“My power and my hand’s might won this for me”…

According to Wikipedia, the expression “my own power and the might of my own hand” appearing in our weekly Torah portion (Deuteronomy 8:17), usually refers to “a person or group who attribute the results of their success to their own abilities and skills alone… these are people who demonstrate ego and pride, ungrateful” … sounds like a negative trait that reflects an attitude and behavior that should be avoided at all costs. Who wants to be full of ego, proud, arrogant, ungrateful?

In this week’s Torah portion, Ekev, Moses describes the wonderful Land to which the People of Israel are going and in which we merit to live: “For Hashem your Gd is bringing you into a good land, a land with streams and springs and fountains issuing from plain and hill; a land of wheat and barley, of vines, figs, and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey; a land where you may eat food without stint, where you will lack nothing; a land whose rocks are iron and from whose hills you can mine copper
(Deut. 8:7-9)

A Land that is so different from the land of Egypt: “… It is a land which hashem your Gd looks after, on which Hashem your Gd always keeps an eye, from year’s beginning to year’s end”. (Ibid 11:10-12)

A Land of abundance with a tremendous potential for success, blessings and prosperity; a potential that will be realized thanks to our partnership with Gd. Unlike the land of Egypt which is watered by a great river and a system of canals, and unlike our miraculous life in the desert where manna rained on us daily, in this Land we will be demanded to engage in meaningful action.

Most commentators emphasized the need to do our work humbly, remembering that everything is from Gd. Not “my own power and the might of my own hand”, but the Almighty, He and by His grace alone. But the Ra”N (Rabbi Nissim Girondi, Barcelona, ​​14th century) suggests a different reading.

According to him, the verse “my own power and the might of my own hand” speaks of the fact that the person, perhaps like a child who has just succeeded in a complicated project, looks at his actions in a – ‘wow! Look what I did’!

Actually, he says, there’s even a mitzvah here, to also recognize who we are, which is a very important moment in our relationship with Gd. It’s true, Gd gives us powers, abilities and talents, but not in order for us to hide them and pretend to be “modest”; rather, so that we create and do. If we do not use them and diminish ourselves, we have transgressed.

The Ra”N specifies that it’s not written that Gd is the one who “gives you strength” but rather he is the one who “gives you the ability to be strong”… Strength alone is just potential, like the potential that exists within the avocado seed, struggling, on my window sill, to break through its rough shell; potential that exists within each and every one of us. The potential we got, is not the question; it is it’s actualization that is the issue. We do not only have “permission” to use it, but a duty to bring it to light.

Let us know sit there in pretentious humility, but rise daily to use the abilities and talents given to us; to understand that those were given to us, for while we might debate whether we have faith in Gd, Gd has faith in us, as we say in the first sentence we utter when we wake up! We should definitely do an create and be joyful for it.

Rabbi Asher Vasertil (1921-2008) writes in his book “Birkat Asher”: “It’s a line, as thick as a thread of hair, that differentiates between joy out of negative pride, and joy out of knowing the True Source of all achievements… When a person remembers the Source of his strength and talent and the One who has rewarded him with kindness until now, he may happily say, “my own power and the might of my own hand have won this wealth for me”…

Rav Uri Sharki says that Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook of blesses memory, used to send his students on Independence Day to see the IDF parade that was held in the first years of the state in order to fulfill the mitzvah – “and you’ll say in your heart, my own power and the might of my own hand”…

On the backdrop of recent events, perhaps this Torah portion has something to offer, especially now. This verse is not a stand alone and does not end the story. Immediately following, depending on this one, and impossible to reach it without going “through” our verse, we learn that if we don’t recognize our own strength, we might also not recognize other things around, including the Holy One’s strength. Rather, we have to recognize, in our hearts, our own power – not too much of it, but also not too little – we will be able to understand the limitations of this power, and thus, the Power that above and around us: “Remember that it is Hashem your Gd who gives you the ability to be strong, in fulfillment of the covenant made on oath with your fathers, as is still the case”.

Shabbat Shalom.