The Rambam is telling us that since Hashem created the world in order to have man follow the Torah, when a person uses the world properly Hashem allows him to have his needs met in this world without strain. This will help him better serve Hashem.
Hashem was telling Moshe and Aharon that this lesson would have greatly affected the generation of the desert, but it was lost. Had the people seen the rock obeying Hashem’s command, they would have been moved to a powerful realization: “The rock doesn’t have needs, yet it listens to Hashem. How much more so should we, who have so many needs? Hashem has promised that if we follow in his ways, He will remove all obstacles from our path. But if we don’t listen…”
The concept that Hashem takes care of our needs when we use our lives properly can be a great source of motivation. Earning a living isn’t easy. Market economies rise and fall. Entire industries come and go. Careers that are in high demand in one decade are outsourced and sent overseas the next. Financial security in an ever-changing world is fragile at best.
While our main motivation to keep the Torah is that Hashem commanded us to do it for our benefit in the World to Come, the reality is that we live in this world. We have bills to pay, children to put through school, and many other financial obligations. Knowing Hashem will remove the obstacles standing in our way, as long as we dedicate ourselves to passionately keeping the Torah, can be a great impetus to growth.
This is not to say life will be a bed of roses. However, the basic starting position is that Hashem will take care of my needs so that I can better serve Him. That understanding can help us focus on our true purpose in this world and allow us a much greater degree of success in all our endeavors.
To view Rabbi Shafier’s parsha video click here.