Dear Friends,
Do we know when enough is enough?
At New Year's, was one flute of champagne adequate? Or was there more that was imbibed? For the multi-billionaire hedge fund or real estate magnate who just made another billion when the market went up, is it enough? And, then there is that extra slice of pizza…
Sometimes it is difficult to recognize sufficiency. A core ethic of our Western society seems to be that enough is good, but more is better.
Is it so?
The Torah seems to contradict that ethos. Upon departing Egypt in this week’s Torah portion, the Israelites were grumbling—where would they find food? God provided the manna, which covered the ground like morning dew. God then commanded, “Gather as much of it as each of you requires to eat, an omer to a person or as many of you as there are; you shall each fetch for those in your tent.”
The Israelites did so, some gathering much, some little. But when they measured it by the omer, anyone who had gathered much had no excess, and anyone who had gathered little had no deficiency; they had gathered as much as they needed to eat.” (Exodus 16:16-18)
Who could imagine! If I had foraged a bucket and a half, and my neighbor had found half a bucket, each of us would have just what our households required. And, if any was not eaten, it would go foul overnight, thus defeating the urge to hoard.
Eventually, the Israelites learned to gather the proper measure, and the system worked. On Friday, they collected a double measure to last for Shabbat.
The manna offers a good message regarding knowing when enough is sufficient. It suggests a contrary economic model to that of Western society, where having more is the ideal. But do we know what the sufficiency measure is for our own lives? If we had more, would we trade in the Toyota for the Cadillac, the two-bedroom for the three-bedroom, or the weekend in the Catskills for a week in the Caribbean? Perhaps. Or, are we able to recognize what is good, that our cup is full, and that any more would cause overflowing and waste?
Yes, the Psalmist wrote that his cup overflowed. Perhaps ours just needs to be full.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
Do we know when enough is enough?
At New Year's, was one flute of champagne adequate? Or was there more that was imbibed? For the multi-billionaire hedge fund or real estate magnate who just made another billion when the market went up, is it enough? And, then there is that extra slice of pizza…
Sometimes it is difficult to recognize sufficiency. A core ethic of our Western society seems to be that enough is good, but more is better.
Is it so?
The Torah seems to contradict that ethos. Upon departing Egypt in this week’s Torah portion, the Israelites were grumbling—where would they find food? God provided the manna, which covered the ground like morning dew. God then commanded, “Gather as much of it as each of you requires to eat, an omer to a person or as many of you as there are; you shall each fetch for those in your tent.”
The Israelites did so, some gathering much, some little. But when they measured it by the omer, anyone who had gathered much had no excess, and anyone who had gathered little had no deficiency; they had gathered as much as they needed to eat.” (Exodus 16:16-18)
Who could imagine! If I had foraged a bucket and a half, and my neighbor had found half a bucket, each of us would have just what our households required. And, if any was not eaten, it would go foul overnight, thus defeating the urge to hoard.
Eventually, the Israelites learned to gather the proper measure, and the system worked. On Friday, they collected a double measure to last for Shabbat.
The manna offers a good message regarding knowing when enough is sufficient. It suggests a contrary economic model to that of Western society, where having more is the ideal. But do we know what the sufficiency measure is for our own lives? If we had more, would we trade in the Toyota for the Cadillac, the two-bedroom for the three-bedroom, or the weekend in the Catskills for a week in the Caribbean? Perhaps. Or, are we able to recognize what is good, that our cup is full, and that any more would cause overflowing and waste?
Yes, the Psalmist wrote that his cup overflowed. Perhaps ours just needs to be full.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
