Are you a parasite?

Parasites live inside or on organisms of other species and feed off them. This is why parasitism is the ultimate insult. It means that you don’t provide for yourself, let alone contribute to others. You steal from others for your very existence.

In a sense, we are all parasitic. Every living organism consumes to survive. As fires consume fuel, so do most living organisms devour other living organisms for nutrition. Predators eat prey, but herbivores eat plants. Bacteria and fungi feed on all kinds of organic matter, including human cells. Most living organisms require nutrients and water that they draw from many sources, including the soil.

Many living organisms are photosynthetic, meaning they generate their own energy. However, even these organisms can’t produce their nutrients in a vacuum. Plants are famous for producing their own energy, but they do it by absorbing sunlight and converting it into energy. While the sun automatically replenishes sunlight, plants still feed on it. They are not self-sufficient; they suck energy from the sun.

They also require water, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, phosphorus, and other minerals that they siphon off the environment. This consumption depletes the environment’s resources, which means they can’t survive without devouring others.

The parasite stands out from all others because it doesn’t give back. Everything else consumes and depletes but also contributes. The waste and byproducts of one organism become the resources for other organisms, creating a delicately balanced and stable ecosystem.

The parasite alone doesn’t give anything back. It simply feeds off its host and then destroys it. When its host has nothing left to give, the parasite moves to a new host. This is why parasitism is the greatest insult one can levy against a fellow. It is shameful to take and never give. It is selfish in the extreme, and it lacks purpose. If our purpose is survival at all costs, we become our own purpose, and that is a recipe for disaster. It leads to violence, wars, theft, murder, and a general breakdown of society.

Only G-d
G-d is the only entity in all of existence that doesn’t consume to survive. G-d doesn’t need to replenish or refuel. G-d’s existence is not contingent; He exists absolutely. He doesn’t depend on others for His existence; others depend on Him for their existence. He doesn’t deplete the world’s resources; He creates and replenishes them.

It is impossible to be like G-d. Only G-d can be like G-d. Our need to consume other organisms is innate. Our need to deplete the environment’s resources is written into our very DNA. We can’t be different.

But we can adjust our perspective to be more like G-d and less like us. We can always remember that our purpose is not to consume or even to survive. Our purpose is to contribute. Of course, we must consume to survive and survive to exist, but we exist to give. That is our purpose, and we must never shy away from it.

In a social setting, we feed off others. That is the nature of social engagements. When people assemble, they create a vibe that lifts everyone’s spirits. High tides lift all boats. However, once uplifted, we must ask ourselves, what is next? Did we come here to have our spirits lifted and be satisfied with that, or did we come here to share something that only we can share? An idea, an inspiration, a suggestion, something to enhance, inspire, or empower others. Did we have our spirits lifted so we could feel better, or did we loosen up so we could feel comfortable taking the lead and sharing something of significance?

In other words, will we be G-d like? Will we emulate our Creator or follow the patterns of Creation?

The Gift of The First Fruit
There is a famous parable in which a pig and a chicken stroll past a breakfast diner advertising bacon and eggs. The pig remarks to the chicken, “From you, they seek a small contribution; from me, they demand a life commitment.”

We learned earlier that all living forms, except parasites, contribute by their very natures. However, we don’t contribute our best. We contribute our waste and decay. We make a slight contribution, not a significant commitment. Yes, other life forms feed on it, perpetuating the cycle of the ecosystem, but it is not the same as giving our best. In nature, we are not expected to give our best. To give more would weaken us, which would ultimately weaken the ecosystem. Morally, however, it is a different story.

The Torah teaches that when we give, it must be our best. When we invite others to our home, we must give them our best food and take whatever is left for ourselves. When we clothe the poor, we must give them our best clothes and wear whatever is left. The Synagogue must be nicer than our private homes. The same goes for all gifts. It is the Torah’s way of combatting our natural inclination for survival and self-preservation. Our instinct is to hoard and ensure we have enough. The Torah exhorts us to fight this nature and be more like G-d. To give our best. (Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Issurei Mizbe’ach 7:11.)

This is where the gift of the first fruit comes in.

This week, we read about the gift of the first fruit. When farmers in ancient Israel ventured into their orchards or fields and beheld the ripening fruit, they immediately tied a bow around the first fruit to ripen. At their first opportunity, they carried a basket full to Jerusalem as an offering to G-d in the Temple.

This helped to inculcate the value of giving rather than just taking. It is natural for us to collect all the produce of our land because we need it to survive. G-d trains us to be a little bit like Him. Don’t keep everything to yourself, even if you believe you need it. You might ask yourself how you will have enough to eat if you give so much away. G-d comes along and says give it anyway. Don’t worry about your survival; leave that worry to me.

This Mitzvah reminds us that we are all in G-d’s hands. G-d created and orchestrates the entire ecosystem. It is not left to the random vicissitudes of nature. G-d tends to it lovingly, ensuring each species receives its needs. The same G-d that provided this fruit can be trusted to provide whatever we might lack. Nature says, keep it. G-d says, give it. The Mitzvah goes against our nature, but G-d holds us in His loving, powerful arms and says, trust me.

Are You a Parasite?
To answer the question, are you a parasite, it is not enough to say I contribute my waste and byproducts to the ecosystem. I willingly part with anything I don’t need and am happy to give to someone who needs it more than me. That is not enough.

To answer the question with a resounding no, we need to train ourselves to give like they used to vote in Chicago. They used to joke that the voting motto in Chicago was “vote early and often.” While that is a terrible motto for voting, it is a perfect motto for giving: give early and give often.

As soon as your fruits ripen, collect a basket and give it away. When your harvest is complete, give again. Give early and give often. Don’t worry that you might not have enough for your family because when you are generous to G-d’s children, G-d is generous to you. When you work for yourself, you are on your own. You earn as much as you deserve. When you work for G-d, you are under His protection, and He provides whatever you need.

When you count your blessings, you will find that you always come out ahead. Sometimes, these blessings are delivered in the form of dollar bills, and sometimes, they are delivered in the form of health, children, and a happy family.

These blessings far exceed the value of gems.