In Parashat Ekev, which is part of Moses’ lengthy speech, there is a well-known passage where Moses warns the nation of Israel against the sin of arrogance that may come as a result of success and economic prosperity. Moses details the economic abundance that awaits the Israelites in the Land of Israel, which they are about to enter:
“Lest you eat and are satisfied, and build good houses and dwell in them, and your cattle and sheep multiply, and silver and gold increase for you, and all that you have increases.”
It sounds wonderful. What could go wrong with such a life of prosperity? What’s wrong with enjoying the fruits of one’s labor in such a beautiful life of abundance? It turns out that even a life of plenty carries risks:
“Then your heart will be lifted, and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, in which were venomous serpents and scorpions, and thirsty ground where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know… and you may say in your heart: ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth’” (Deuteronomy 8:12-17).
Prosperity can lead to forgetfulness. A successful person is at risk of forgetting where he came from, who helped him along the way, who lifted him when he fell, and what challenges he faced before achieving success.
This forgetfulness is dangerous, first and foremost to the individual, but also to society as a whole. A person who says in his heart, “My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth” becomes filled with pride and complacency, turning into a narcissist. Such people stop seeing others, fail to show gratitude, neglect concern for the welfare of society, and in extreme cases, when it seems that their self-interest conflicts with the societal interest, they may even harm and betray society.
A prosperous society is a society at risk. Moses is concerned about this. Toward the end of Deuteronomy, Moses recites the song of “Ha’azinu” to the people of Israel, where he once again expresses this concern with vivid words:
He made them ride on the high places of the Earth,
That they would eat the produce of the field,
He let them suck honey out of the rock,
And oil from the mighty part of the crag;
The cream of cattle, and milk of sheep,
With fat of lambs,
And rams of Bashan, and he goats,
With the finest of the wheat;
And they would drink the blood of the grape as the finest wine.
But Jeshurun grew fat, and rebelled;
You have grown fat, thick, and rotund;
[Israel] forsook the God who made them,
And spurned the Rock of their salvation.
(Deuteronomy 32:13-15)
How do we deal with this risk?
Moses offers a solution: through constant reminders.
“But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day” (Deuteronomy 8:18).
The remembering person is the moral person. The remembering person does not sink into self-satisfaction, pride, and narcissism. Memory places before the person a simple fact – none of us, absolutely none, could succeed without help – whether help from God, known in Judaism as “heavenly assistance,” or from other people.
None of us created our abilities on our own, and no one succeeded without the support of at least one person who believed in him and sometimes also supported him. True, there is no success without the hard work that preceded it, but who gave us the strength to work? Who granted us the appropriate skills? Who sparked the successful idea in our mind?
A person who remembers those who helped him along the way, with both divine and human assistance, is a better person. A person who carries these memories will want to continue the chain of kindness and grant others the opportunity for success as well.
The writer is the rabbi of the Western Wall and holy sites.