Grandma Mollie, of blessed memory, used to say: “Rich or poor, it’s good to have money!” She was a wise lady. Like Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof she understood that there’s no shame in being poor, but there’s no great honor either.

As a woman who raised four children during the depression, she had a keen appreciation for the material comforts of life – something she never had. There were times, I suspect, when grandma did not know where the next meal would come from. My own mother dropped out of High School in order to help support the family. Being poor immigrants on the Lower East Side in the early part of the twentieth century was a struggle and a challenge.

So if being poor is so hard who wouldn’t want to have the material comforts associated with wealth? Moses, in today’s Torah portion, offers a different perspective on prosperity. As the people camped out on the border of the Promised Land, their great leader stood before them, reviewing the past, anticipating the future, and discussing the challenges of wealth.

Looking back at their sojourn in the wilderness, Moses acknowledged that the years of wandering and struggle had not been easy. Though God had provided them with manna and protected them, the people faced hunger and fatigue on a daily basis. The wilderness was a testing ground where Israel was toughened and disciplined into a nation prepared to conquer its new home.

And now the years of deprivation were about to pay off. Moses tells the people that God has brought them to a land flowing with streams and fountains; a land of wheat, barley, vines, figs, pomegranates, olives and honey. It is a land rich in minerals and great wealth. (By the way notice that the Bible never mentions oil!) Still, who wouldn’t be happy with such an inheritance?

Moses goes on, however, to warn the people about the dangers of their new found wealth: “Beware lest you forget the Lord your God. When you have eaten are satisfied and have built good houses in which to dwell, then your heart will grow haughty and you will forget the Lord your God.”

Moses warns Israel that wealth can become an obstacle to ones integrity. The danger of prosperity is that it can become intoxicating. One can easily loose ones perspective and sense of priorities. It’s easy to forget God when you have what you want.

It’s like the person who had an important meeting to attend but couldn’t find a parking spot. “Dear God,” he said, “Please help me find a parking spot. I can’t afford to be late. I promise I will go to shul every week. I’ll study Torah every day. I’ll give half my money to tzedakah.” Just then a car pulled out from the curve. The man looked up and said, “Never mind what I promised, God – I already found a spot in which to park…”

But perspective is only part of the problem. The other is hubris – arrogance. Moses goes on to describe how success might influence the way the Israelites see themselves. He tells the people: “Then you will say to yourself – My own power and the might of my own hand have won this wealth for me.”

Long ago Moses recognized that the greatest obstacle created by wealth is the illusion that we can do ourselves; that we are self made and therefore need no one. This is an illusion fostered by the pioneering spirit of American culture which celebrated the “self made man.”

Unfortunately there’s a dark side to such success. When we’re determined to have it all, we often seek to accomplish our goals at the expense of others. Kipling put it this way: “Down to Gehenna and up to the throne, he travels the fastest, who travels alone.” How many of us know people who have succeeded in life, only to find themselves lonely and unfulfilled.

Moses tried to warn the people about the challenges they were about to face. While Israel had struggled with hostile nations, inhospitable living conditions and the scars left by years of slavery up until now, he warns them that they would now face much greater challenges. Prosperity is its own challenge. This challenge would not be external but internal. Israel would have no one to blame for its failure other than itself. To succeed, the people had to hold on to their perspective and maintain their faith. They had to remember where their blessings came from.

No Jewish community in all of history has known the standard of life or the opportunities that we American Jews are now experiencing. We are wealthy, well educated, and for the most part socially accepted by the vast majority of Americans. Despite our own anxiety about such matters, anti-Semitism is not something most of our children have even experienced. We are truly blessed.

But we’re not free of challenge, either. The problems that we face today are not imposed on us by severe living conditions or anti-Semitism. The challenges we face come from within. In the words of Leonard Fein, you can put someone on trial for rape but not for seduction. American Judaism is being seduced out of existence. Life is so good for us in America that we could easy loose ourselves and our identity, not because of the oppression of others but because of the comforts we enjoy.

Not that I’m advocating a return to the so-called ‘good old days’ of the depression and oppression. Hardly! I wouldn’t want to grow up the way my mother or grandmother did, and certainly not the way my great grandparents lived in Europe. But I do believe that with the blessings of prosperity there are new responsibilities and challenges that we must face. We have more and we can do more.

Because we are free to choose our religion doesn’t mean we should take our faith for granted.

Because no one can oppress us because we are Jews doesn’t mean we shouldn’t support our community and make time for our own spiritual well being.

Because we can sit comfortable at our dining room table doesn’t mean we should ignore the famine raging in Africa.

Because we have the best of medical care doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be concerned about the thousands of Americans who can’t afford such care.

Because we are blessed with family and community doesn’t mean that we don’t have a responsibility to reach out to those who are lonely.

Our greatest challenge today as a community and as individuals is to find a sense of purpose and meaning once again; to understand that what we have is a gift; and to realize that all our accomplishments came about with the help of God. We are not alone in this world and we need one another. There is more to life than just pleasure and entertainment.

In our Torah portion this Shabbat we are told, “You shall eat and be satisfied.” It is a Mitzvah to enjoy what you have been given. But that is not enough by itself. The Torah goes on to say, “Then you shall bless the Lord Your God for the good Land which the Eternal One has given you.

We have learned to eat and to enjoy the goodness of our fortunate lives. We must now learn to give thanks and bless God for the prosperity we have been given by using our blessings responsibly.

Shabbat Shalom

Shabbat Shalom

Shabbat Shalom