Dvar Torah -- Parshas Eikev: More than the Bank

More than the Bank

And it will be that if you hearken to My commandments that I command you today, to love HASHEM, your G-d, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I shall provide rain for your Land in its proper time, the early and the late rains, that you may gather in your grain, your wine, and your oil. I shall provide grass in your field for your cattle and you will eat and be satisfied. ((Devarim 1:13-15)

The premise of the promise offered here could not be more-clear. Theres an obvious cause and effect linkage implied. In this second paragraph of the Shema which shouts to us from the doorposts of our homes we are offered this worldly blessings and all for being devoted adherents to the Mitzvos of HASHEM. This may be just a wondrous spur to induce us to try to live up the standards of the Torah or it might be a statement of something more. How do we reconcile these materialistic promises with what the Sages of the Talmud have told us, The rewards for Mitzvos are not in this world? (Kiddushin 39B)

A young lady was standing alone and anxiously surveying the room at a singles event when her eye espied a nice fellow standing by himself. She began to think aloud to herself: How do I get his attention? If only he would just walk right over and introduce himself. That would be wonderful. Hey, but what if he does? What if he walked right over and introduced himself with a big HELLO!? What if we struck up a great conversation and we talked into the night and then he asked me out?! Wouldnt that be something? Hey, what if we had a really good time on that date and we decided to go out again? That would be awesome. What if we went out again and had another terrific time and we decided to go out again? Then theres a chance we might start dating steadily and seriously and then if we decided that we could not live without each other we might actually get married! Then in a year or so, who knows, maybe we would have a baby. A year or two later we might have another baby and after a while we might just have another little baby.

Then he would come home from working late one night and ask me, Do you want to go out to eat tonight? I would then feel compelled to remind him, Restaurants are very expensive and do you know how much a babysitter costs?! Now just at that very moment when she was deep in the reverie of her futuristic thoughts, she was startled back to the present when she found that very same fellow standing right next to her with a big smile on his face. He said warmly, HELLO! She answered with a startle, Do you know how much a babysitter costs?

Sounds as silly as could be, huh? Who thinks like that? The answer is: Lots of people! The Torah is not just promising that in order to live well in this world we need to align ourselves with the sublime and superior order of things. Thats nice too. The key may be in the order; in sequence and priority, of the verses mentioned above. What does that mean? Lets see!

Describing the approach of the Alter from Novorodock, Rabbi Yosef Yozzel Horowitz ztl. to developing an abiding trust in HASHEM, Rabbi Hillel Goldberg writes, Bitachon (trust in G-d) is not passive, Bitachon is an active trusting of HASHEM to provide the means to achieve worthy spiritual goals. First comes the decision, the determination, the absolute commitment to seek a spiritual goal in Torah and Musar, and then comes the necessary support. When the decision to pursue the spiritual goal is adhered to, Betachon yields fruits. When the decision is not adhered to, Bitachon appears to be a phantom. If one persists at Bitachon it works.. Its success depends on how deep is ones yearning, how pervasive ones aspiration

The way to become a sufficiently worry-free devotee of Torah and Mitzvos is to commit first, knowing the support will come in the right time. The reward for the Mitzvos is not the material support. The necessary help that follows the decision to start enables the unimpeded output of more Mitzvos. Sure, the cost of babysitting is high, but the price not starting just might break more than the bank.

DvarTorah, Copyright 2007 by Rabbi Label Lam and Torah.org.