Ask any financial advisor and they will say you ought to have a rainy day fund. You should put aside money for emergencies and unforeseen circumstances. Medical emergencies, job loss and natural disasters are just some of the causes to dip into that sacred account.
If you can afford it, you will probably also be advised to have a savings account for the future. These funds are critical for your children’s education, retirement and important milestones and expenses.
Certainly, your emergency and savings accounts will give you some peace of mind. But, is it guaranteed to always be there? Will it be enough? Can we ever predict what might occur in our lives and in the world around us?
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This week’s parsha, Eikev, talks about the manna, the special food from heaven that the Jews enjoyed during their travels in the wilderness. Actually, it’s debatable whether our ancestors truly enjoyed the manna.
The way the Torah puts it (Devarim/Deuteronomy 8:16), G-d fed the Jewish people manna “in order to afflict you.” According to the Talmud, this literally means that the Jews suffered and felt hungry even after eating their fair share of manna. This was because it could not be saved from one day to the next, and one had to constantly rely on it falling anew. Therefore, even after filling themselves physically, the people still felt vulnerable.
Why would G-d give them such an awful gift? If He was going to feed them, couldn’t He at least do it right?
In a 1965 Chassidic discourse the Lubavitcher Rebbe explained the benefit of this enigmatic food:
The manna was a food of paradoxes. For those seeking a sense of self-sufficiency and independence, the manna caused anxiety and affliction. For humble men of faith, however, receiving nourishment from the manna was the greatest source of delight, for in the manna they could constantly sense G-d’s influence.
This explains the Talmud’s assertion that Moshe composed the text of the first blessing of Birchas Hamazon (Grace After Meals) when G-d gave the manna to the Jewish people. One might ask, the blessings of Birchas Hamazon are recited in fulfillment of the Biblical command, “When you will eat and be satisfied, you shall bless G-d” (Devarim/Deuteronomy 8:10). But if the manna left people feeling hungry, how could eating it be the basis for a blessing that is recited upon feeling satisfied?
In light of the above, however, we can understand how the manna provided the satisfaction required for the recitation of Birchas Hamazon. Indeed, the truest satiation came from the manna, for through the manna one sensed clearly that his sustenance was entirely from G-d, and thereby became a worthy recipient of G-d’s infinite benevolence.
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Yes, you should set aside funds for emergencies and the important things in life.
But, if you really want to sleep well at night – don’t rely on the funds. Rather, put your trust in Hashem, Who provided those funds in the first place and will continue to deliver in ways no one else can.
Faith is the diet that satiates, but never in a dangerous way.