Eikev 5782 - The Demands of Gratitude

(12) And now, O Israel, what does your God Adonai demand of you? Only this:

to revere your God Adonai,

to walk only in divine paths,

to love and to serve your God Adonai with all your heart and soul,

(13) keeping Adonai’s commandments and laws, which I enjoin upon you today, for your good.

You shall love your God Adonai with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

^{(Torah reading from parasha VaEtchanan)}

[God] has told you, O humanity, what is good,

And what Adonai requires of you:

Only to do justice

And to love goodness,

And to walk humbly with your God;

^{(haftarah for parasha Balak)}

ועתה ישראל: seeing that this is the situation as of now, it is up to you to try and repair the damage caused by your iniquities from here on in. First and foremost, try and be clear about what it is that Adonai asks of you, expects of you - מה ה' אלוקיך שואל מעמך: [God] does not ask these things because [God] is in need of them, seeing the whole earth and all of the celestial regions are all [God's].

ולאהבה אותו: this will also be a natural result if only you reflect on all the goodness you have experienced at [God's] hand - לטוב לך: all of this God asks only for your own good, so that you will qualify for eternal life in the hereafter.

The Sages taught in a Tosefta: One is forbidden to derive benefit from this world, which is the property of God, without reciting a blessing beforehand. And anyone who derives benefit from this world without a blessing, it is as if he is guilty of misuse of a consecrated object.