportions and with appropriate timing. These seven species obviously demand not only human effort, but also divine intervention. These seven species stand as testimony to the partnerships between humans and God in producing the life-sustaining foods from the earth.
What the Torah is teaching us is to synthesize courage and humility: courage born of the knowledge that we can and must work effectively to provide material sustenance, and the humility that comes with the understanding that even after we've done whatever we can, it is only with God's help that anything significant will be accomplished.
And as it is with the fruit of the earth, so is it too with the fruit of the womb. Some people look upon their children as products of their own handiwork; they take complete responsibility, taking all the credit when the child turns out well and taking all the blame when things work out badly. Such parents have forgotten that it is God who makes all creation possible, and that each one of us, each child, is one of God's own creations, and therefore has a personal uniqueness independent of his/her parents.
Each child is a product of nurture and nature, the first having much to do with parental love and guidance, and the second dependent upon God and the unique personality traits of every individual.
At the bris of my grandson, Eden Barkai, my son Hillel spoke about his first child, explaining not only the choice of name, but also commenting on the very heart of what we've been discussing. When we gaze upon a newborn child, he said, we usually describe the child in terms of a person the child resembles: the eyes of the mother, the nose of the father, the chin of an aunt, etc... What we're really trying to do is connect the child to the past, where he or she comes from. But even more important than inherited features are the aspects unique to the child him/herself, that which makes him/her different and special.
Having the pride and courage to create, as well as the humility to accept and acquiesce, are the goals. They are reflected in another well-known prayer: "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."
Rabbi Shlomo Riskin is the spiritual leader of the Jewish community in Efrat, Israel.
|
