By Rabbi Dovid Sapirman, Dean, Ani Maamin Foundation
Throughout the Torah, wealth is considered a blessing. Nevertheless, it has a dangerous side.
Both in last week’s and this week’s parsha, the Torah warns of the perils that accompany wealth. But when we compare the two parshios, we see a major difference.
In Vaeschanan, Moshe Rabbeinu warns that Klal Yisrael will find “homes filled with all goodness that you did not build; wells that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant. Beware, lest you come to forget Hashem Who took you out of Mitzrayim.” In this warning, we see that the mere possession of wealth can cause a person to forget Hashem, even if it comes through no effort of one’s own. Living with opulence increases a person’s desire for more and more material possessions, and it can easily become the main focus of one’s life.
In Eikev, however, the Torah warns again that wealth can bring a person to forget Hashem, but with a different underlying cause. Eikev describes how Klal Yisrael will arrive in the fruitful and prosperous land of Eretz Yisrael, and “will eat and be satisfied, and build good houses and live in them. Your cattle and sheep will increase, you will have much silver and gold, and all that you have will increase. Your will become arrogant and forget Hashem. You will say in your heart that it is my energy and the strength of my hand that has produced all this wealth for me. Remember Hashem your G-d, for it is He who gives you the ability to make wealth.” In Eikev, the Torah stresses that a person who is successful in his endeavors can become so self-centered that he attributes his wealth to his own capabilities. He builds a big, beautiful house. He has plenty of money in the bank. His flocks get bigger and bigger. How smart and powerful he must be! But Hashem is left out of the picture.
Wealth is indeed a blessing—when one uses it wisely, does not chase after more and more indulgence, and never loses sight of the fact that it all comes from Hashem.
May Hashem bless His children with ample parnassah, and the common sense to use it for all the right reasons.
