Rescuers on a rescue boat once threw a ring buoy to a man drowning at sea. “No thanks!” he gasped. “G-d will save me.”
A helicopter hovering above lowered a rope ladder for the man to climb up, but he waved them away, because he was waiting for G-d. As he was about to go under he pushed away a raft floating by because it did not look like G-d either, and he drowned.
Facing the heavenly court he complained to G-d “Why did you not save me?” G-d replied “I tried saving you, but you rejected my boat, my helicopter and even my raft…”
In this week’s parsha Moshe describes the tremendous miracles G-d routinely did in the desert for 40 years to enable the Jews to survive there. Heavenly food called Manna descended every weekday morning, water flowed from a stone and divine clouds protected them from the harsh elements. Their clothing never tattered, remained in pristine condition and even adjusted to their sizes.
Why was it necessary for them to live such a dream-like reality for so long? Even if it was necessary to delay entering the Promised Land for forty years, G-d could have led them on a route close enough to civilization so they could purchase food, water, clothing and all other basic necessities.
Moshe explains that the last forty years of miracles was G-d’s way of educating us a profound truth about nature and the real world. “So that [G-d] would make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but rather by, whatever comes forth from the mouth of the L-rd does man live.” (Deuteronomy 8:3)
G-d redeemed us from Egyptian slavery and gave us the Torah at Mt. Sinai so that we should live lives permeated with the knowledge that everything is controlled and determined by the Creator. The routineness of nature makes such an attitude challenging so G-d gave us forty years of miraculous survival so that we should appreciate that nutrition, shelter and comfort comes exclusively from G-d.
The Rebbe once wrote in a postscript to a businessman in England (see below): Don’t worry so much about business. More Bitachon (trust in G-d) - more Parnasa (financial success).
We can’t wait for food to fall from heaven and must responsibly do our part to make a living, but success is in G-d’s hands alone and there is no reason to stress over it. Better invest your energies into nurturing an active and passionate relationship with G-d, through learning more Torah, observing the mitzvot properly, giving charity generously and inspiring others to do the same, and experience the heavenly blessings flow through your natural efforts.
