Shemoneh Esrei 30: And As For Me, Closeness with Hashem is Good
ברך עלינו ה’ אלקינו את השנה הזאת ואת כל מיני תבואתה לטובה, ותן ברכה (ותן טל ומטר לברכה) על פני האדמה, ושבענו מטובך, וברך שנתנו כשנים הטובות
Bless on our behalf – O Hashem, our G-d – this year and all its kind of crops for the best, and give (dew and rain for) a blessing on the face of the earth, and satisfy us from Your bounty, and bless our year like the best years
While the focus of this brachah, asking for our sustenance, is well known, what may be the most important phrases in this brachah, “לטובה–l’tovah (for the best)” and “ושבענו מטובך–v’sab’einu mi’tuvecha (and satisfy us from Your bounty)” [or “מטובה–mi’tuvah (from its bounty)],” are not as well understood and appreciated.
Why say “לטובה” at all? After all, isn’t all sustenance for the good? לטובה refers to our utilizing the sustenance that we receive for the purpose of serving Hashem (Pri Tzadik, B’Chukosai #10). This applies equally to how we eat and how we spend money. For example, if we generally eat healthful foods in healthful portions with a mindset that we are eating for the purpose of strengthening our minds and bodies to serve Hashem, then what we have received is “for the best” and truly a blessing. However, if we consistently eat foods that are damaging to our minds and bodies, or we overeat purely for the sake of our pleasure, then the sustenance will not have been a blessing. This is equally valid when it comes to money. If we wisely spend the money that Hashem grants to us – to provide for our needs (as opposed to our “wants”), to provide for others who depend upon us, and to provide for others in need, then the livelihood will have been a brachah. However, if we consistently spend on excesses and luxuries that we desire but do not need, then the livelihood will not have been a brachah.
What likely determines how we eat and how we spend? Perhaps it depends on our level of bitachon. If we recognize that all we receive comes to us from Hashem and is not a result of our genius, abilities, hard work, etc., then we realize we have a responsibility in how we handle the gifts that Hashem has bestowed upon us. We understand that these gifts were given to us for a purpose and for our good, not only in this world, but more importantly also for the next world. On the other hand, if we believe that we are the cause of our successes, then we feel that we are free to do as we please with “our” money. We then feel that there are no responsibilities, since we “earned” the money and so we can do as we please with what is “ours.”
Chazal tell us that man dies not having realized even half of his desires. This is true even if we had unlimited abundance. Therefore, we ask Hashem that we should be “satiated [from His bounty and goodness],” meaning that we are better off only receiving a part of Hashem’s goodness and being satisfied and satiated with that. This again is equally true for food and wealth. One can eat all kinds of delicacies and never be satisfied, because there is always some new dish out there that he has not devoured yet. Conversely, many people are capable of being satiated and happy with healthful, balanced meals that are devoid of delicacies. If the individual who is number two on the Forbes list is unhappy because he wants to be number one, then he will never be satiated, whereas the individual who understands that Hashem provides to each person what he or she needs will be satisfied and happy. Once again, it all seems to hinge upon our recognition that Hashem gives us exactly what we need. What we have and what we do not have, at least for this moment, are exactly what we need.
Reb Zusia of Hanipole lived in abject poverty. Someone who saw his torn clothing asked him how he could recite the brachah of “שעשה לי כל צרכי–she’asah li kol tzorki (Who has provided me my every need)” each morning. Reb Zusia replied, “Hashem knows what my needs are better than I do. If He has determined that one of my needs is poverty, I am happy to accept His infallible judgment.” Most of us are not able to rise to the level of Reb Zusia, but we can remind ourselves of this truth each time we recite “ברוך אתה ה'–Baruch Atah Hashem” – You, Hashem, are the source of brachah.