Dear Friends,
Can you ever have too much?
We tend to celebrate the acquisition of things. "I heard you got a promotion; what are you going to buy now that you got a big raise?" "I can't wait to put money down on a new luxury car with the big bonus I just received." "Look at the size of that diamond engagement ring." We often measure success and achievement by the material gain that accompanies it. How often do we congratulate someone who leaves a high paying, high powered, high status position to take a job with less stress, less money yet greater personal satisfaction and freedom? More often we wonder, "what happened to him that he's choosing to do this now?"
It's hard to be content with what we have; we often want what our neighbor has. However, a story in this week's Torah portion, Beshallah speaks to this idea of having just enough to satisfy your needs.
The Israelites have entered into the desert wilderness. Egypt is behind them; they've witnessed God's power at the Sea of Reeds, and they've begun their journey to the Promised Land.
Yet within days they start complaining. Mind you water and food was scarce and they were walking in the desert. Even though they've witnessed God's supernatural power, they didn't yet connect that God would provide for them even in the barren wilderness.
But God would. God provided a daily food source to sustain them. It's called manna and is described as something like coriander seed that tasted like wafers with honey. It would fall like dew in the morning. The Israelites would collect it and eat it throughout the day, then come back the next day and get more. Day after day. Manna. Just manna. I am sure it got monotonous after a while, however, it still provided nourishment. And it was better than starving.
The Israelites were commanded to gather just enough manna each day to satisfy their needs. If they took more than they needed, it would rot overnight and stink. The principle of gathering was take what you need-no more, no less.
One of the lessons of collecting manna is that it helped to cultivate certain behaviors within each Israelite, behaviors we can learn from today. Collect what we need. Refrain from the desire to get more and more; be less anxious about acquiring more. Instead, satisfy our basic needs and live in sacred partnership with God.
A lesson from Pirke Avot, the Wisdom of our Ancestors teaches, "Who is rich? The person content with his lot." Judaism isn't about amassing wealth. We don't teach a theology of prosperity. Rather, we teach that all facets of life should be done in moderation, with attention to the sacred commandments that guide our lives. Take what we need, not less not more. But enough to satisfy our needs.
And if you have too much of one thing; give some away or share with others. Be generous, be philanthropic. This is the Jewish way.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Charles Briskin
P.S. Join us tonight for our Shabbat service as we welcome back Cantor Davidson from his Sabbatical.
