A few years ago the lottery hit 1.3 billion. I was in Israel but I really wanted a ticket so I called a friend to buy 10 tickets for me. I struggled with the concept of believing that if I was going to win then I would win regardless of how many tickets I would purchase.
This week's parsha is Behar, where we learn about the biblical commandment of shemittah, when the farmer must allow his land to rest every 7 years. For farmers they truly need to have faith that they will have enough to eat without working the land.
God assures us not to worry:
“Perhaps you will say, 'What will we eat in the seventh year for we cannot sow nor gather our crop?' I (God) will command my blessing upon the sixth year and it will bring forth (enough) produce for three years." (Leviticus 25:20-21)
We learn a lesson that God is in charge of our sustenance. We are sometimes so busy living, creating, building, traveling or even buying lotto tickets that we forget who is in charge. Shabbat is a great opportunity to step back and recognize God’s role in the world.
Shabbat shalom
(originally published May 20, 2022)
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