Perashat Behar- The Test of Abundance: Why Success is Harder Than Failure

By Rabbi Avraham Gindi

וכי תאמרו מה-נאכל בשנה השביעית הן לא נזרע ולא נאסף את תבואתנו: וצויתי את-ברכתי לכם בשנה השישית ועשה את
התבואה לשלש השנים
רשבם- לפי הפשט זריעת ששית תפרנס שישית ושביעית ושמינית.
“And when you will say, what will I eat in the seventh year, as I will not plant or gather my crops. I will command
my blessing in the sixth year, and it will yield enough crop for a three year period.”
(Vayikra 25,21-22)
Rashbam- “According to the simple explanation, the produce of the sixth year will be sufficient to provide
sustenance for the sixth, seventh, and eighth year.”
Where’s The Challenge?
We imagine the Mitzvah of Shemitah as this massive test, where farmers completely neglect their main source of
income. In an agricultural society, in a time where there were few alternatives, they left their fields behind, in
earnest devotion to the word of Hashem.
In those times, nobody opened an Amazon business or brought in boatloads from China. People truly lived by
their land. They would sow and till, so they could grow produce that they could sell.
And yes, there were blacksmiths and tailors, builders and fishermen. But at the core of it, growing crop was a
very large aspect of the way that people lived.
Therefore, in our minds, the commandment of Shemita seems daunting. Without a doubt, such a sacrifice is
viewed as the epitome of what a challenge is.
Yet when you peruse the verses in our Perasha, a very different picture should take your mind. For to this person
who is anxious about how he is going to manage without income, the Torah has news to set him at ease. As we
quote, “If you say, how am I going to get through the seventh year?” (Vayikra,25,21) If you are worried, because
you can’t tend to the field and reap your greens. If you are nervous, because you must desert your core income
for an entire year, we tell you, “Don’t worry. Because in the sixth year, I will command the land to bring forth
three times the blessing,” so that you will have everything you need, right from the start.
And those words should leave us shocked. It shatters our entire notion of what Shemita is. We expect the
Sabbatical year to be this massive opportunity to develop our Emunah, through displaying faith in the Creator of
the world. But precisely how is this a difficult test, when right from the start, we receive so much excess in the
bank?

Furthermore, why is the Torah deviating from the way it usually operates? Every single commandment in the
Torah is accompanied by a blessing. For honoring our parents, we are offered the Beracha of long life. (Shemot,
20,12) For listening to Hashem’s commandments, we are rewarded with rain and sustenance in its proper time.
(Devarim 11,13) And even when the specific reward isn’t described, the general notion is that in tandem with our
actions, will be our reward.
But when do we see that before a person makes even the slightest effort, he is given such tremendous
compensation?
What A Waste
And this could have been such a massive opportunity. One of the reasons why the Generation in the desert was
able to reach such tremendous heights, was because they did not have any means of personal sustenance. They
had no jobs. Nobody worked in wholesale. And through that lack, they were given the chance to regulate
themselves, to rely completely on their Father in Heaven.
They would lay down every evening, not knowing what tomorrow would bring. Nobody had a fridge bursting with
food. A pantry wasn’t necessary, because as they drifted off to sleep, there wasn’t a morsel of sustenance in their
homes.
Yet day after day, Hashem proved to them through the Manna, that they don’t need any money in the bank. They
don’t need to have a business, a job, food, or savings. Because at the very moment that you need it, Hashem will
provide.
Yet here by Shemita, we don’t have this opportunity. Because we are given the means to fully stock up in
preparation for the year of Shemita, before we even show up to oblige.
Doesn’t that completely undermine the point of why this test was given? Challenge and reward is a beautiful
method to elevate a person from one level to the next. The encouragement of blessing creates a tremendous
incentive to grow. So why by Shemitah, are we taking it away?
A Test Called Beracha
To answer this question, it is crucial that we shift our view of what we think tests are.
People are accompanied to thinking that tests only come in the form of difficulty. When things are going bad, we
strengthen ourselves, make commitments, and open up a Tehillim. We see the pain as both a sign and a warning,
that Hashem wants us to expand our comfort zones, and reach greater heights. So we pour out our hearts,
begging for mercy from Hakadosh Baruch Hu.
Yet we feel like a good day, is a day off. We no longer feel the need to grow. And unfortunately, so many people
who were always so devoted to the word of Hashem, use their newfound serenity to walk away.
There is a story which will most definitely be received with a shock, but which brings out this point in a powerful
way.
When I was studying in Israel, I lived in a neighborhood which felt like it existed in another time. The people there
were totally disconnected from the decadent values which are so pervasive today. It was almost like another
realm. A place in this world, completely devoted to their service of Hashem.
One day, I was conversing with a neighbor, and was told that their used to be a man on the block, raising a
beautiful family. He was happily married, and would spend his days studying the word of Hashem.

