Eikev, Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25, Parshat Hashavua for Shabbat, August 5, 2023

This Shabbat is the second of the seven Shabbats leading up to Rosh Hahshanah. It follows Tisha b’Av, the saddest day of the Jewish year, when both Temples were destroyed. One way to look at the calendar is to think that our lives exist between these two poles, the despair of Tisha b’Av and the hope of Rosh Hashanah. How do we choose to live our lives? This week’s Torah portion builds on this idea: “When you have eaten your fill, and have built fine houses to live in, and your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold have increased, and everything you own has prospered, beware lest your heart grow haughty and you forget your God… and you say to yourselves, “My own power and the might of my own hand have won this wealth for me.” Remember that it is your God who gives you the power to get wealth,” (Deuteronomy 8:11-18) There is a deep humility in this teaching. We are not the complete authors of our lives or destinies. Much of what we consider success is due to luck, or chance, or God’s grace. It is good for us to remember that we should approach life with optimism, gratitude and humility. We are not the center of the universe or the hero in our own story. We are part of a much bigger mosaic, the web of life itself. We should always remember it is God who gives us the power to get wealth, and by extension to accomplish anything in life. We should be grateful. That is the best antidote for despair.