Why living in abundance tests gratitude, compassion

Re'eh

Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17

Isaiah 54:11-55:5

Being tested is a recurring biblical theme. Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, hid in the Garden of Eden and were asked, "Where are you?" Cain, quizzed by God, was asked, "Where is your brother Abel?"

Sarah and Abraham, both well past childbearing age, were promised by God that they would bear a child; this story of the binding of Isaac even begins with the words, "God tested Abraham."

The faith of Rebecca, a mail-order bride, was tested when she left her home to meet a husband she had never seen. Leah's patience was tested when she was passed off in marriage as her younger sibling to a man who did not love her.

Joseph's morals were tested when Potiphar's wife made advances toward him. He was further tested when his brothers stood before the unrecognizable Joseph as he considered revenge over their having sold him into slavery.

Moses' leadership was tested by the never-ending complaints of the Israelites about their accommodations, provisions and by their lack of faith, especially after they personally witnessed God's miracles.

Re'eh, this week's Torah portion, warns the Israelites not to be taken in by a prophet or dream-diviner who tests them by asking them to follow and worship another god:

"For the Lord your God is testing you to see whether you really love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. Follow none but the Lord your God, and revere none but Him; observe His commandments alone, and heed only His orders; worship none but Him, and hold fast to Him" (Deuteronomy 13:4-5).

Such a false prophet or dream-diviner was destined to be put to death. The same fate was prescribed for anyone else who advocated such theological deviance. If an entire town had accepted these alien gods, then the entire town and its inhabitants were to be destroyed and never be rebuilt.

But of all the tests our biblical ancestors had to endure, the most fascinating test was one that was dramatically different from any of the others. The Israelites were reminded that in the land their descendants would occupy, tithes would have to be set aside from the rich harvests of grain, wine and oil to maintain the priesthood, but also to care for "the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow" (Deut. 14:29). It concludes with the admonition, "You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor, and to your needy kinsman in your land" (Deut.15:11).

The supreme test was not to forget acts of charitable kindness in the rich land filled with copious resources, a land where they would lack for nothing. Nevertheless, a preceding text includes a stern warning:

"When you have eaten your fill, and have built fine houses to live in...and everything you own has prospered, beware lest your heart grow haughty and you forget the Lord your God -- who freed you from the great and terrible wilderness...and you say to yourselves, 'My own power and the might of my own hand have won this wealth for me'" (Deut. 8:12-17).

Thus, the supreme test in the Torah is the test of abundance. When afraid and vulnerable, people are more apt to offer prayer and give charity. When recognizing how little control they have over life, Jews come to the synagogue and commune with God.

The test of the Israelites entering the Promised Land is the test all people confront in the face of abundance: Will we become so consumed with our personal success that we take all we have for granted? In the face of comfort, will we forget God and fail to open our hands wide to the needy? The supreme test is to remember the widow, the homeless, and the poor, and then give thanks to God for all we have -- when we do, indeed, have it.

The title of this Torah portion, Re'eh, offers the reader an important reminder. The word re'eh means "see." We are commanded to "see" our abundance and luxury, as well as the plight of those in need. "For there will never cease to be needy ones in your land, which is why I command you: open your hand to the poor and needy kinsman in your land" (Deut. 15:11).

In heeding the charge of the Deuteronomist, may we also be uplifted by the words of the Psalmist (139:23): "Search me, O God, and know my heart,/ Try me, and know my thoughts."