Rabbi Breit's Blog

When the Israelites are on the threshold of the land of Israel, Moses emphasizes to them that they should not say to themselves, “God has enabled us to possess this land because of our virtues”. There’s nothing about them that entitles them to a safe and flourishing life in God’s land; "Rather [it’s] because of the wickedness of those nations that God is dispossessing them before you.” (Deuteronomy 9:4). Is Moses saying the Israelites granted a homeland just because everyone else is really worse? Does God only show up to save us when everyone else is so bad God can’t help but step in? That’s hardly inspiring.

And what about the covenant? Throughout the Torah God has told the people they are going to a land chosen for them, promised to them, in fulfillment of relationship God had with their devout forefathers. In Exodus, God sets them aside as a holy nation of priests. Just last parsha Moses told the Israelites, “God favored you and kept the oath He made to your fathers”. Are they are given the task of being a holy people on a holy land or are they benefitting from another people's local disaster?

Maybe it’s neither. Maybe Moses' telling them this now was simple strategy; he didn’t want the people to feel hubris at their own enormous success. He knew they’d forget that every last shred of their greatness was just a reflection of the greatness of God. Or he didn’t want the people to rest on their laurels, to assume they were so good they won this land so they don’t need to tend it, or defend it, or keep their behavior in check. He wanted to haunt them a little with the specter failure, of the previous inhabitants who had themselves fallen into hate, gluttony, violence, and profanity, whose nations had fallen apart.

But telling people there’s nothing they can do well enough is rather demoralizing. I'd feel sadness if I heard a child belittle their every achievement. What would you say to a kid who said: "It’s not because my science project was good that earned a prize, but because everyone else’s was garbage!" How condescending to their peers! What a lack of gratitude for their gifts and successes! How could anyone feel they're succeeding without success and positive feedback? If you can never do it right, why try at all?

I’d prefer to think of this verse in line with one of my favorite high holiday teachings: that every Jew should imagine themselves exactly in the middle — neither good nor bad — so that they know that each and every action they take, be it good or bad, matters. Each action is sufficient to tip you into the Book of Life or out of it. Moses admonition is a reminder that we aren’t so good to be immune from the consequences of doing hateful things. But we aren’t so bad that we don’t have the chance to fix the mistakes we’ve made and keep our home. We shouldn't give up and we shouldn't squander our blessings. We are on the knife’s edge, at moral 0, and everything we do counts. Shabbat shalom.