Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto’s talks are known throughout the Jewish world. They combine chassidic teachings and philosophy, along with tips for a better life. We have collected pearls from his teachings that are relevant to our daily lives. This week he comments on the Torah section of Noso.
Our Sages teach us in the midrash (Kohelet Rabbah 1:14): Rabbi Yudan said in the name of Rabbi Aivu that no man leaves This World with half of his desires fulfilled. If he has a portion, he wants two hundred, and if he has two hundred, he wants four hundred. No matter how much or what a person has, he always wants more.
This desire is inherent in the human soul - after a person achieves something, he wants to achieve something greater. After he achieved that thing, he seeks an even greater thing. This nature, this character trait, is inherent to us and our soul. It can be used for the good - such as a person who gave charity who wants to give more, or a person who studied Torah who wants to learn more. There is therefore a positive aspect here, but there is also something that can lead a person to bad places, because a person is driven to want more. Having desires that will never satisfy him, while continually wanting more, will only lead him to a bad place.
Our sages tell us that when God gives a person blessing or a lavish livelihood, then the negative urges to obtain more in an unhealthy way do not beset him. When God grants him abundant sustenance or success, he does not have the dangerous urges that can lead him to mistakes and downfalls. When the success comes from the inner drive of “one who has one portion, wants two hundred,” he is headed for a downfall. But when blessing come from God, it won’t lead a person to dangerous urges. It will only be good for him.
The wisest of all men states in Proverbs (10:22), "God’s blessing will make him rich, and He will not add sorrow with it." This means that if a person is blessed by God, he will become rich without having ramifications that bring upon him sorrow. He won’t have the drive to want two hundred if he has one portion, or four hundred if he has two hundred. God’s blessing is free of the desires and urges that can drag a person into downfalls, entanglements and bad developments.
This is also the meaning of King David’s words in Psalms (Psalms 86:4) "Make the soul of your servant happy, for to You, O Lord, I will lift up my soul." King David said to God, "Make the soul of your servant happy", God, make me happy, make my soul happy, "For to You, O Lord, I will lift up my soul." The only thing that I want is “You” and I am not among those who have one hundred but want two hundred. Instead, everything that you give me, whether heavenly help or blessing or happiness or success - it should come from You and not from the desire and urge pushing me to get more. Because if a blessing comes from the inner urge to achieve something, it may lead a person to the situation of being one who has a portion and wants two hundred and can bring the person to danger or ruin or a bad place.
Our holy rabbis teach us that at the time when God commanded the priests to bless the nation of Israel with the Blessing of the Priests (in Numbers 6:23-27) "May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord shine His face upon you and give you grace...", the Israelites stood up and protested. They said, “We don’t want their blessing! We want God Himself to bless us.”
Why did the Israelites not want the priests to bless them? They feared that if someone blesses them, it might come along with the urge to get more and more, which wouldn’t have happened if the blessing came from God. They said, “We want the blessing from Hashem directly and not through an intermediary or through any other person, because then it will be a true blessing. Earning the money through a human’s blessing might bring us to a situation where one who has a portion wants two hundred and this can only be ruinous for us.” So God told them: “The priests will bless you, but I stand behind them and the blessing is from Me. They are only my messengers.”
Therefore, a person should know that every time he needs abundance, a blessing, a livelihood, a business, anything - if he receives a blessing from the Torah, a blessing from God, then it is "God’s blessing will make him rich, and He will not add sorrow with it." The person will not reach the insatiable urges of a person who has one portion and wants two hundred which can lead to getting into trouble and a downfall. What comes with a blessing from heaven, comes clean without negative ramifications. But if it does not come from "God’s blessing", it can take the person to dark and difficult places.
We can only hope that all the blessing and abundance in our lives will come to us directly from the Almighty, and thus any wealth we will be blessed with will only bring us full inner happiness, joy and pleasure.
This article was written in cooperation with Shuva Israel