PARSHA SUMMARY

Moshe continues his final discussion in this week’s Torah portion, Eikev, by elaborating upon the material rewards the Jews will receive if they adhere to the Torah and its commandments. They will be rewarded with riches. They will be spared from all pain and suffering. Other nations will respect their way of life and will let them live in peace.

Moshe reminds them how G-d miraculously took care of them during their forty-year odyssey in the desert. He gave them everything they needed: food called manna fell from the sky, clothing didn’t wear out but grew with them, and they were sheltered with “protective clouds”. Now that they are entering the Land of Israel and will live under normal conditions, they should always bear in mind that it is the Creator who provides for them. In today’s day and age, we thank G-d for giving us food to eat, and the means with which to pay for it, through the blessings we say before and after eating.

Moshe then retells the sin of the Golden Calf. The Jews had sinned by erecting a golden statue and worshipping it. At that time Moshe broke the tablets upon which the Ten Commandments were inscribed.  

The Torah portion ends by describing the bounty of the Land of Israel, a land of beautiful mountain peaks and valleys, and great fertile land. The middle portion of the Shema is then discussed, which highlights the concept of reward and punishment.

The Manna and Today’s Economy

Economists and politicians can debate if we’re actually in a recession or not, but it doesn’t make a difference to the average homeowner. They’re feeling the pinch in every way possible. From rising gas prices which sends a ripple effect to everything on the supply chain, to stagnant employment numbers and little room for income raises, the homeowner feels squeezed.

The Torah this week’s provides an enlightening insight. Moshe tells the Jewish Nation how Hashem provided the manna for them during their forty-year odyssey in the desert for one reason: to demonstrate that one doesn’t live by bread alone, but on the word of G-d. The barren desert is surely no place to lead a nation consisting of over one million souls plus livestock and provide them with ample food and water, but that’s exactly what G-d did. Through the heavenly manna and the well that miraculously traveled with them, the Jews were sustained throughout their desert travels. Moshe was impressing upon the Jewish Nation that although they’re entering the Land of Israel where they’ll once again be sustained through more conventional means, they shouldn’t forget the lesson of the desert. It’s G-d that provides for everyone.

One works hard to put bread on the family table, putting in long hours at the office and being on call at all times to make sure not to miss that one important phone call or email. The Torah teaches us though that, ultimately, it’s the word of G-d that provides for us all.

Just looking at the confluence of factors all at once that has caused the current downturn provides the proper perspective. A bubble-bursting real estate market, which dooms banks and credit companies; rising commodity prices; a falling dollar and other secondary factors all crimped the global economy, putting a strain on everybody everywhere.

While that’s all cause for concern, the Torah shows us how to deal with it. We have to do what we have to do, but ultimately it’s G-d that provides for us.

A few verses later, the Torah introduces the mitzvah of bentching, saying Grace After Meals, thanking G-d for the wonderful food He provided for us. The first blessing says it all. We thank G-d for sustaining the world with “chen, charm, beneficence and benevolence. He provides for every living being, since His chessed is everlasting and with his great Goodness, He will never forsake anybody forever.

This in a nutshell is what the Torah teaches us. We have just partaken in a nourishing and fulfilling meal. Let’s remember who to thank and who to look for another meal down the line.

In such times, perhaps we can draw strength from reciting benchthing with an extra meaning, since its words always speak to us, certainly in hard economic times. If He’s pulling the strings behind rising prices, He’ll certainly figure out a way to get us the extra money to pay for them.

We all wish manna can fall from the sky so we don’t have to concern ourselves rising food costs. In a sense we still have manna since G-d provides for us just as He did then, albeit in a more conventional fashion today.

May we all be able to weather the economic storm by turning upward to our Father in Heaven for assistance, and may He in turn continue to provide us with all our physical and spiritual needs.