Welcome to the daily chizuk. The pasuk (verse) in this week’s parasha says that Hashem gave us man (manna) in the desert in order to test us. Similarly, it says in parasha Beshalach that Hashem told Moshe, “I’m going to send down bread from Shamayim (heaven) every single day, so that I could test them.” Then the Mefarshim (commentators) asked, “What was the test of the man?”
I saw some say that the test was that it had to be given every single day, and the Jewish people weren’t allowed to save anything for tomorrow. Imagine a person had a large family with little children, and there was some man left over after dinner. The father says, “We have to finish every last piece.” The children ask, “But, Daddy, what are we going to eat for breakfast tomorrow? There’s no other food in the house.” And the father tells them, “Don’t worry, Hashem’s going to send us bread. He’s going to send us more food in the morning.” The test was: Are you going to trust that Hashem will provide tomorrow, or are you going to save up some man? Or are you going to be worried about tomorrow?
Now, I could understand this test for the first month or two, or even for the first year. But how was this a test for 40 years? Every single day, the man was there without fail. Could a person really be worried about tomorrow if, for every day for 20 years, Hashem provided them with man? But the truth is, it’s not really a question. If we look at our own lives, we will see that it was a very big test. Hashem has been taking care of us every day since we were born, yet we still worry about tomorrow. A person could be 60 years old, never having gone a day in his life without having what he needs, yet he’s still worried about the future. Why do we worry so much? Hasn’t Hashem proven Himself? Yeah, but maybe I won’t have this job, or maybe business won’t be good anymore, or maybe tuition is going to be even higher. There are many factors that can make a person worry. But this is one of life’s big tests: Are you going to be worried, or are you going to trust that Hashem will continue to take care of you?
We’re afraid of change. But the Chovot HaLevavot writes that a person has to realize life has many changes. But as long as you know there’s only one Hashem running the whole show, the changes don’t happen. It doesn’t matter. You could have a boy getting married, and he’s worried: “Until now, my parents were supporting me, but now I’m on my own.” Wrong. Hashem was supporting you through your parents, and now He’s going to support you another way. From the beginning of life until the end, it’s all Hashem. The only thing that changes is the scenery.
If a person changes jobs, he’s nervous. Maybe this job won’t produce as much as the old one. It has nothing to do with the old one. It has nothing to do with the new one. It has nothing to do with the job. Hashem supported you through job A until today, and from now on He decided He wants to support you through job B. But you never changed bosses. You’re just being moved to a different division. There will be many new influences that come up in a person’s life. But who is in control never changes. Our job is to realize Hashem is the one who does everything for us. It’s a lifelong test. But as the pasuk concludes, what’s the point of the test? Hashem is only testing us in order to give us even more good in the end. Shabbat Shalom.