But isn’t enough for this to be a concept or thought; it has to become a reality. I have to come to the knowledge that Hashem is present and involved in my life and I am completely dependent upon Him. To reach that level of knowing requires a change of perspective.
When I need something and am forced to cry out to Hashem for help, I come to that realization – not in theory, not in principle, but in reality. I get it. When I don’t know how I am going to make a mortgage payment and I cry out to Hashem for help and “somehow” things work out, that process – the asking, the feeling helpless, and then seeing the salvation – brings this reality home.
“Needs” aren’t annoying obstacles to my spiritual growth. Quite the opposite; they often are the catalysts to my finally getting it, to understanding that Hashem is involved in my life, that Hashem really cares about what happens to me, and that I must depend completely on Him.
We need needs – real needs, deep needs – because only with needs can we become aware of that it is Hashem Who is the Provider. Only then can we recognize that we are creations dependent upon our Creator.
To view Rabbi Shafier’s parsha video click here.