By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
SAN DIEGO –The last few verses of the traditional Birkat Ha-mazon (Grace after Meals), consisting of verses from the book of Psalms and Jeremiah, are usually sung with a cheerful and uplifting melody. One verse, however, is not sung out loud by some participants. Among the other verses praising God is this one from Psalms 37:25: “I have been young and am now old, but I have never seen a righteous man abandoned or his children seeking bread.”
Why is this verse not sung as enthusiastically as the rest? Because it is not true! We all know good people who suffer and lack the basic needs of life. As Rabbi Reuven Hammer writes in his commentary on our siddur, “Some recite this verse quietly lest it become an insult to those who lack sustenance.” (Ohr Chadash for Weekdays, p. 236)
He points out that one way of dealing with the theological problem is to understand the verse in the way our siddur translates it: “I have been young and now I am old; but never have I looked on at those righteous and forsaken, and allowed their children to go begging for bread.” (Siddur Sim Shalom for Weekdays, p. 236) According to this interpretation and translation, if there are righteous people in need, it is not God’s fault – it is ours. It is our responsibility to act.
A rabbi traveling from city to city came upon a man who was well schooled in Tanakh (Bible), but knew nothing of Rabbinic literature. The man said to him, “Rabbi, I have a question for you but I don’t want you to become angry at me for asking.”
The rabbi replied, “God forbid that I should ever be upset at anyone asking me a question about the Torah.”
The man continued, “Rabbi, in the Book of Psalms it says, “God gives food to all creatures,” and “God gives the beast their food, to the raven’s brood what they cry for.” (Psalms 136:25 and 147:9) I understand that God gives animals their food, but don’t human beings work for and prepare their own food? We have to plant, till, harvest, prepare, and bake before we can eat something as simple as bread? How can the Psalmist say that God gives human beings their food?”
The rabbi replied, “You are right about humans preparing their own food, and that is the way it is supposed to be. God does not give us what we need without requiring us to work for it. What the Bible therefore is teaching us is that it only is after we labor will we receive God’s blessings. They are not automatic.
As we read in parashat R’eih, ‘so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the enterprises you undertake.’ God blesses the work of our hands. Don’t think that if you sit idle, blessings will come to you. Blessings only come to those who work hard to reach their goals.”
So it is with the poor and destitute among us. We don’t rely on miracles to heal the world. We take responsibility for making things better. It is only after we act that God will bless us for the good deeds we perform.
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Rabbi Rosenthal is spiritual leader of Tifereth Israel Synagogue in San Diego. He may be contacted at leonard.rosenthal@sdjewishworld.com