But one day, he won the lottery. And it wasn’t long, before he disconnected from Judaism completely. He
abandoned his wife and kids, and moved out to Tel Aviv, where he now lives alone with his dog.
I am certain that this man lives with a deep regret. But the sad fact is, that success can sometimes erode the
quality of life. There is a certain humility which lack creates. It lends a structure and standard which must be met,
which abundance can sometimes wash away.
Up until that moment, this man was lacking, and that lack kept him in shul, as he improved himself in various
ways. Maybe he learned more Torah, did more Chessed, and prayed with a heart bursting with fervor. He knew
he was in a test of Emunah, of faith in Hashem, and therefore, he gave his all to grow and overcome.
Yet at that exhilarating moment, when he got the “wonderful” news, he suddenly felt like he finished his
challenge. His test of Emunah was over. No longer was he being asked to work on his faith. No longer must he
invest every moment into getting closer to Hashem.
Yet the Mesilat Yesharim (Chapter 1) is very clear, that throughout every circumstance of life, we are being tested
in the very same way. As he says, "כי כל עניני העולם בין לטוב, בין למוטב, הנה הם נסיונות לאדם." “For all the
circumstances of life, whether good or bad, are but tests for a person to overcome.”
"העני מצד אחד, והעושר מצד אחד... השלוה מצד אחד, והיסורין מצד אחד" “Poverty on the one hand, and wealth on
the other. Both serenity and pain.” Every situation, is but a test, to challenge us, and to lift us, to a higher plane.
Where’s The Battle?
We read these words, and yet it’s hard for us to understand how abundance and peace of mind can be a test.
When somebody is happy, and everything is going well, nobody imagines that they are in the throes of challenge.
We breathe a sigh of relief. We finally have some time off. And we hope it stays that way until the end of time.
Nobody pours out their heart in prayer, when everything is going well. In fact, there was once a man who asked
his Rabbi for advice regarding a certain deal. He said that Joey, another congregant of the shul, had approached
him with a sound opportunity. Joey had explained the projections, and the nice profit he expected to draw in the
years to come.
“Rabbi,” He said. “What do you think? Should I invest?” “Absolutely not,” The Rabbi staunchly replied. “Don’t
give him a dollar. Do whatever you can to stay away.”
Being the earnest Talmid that he was, he listened to his Rabbi, and rejected the offer. And it only took a couple of
months, before the entire business went kaput. All the plans and money that was invested, went completely
down the drown.
This man heard the news, and breathed a tremendous sigh of relief. “Rabbi!” He said in excitement, “You’re a
Navi! How did you know?”
“I’m not a Navi,” Replied the Rabbi, “And I don’t have Ruach Hakodesh either. I simply heard Joey crying, ‘Oy. We
need Mashiach!’ So I knew something was wrong. So I told you to make every effort to stay away.”
When gloom is on the brink, people cry. When things aren’t going our way, that’s a test which we overcome by
embracing Hashem.
But what exactly is the test of abundance? When, like in the year preceding Shemitah, we are tremendously
blessed, how are we supposed to react. How, in all that goodness, can we see a test?
A Seismic Shift
To answer, let’s take a moment to ponder what creates this distinction. Why, in essence, do we cry when we
don’t have what we want, yet relax when we do?

In Misheli (30,9), Shelomo Hamelech gives us the answer. "פן אשבע וכחשתי, ואמרתי מי ה'" “Maybe I will become
satiated, and deny. And I will say, who is Hashem?”
We cry and beg, to get what we need. Yet when we receive it, we attribute that success to everything but the
Master of The World. Suddenly, it was own intellectual prowess, and our tremendous talent, which made the
sale. We know how to talk, and to make the right connections. And as every self-made man proclaims, they are
the only reason that they made it so big.
But a person with Emunah knows, that blessing in this world, comes entirely from Hashem. He recognizes that
precisely how much he earns, not a penny more or a penny less, was decreed on Rosh Hashanah by Hashem
Himself. And no amount of side deals, and hard work, can change that an iota.
Anybody who is honest with themselves knows that no matter how much work you invest, if Hashem does not
want you to succeed, you are not going to succeed.
And if Hashem does want you to succeed, nothing can stop you. As it says in Mesechet Yoma (Daf 38),
"אין אדם נוגע במוכן לחבירו כמלוא נימא" A person cannot touch a hairsbreadth from what his friend has. Anything
that was decided for you, can never be taken away. And anything that wasn’t decreed, can never be earned.
We all know people who work like workaholics. They don't sleep or rest, and they barely even breathe. Yet
despite their obsession, they barely get by.
And at the same time, we know people who are far more relaxed. Yet suddenly, things go good for them. A deal
arises here. An opportunity arises there. And they are blessed with tremendous success.
Which is why a Baal Bitachon knows, that like a manager, none of the assets at his disposal belongs to him. And
of course, he can enjoy some of it. But whatever blessing you have, whether it’s material, intellectual, or serenity
of the heart, is recognized as an opportunity to serve Hashem.
This is the notion which we must understand. When our job is great, our family is wonderful, and everything is
going well, that is not a day off. That is not three years of paid leave to spend away from your job. Rather, that is
an obligation to serve Hashem, and to thank Him profusely.
A person who is struggling through difficulty, has a far greater excuse than a person with serenity.
He won’t be expected to help his neighbor, when he’s barely getting by.
But a person with blessing has a tremendous responsibility. And if he splurges on another house, another car,
and another vacation, instead of helping all the people around him, he’s ignoring his obligation, and he’s failing
his test.
But all of that can be avoided, by developing the faith to recognize that nothing that you have is yours. Wealth
and serenity are not painful. The faith of Shemita isn’t acquired through suffering. Rather,
the test of Shemitah is to take the blessing of that incredible abundance. And to use that goodness, that extra
time, and those extra resources, in the greatest way.
And instead of saying, “This is mine, mine, mine. This is me, me, me. I know how to till my field. I know how to
plant. I know how to plow. I know how to reap the best possible profit.” To take a step back and recognize that
we have an obligation to use our blessings. Because we have the humility to recognize that it all comes from Him.