Devarim 8: Will Work for Food

Food is the theme of chapter 8. Moshe tells the people that God intentionally challenged them in the desert by withholding food and water, in order to test them. God then brought the miracle of the mann to provide sustenance:“He subjected you to hardship and hunger, and then gave you manna to eat… in order to teach you that one does not live by bread alone, but by whatever the LORD decrees.” (Deuteronomy 8:3)וַיְעַנְּךָ וַיַּרְעִבֶךָ וַיַּאֲכִלְךָ אֶת־הַמָּן אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יָדַעְתָּ וְלֹא יָדְעוּן אֲבֹתֶיךָלְמַעַן הוֹדִיעֲךָ כִּי לֹא עַל־הַלֶּחֶם לְבַדּוֹ יִחְיֶה הָאָדָם כִּי עַל־כָּל־מוֹצָא פִי־ה׳ יִחְיֶה הָאָדָםBut after describing the trials of the wilderness, Moshe reassures the people about what awaits them:“For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with streams and springs and fountains issuing from plain and hill; a land of wheat and barley, of vines, figs, and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey; a land where you may eat bread without scarcity, where you will lack nothing.” (Deuteronomy 8:7–9)כִּי ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ מְבִיאֲךָ אֶל־אֶרֶץ טוֹבָהאֶרֶץ נַחֲלֵי מָיִם עֲיָנֹת וּתְהֹמוֹת יֹצְאִים בַּבִּקְעָה וּבָהָר׃אֶרֶץ חִטָּה וּשְׂעֹרָה וְגֶפֶן וּתְאֵנָה וְרִמּוֹןאֶרֶץ זֵית שֶׁמֶן וּדְבָשׁ׃אֶרֶץ אֲשֶׁר לֹא בְמִסְכֵּנוּת תֹּאכַל־בָּהּ לֶחֶם לֹא תֶחְסַר כֹּל בָּהּIn the desert, the people were fully reliant on God; without divine intervention they had no food. This was one of the reasons they kept complaining to Moshe and Hashem about their food sources. In Canaan, however, God promises them a climate capable of producing a wide variety of staples. There, God will provide the conditions, but it will be up to the people to do their part by planting and tilling and harvesting. Which situation is better? In the wilderness absolved the people of responsibility—God provided everything. In Canaan, the people will have to work the land, but God may not be as visible and apparent. Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch explains that the desert functioned as a training ground. It was a place where God provided both the test and the solution. In the land, however, the people must apply what they learned to everyday life. God tells them that while He may no longer provide overt answers, He will place them in a land structured for success.Moshe concludes by warning the people not to forget this balance:“Take care lest you forget the LORD your God… and say in your heart, ‘My own power and the might of my own hand have won this wealth for me.’” (Deuteronomy 8:11, 17)הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ פֶּן־תִּשְׁכַּח אֶת־ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ…וְאָמַרְתָּ בִּלְבָבֶךָ כֹּחִי וְעֹצֶם יָדִי עָשָׂה לִי אