Do I Deserve It? (adapted from Rabbi Y. Goldman)
Do we always deserve everything we’re given in life? Allow me to share an empowering message from this week's Torah Portion on the topic:
In Moses’ very first encounter with G‑d at the Burning Bush, as Moses is being charged with the mission to redeem Israel from bondage, he asks G‑d the following question:
“What have the Children of Israel done to merit and be worthy of redemption?”
And what is G‑d’s response? “When you take the People out of Egypt, you will serve Me on this Mountain”
In other words G‑d was telling Moses that this site of the burning bush is actually Mount Sinai and after leaving Egypt you’ll be back here to receive the Torah and serve Me.
Now it's very nice to know that this burning bush was, in fact, located on Mount Sinai, but how does this answer Moses’ question? The fact that the Jewish People will come back to this site, accept the Torah, and serve G‑d there doesn't seem relevant to answer why they’d be deserving of redemption.
Dear friends, it is here, in G‑d’s response to Moses, that we unearth a fascinating truth:
It was not necessarily for what they had done in the past that G‑d was ready to redeem the Jewish people, but for what He anticipated for them in the future. On this very mountain they would receive His Torah; they would become His chosen messengers to be a light unto the nations; they would be the moral standard bearers for the entire world. Never mind what they did or didn't do in the past. G‑d had big plans for this nation and it would all begin with the impending Exodus.
What a powerful message for all of us! Sometimes, the kindness G‑d does for us is not because of what we've been but because of what we can become. It's not for what we have already done but for what we still will do.
A colleague of mine visited a congregant who experienced a near fatal coronary. Fortunately, his life was saved by the prompt medical intervention of paramedics and surgeons. He was overwhelmed by one idea: his indebtedness to G‑d, the Healer of all flesh. "Rabbi," he said, "I was a goner. What did I do to deserve this gift of life?"
So his rabbi shared this insight and told him it might not be something he had done in the past but something he would still do in the future. Perhaps G‑d gave him a new lease on life not only to enjoy more years with his family but to do something significant for G‑d, for His people, for the world.
The Almighty's confidence proved justified. The man went on to deepen his personal spiritual commitments and also made a meaningful contribution to Jewish communal life.
So the next time you experience good fortune, instead of patting ourselves on the back and concluding that we must have done something wonderful to be thus rewarded (which may very well be the case), ask yourself what G‑d might be expecting you to do with this particular blessing in the future. How can you use it to further His work on earth? Special blessings carry with them special responsibilities.
May each of us successfully develop all the potential G‑d sees in us!
Fruma and our children – Malka, Yankele, Shimi, Mendel, Mushka, Riva & Rachmiel –join me in wishing you a Shabbat Shalom!
