Our eldest daughter has now started her new life. Now a college
graduate, she has beaten the odds and actually found a job in her major:
Political Science. She has moved out west to work on the Presidential campaign.
While we are all excited for her; the conversations leading up to her first day
of work had very little to do with working on a presidential campaign. In fact she seem to call me only when she
needed something from me: Money, a credit card, her anxiety about starting a
new phase of life, a car. So I gave her some money, I have put off the issue of
a credit card for a while, I laughed at
her anxiety reminded her that she is lucky to be employed and then reminded her
that this is what she wanted to be doing, “What could possibly be the problem?”
Then I explained how to buy a car. Thinking for a moment that I had been a wise
and good father, I receive another phone call from my daughter. It turns out
that I am no co-signing for her car loan.
A couple of days later she called. Before she could speak, I told her
that she cannot call me anymore if she is only going to ask me for things. It
seemed that with every phone call, she indicated another degree of frustration,
aggravation or dissatisfaction with her life circumstances. I am thinking what I wouldn’t give to be 22,
right out of college working and having minimal expenses and only being
responsible for myself! How dissatisfying could one possibly be?
This week’s Parsha is Eikev. Here in his second discourse, Moshe
reminds B'nai Yisroel of the reward for fulfilling the commandment, their parents’
experience of the Exodus from Egypt, the miracle, the Eigel Zahav (the Golden
Calf) as well as the trials and tribulations of the life in the wilderness. Moshe
also reminds B’nai Yisroel that they have nothing to fear when they enter into
Canaan and conquer the land even though they maybe outnumbered, because God has
already demonstrated that he will protect his people. He did so during the
Yetziat Mitzrayim (Exodus), and as long as B’nai Yisroel keeps its side of the
B’rit, God will continue to protect his people and they will remain in the
Eretz Canaan
Particularly noteworthy in the parsha is what is known as the second
Paragraph of the Shema. This Paragraph contain 7 verses and essentially
outlines the reward for Bnai Yisroel’s observance of God’s commandments. Just
exactly what is the reward for Bnai Yisroel’s undying loyalty to Hashem and the
observance of the commandment? While I am sure many expected something really
large and quite awesome; the reward seems rather small and simple. Yet the
reward is also quite profound. V’Haya Im
Tishma’u El Mitzvotai Asher Anochi M’tzaveh Etchem Hayom L’Ahavah Et Adonai
Eloheichem Ul’Avdo B’Chol Levavchem Uv’chol Nafshachem. V’Natati M’tar
Artzechem B’Ito Yoreh Umalkosh V’Asaftah D’Ganecha V'Tiroshcha v’Yitzharecha
– It will be that if you hearken to My
commandments that I command you today to love Hashem your God 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. V’Natati Esev B’Sadcha Livhemtecha V’Achalta
V’Savata – I shall provide grass in
your field for your cattle and you will eat and be satisfied (Deut 11:15).
Among the rewards is grass in our fields for our cattle and we will eat and be
satisfied. It certainly doesn’t very glamorous. Yet it does speak to the human
condition. Rashi explains the reward as
follows: When you are very prosperous, you must be very careful not to rebel
against God, because man rejects God only when he is sated.”
I spoke to my daughter
earlier this week. I said it would be nice to hear from her and not have her
need something from me nor express some degree of dissatisfaction with
something. She actually understood and proceeded to tell me that now that she
has a car, now that she has started working, now that she has collected her
first paycheck, she feel like a person. For now she actually used the word “satisfied”. I wish I could say that I was satisfied. Now
I just have another thing to keep me awake at night. Now I need to worry about
my daughter having a car at her disposal driving all around the state of
Colorado. Even worse, because of the two hour time difference, I won’t know if
she arrived home safely by the time I go to sleep at night. I guess I won’t be
very satisfied with the quality of my sleep until the campaign is finished.
Peace,
Rav Yitz.
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