We often turn to God when life is difficult. In moments of illness, uncertainty, or fear,
prayer can feel natural. But Parshas Eikev teaches that there is another spiritual
challenge. One that can be even harder to recognize: what happens when life is
going well?
Moshe tells the Jewish people:
“You will eat and be satisfied, and you shall bless the Lord your God.”
He then warns them that after entering the Land of Israel, building comfortable homes,
and enjoying prosperity, they may begin to think: “My strength and the power of my
hand produced this success.”
The Torah is not suspicious of comfort or success. Judaism does not ask us to feel
guilty for enjoying life. But it does ask us not to confuse receiving a blessing with
creating it entirely on our own.
That is why the Torah commands us to thank God specifically after eating. Before a
meal, gratitude comes easily: we are hungry and aware of what we lack. Afterward,
when we are satisfied, it is easy to rush ahead and forget where the food, the
opportunity, and even the strength to work came from.
This message extends far beyond the dinner table. Many of life’s greatest gifts gradually
become invisible to us: our health, our family, our freedom, our community, and the
simple fact that another morning has arrived.
Gratitude does not mean pretending that everything is perfect. It means refusing to let
what is difficult erase what is good.
Perhaps this week, we can pause once each day; not only when we need something,
but when we notice that we already have something- and simply say: Thank You.
Sometimes the deepest faith is not calling out to God from an empty place. It is
remembering Him when our lives feel full.
Shabbat Shalom,
Shmuel Klein
