15 Jun CHUKAT- A REASON TO THINK POSITIVE

One of the stories told in Parashat Hukat is how Hashem punished Beneh Yisrael after they complained to Moshe about their conditions. Specifically, they complained about the manna which fell from the heavens each day, saying that they were sick of this food, and calling it לקולקה†םחל†– “cheap bread,” or “miserable bread.”

G-d chose a very unusual way of punishing the people – He sent snakes to bite them.

Why was this an appropriate punishment for the people’s complaints about the manna?

To answer this question, we have to understand why exactly the people were complaining, what it was about the manna that they didn’t like.

The system of manna required the people to place all their trust exclusively in Hashem. One day’s ration was given each morning, and anything stored for the next day would spoil. This meant that when Beneh Yisrael went to sleep each night, they had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Not a single morsel of food.

Imagine going to sleep at night with no food in the house. The fridge and cupboards are EMPTY. There is not a single can or jar of anything, anywhere in the house. And the bank account is empty, the credit cards are already maxed out, and you have no income and nobody helping you. You have a family to feed, but you have absolutely no food and no way of getting food.

This was Beneh Yisrael’s situation each and every night. They went to sleep with NOTHING, other than their hope that a ration of manna would fall the next morning.

This is what they didn’t want. They were tired of living this way, of constantly being vulnerable. They wanted what we would call today “long-term financial security.”

This desire for security and self-sufficiency was how the snake in Gan Eden persuaded Adam and Havah to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. He told them that the reason why Hashem didn’t want them eating from the tree is because it would make them independently capable. They wouldn’t have to depend on Hashem anymore. Adam and Havah desired this independence, and so they succumbed.

This is why Beneh Yisrael were punished by snakes – to remember how the snake was punished for convincing Adam and Havah to try freeing themselves from their dependence on Hashem.

Hashem created the world in such a way that our parnasah (livelihood) does not come easily and is not guaranteed. We can never feel too confident about our livelihood. We always feel vulnerable and insecure about what the future will bring, about whether we will be able to pay our bills.

This insecurity often causes anxiety and negativity. When the economy is bad, everyone is talking about it, and even those whose lives had not changed due to the economic downturn feel anxious and concerned.

But we should not feel anxious. We should not be uptight. We have very good reason to think positive – because vulnerability is a good thing!

Hashem wants us to feel vulnerable, to feel dependent on His kindness – because this is how we build a connection with Him. When we realize that our parnasah depends solely on Hashem, that we are totally reliant on Him, we become close to Him. We look to Him for our needs, we feel grateful to Him for whatever we have, and we commit to serve Him.

Let’s work on changing our attitude towards parnasah – to stop being worried, and to start feeling positive and upbeat, knowing with full confidence that Hashem always loves us and cares for us, that He will provide us with our “manna” each and every day.