Rabbi Moshe Hauer, zt”l, Erev Shabbos Message, Parashat Eikev 5781 

Originally written by Rabbi Moshe Hauer, zt”l, for his Erev Shabbos Message, Parashat Eikev 5781 (2021)

There is a word that is found in the Torah a total of four times, three of them in Parashat Eikev (Devarim 8:10, 8:12, 11:15), and once in Parashat Ve’etchanan (Devarim 6:11). The word is “vesavata,” meaning “and you will be satiated.” Three of the four times the word comes in a dire context, making us aware of and warning us of the risks of arrogance and complacency that come along with material prosperity. The most familiar of these occurrences is in the second paragraph of the Shema (Devarim 11:15–16), where we read “Ve’achalta ve’savata, hishamru lachem pen yifteh levavchem—you will eat and be satiated, be careful lest your hearts be seduced . . . .” Rashi there shares the concern sharply: 

Once you have eaten and are satiated be careful not to rebel, as a revolt against G-d arises only from a state of material satisfaction, as it is written (Devarim 8:12), “Lest you eat and be satiated . . . and your sheep and cattle will increase . . . .” What does it then say? “Your hearts will swell and you will forget Hashem your G-d . . . .” 

There is, however, one occurrence that is both familiar and very positive, and that is in the verse that teaches us the mitzvah of Birkat Hamazon (Devarim 8:10): “ve’achalta ve’savata, u’veirachta et Hashem Elokecha—You will eat and be satiated, and you shall bless Hashem your G-d.” Whereas the other verses present the challenge of prosperity, here the Torah lays out its opportunity. When we have been blessed, we have the chance to recall and turn to the source of that blessing, acknowledging and thanking G-d for His plentiful gifts. In that context, our success becomes a source of firm connection to G-d (see Meshech Chochmah, Devarim 8:12).  

When we have been blessed, we have the chance to recall and turn to the source of that blessing, acknowledging and thanking G-d for His plentiful gifts.

We live in a time of great blessing, perhaps unprecedented in the history of our Galut. That prosperity can certainly be cause for concern, leading us to both arrogance and complacency, and most basically to forgetting the source of our blessing and ultimately disconnecting us from G-d. The Torah’s very practical guidance for us—for our time—is to double down on gratitude. We must take every opportunity to recognize His hand in bringing us the incredible national gifts of our time; a flourishing Jewish homeland, the remarkable prosperity and security that have characterized the American Jewish experience, the ability and resources to build a thriving community after the devastation of the Shoah, and—most recently [at the time of this writing]—the vaccine that will allow us to emerge from the terrible Covid-19 pandemic. And we must be equally expressive of how grateful we are for the personal and familial blessings we have each been granted.   

Prosperity can be an unmitigated blessing, bringing us peace of mind and connection to G-d. But only if we respond to it with full-throated gratitude to the source of all blessing. “Thank You, Hashem!”