Failure has destroyed many people.
But so too has success.
When we think of the great spiritual challenges facing man, we instinctively picture moments of hardship: poverty, illness, persecution or loss. It is in times of adversity that faith is tested and character is forged.
But Parshat Ekev points to a far subtler danger, one that often arrives disguised as a blessing.
After describing the beauty and abundance of the Land of Israel, Moshe paints an inspiring picture of prosperity. The people will eat and be satisfied, build fine homes, accumulate wealth and flourish in every way. It is the fulfillment of generations of longing.
And then, almost unexpectedly, comes the warning.
“Beware lest your heart become haughty and you forget the Lord your G-d... and you say in your heart: ‘My strength and the might of my hand have produced this wealth for me’" (Deuteronomy 8:14,17).
It is one of the Torah’s most penetrating observations about human nature.
Scarcity often drives people toward G-d. Plenty can quietly pull them away.
When life is difficult, we recognize our dependence on the Almighty. We pray more intensely because we know we need His help. But when everything seems to be going well, it becomes ever so easy to imagine that we are the masters of our own destiny.
The Torah does not condemn wealth or achievement. Quite the contrary.
Immediately after warning against arrogance, it says, “You shall remember the Lord your G-d, for it is He Who gives you the strength to make wealth" (Deuteronomy 8:18).
Notice that the Torah does not say that G-d simply hands wealth to a person. Rather, He grants the koach, the ability, to earn it. Our effort matters. Our intelligence, discipline and initiative are real. But the very talents upon which we rely are themselves gifts from Above.
That perspective transforms the way a Jew understands success.
A brilliant entrepreneur may believe his insight built a thriving business, while a gifted scholar may attribute his accomplishments to years of study.
Each of those explanations is true, but only partially so.
Who granted the entrepreneur his creativity or endowed the scholar with intellect?
As Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (1808-1888) points out, even the opportunities that shape our lives are from G-d: “The combination of external circumstances which bring about the possibility and the success of your work and endeavors is dependent on Him and Him alone."
Recognizing that truth does not detract from human achievement. It places it in its proper perspective.
That may explain why Birkat Hamazon, the Grace After Meals, occupies such a central place in Jewish life.
Jewish law generally requires us to recite a blessing before performing a mitzvah or partaking of the world’s bounty. Yet when it comes to eating a meal, the Torah itself specifically commands us to bless G-d afterward: “You shall eat, be satisfied, and bless the Lord your G-d" (Deuteronomy 8:10).
The timing is significant.
It is easy to thank G-d before a meal, when we are still conscious of our need. The greater challenge is afterward, when our hunger has been satisfied and our immediate dependence seems less apparent.
Gratitude expressed after fulfillment is often more meaningful than gratitude expressed beforehand.
The discipline of gratitude trains us to resist the illusion of self-sufficiency. A person who recognizes what he owes to parents, teachers and friends will also be more conscious of what he owes to the Almighty.
That is why Moses delivers this warning just as the Jewish people stand on the threshold of entering the Land of Israel. Their greatest spiritual test would not come only on the battlefield. It would come afterward, amid the prosperity they would one day enjoy.
The challenge is no less relevant today.
Living in an era of unprecedented technological progress and material abundance, we possess comforts that previous generations could scarcely imagine. The temptation to attribute everything to human ingenuity alone has only grown stronger.
Parshat Eikev reminds us that humility is not the enemy of achievement but its proper companion. We are commanded to work hard, strive for excellence and develop the talents G-d has entrusted to us. But we must never mistake the instrument for the Source.
Success should leave us not only satisfied, but humbled. For the more we achieve, the more reason we have to remember Hashem, the source of the strength that made it possible.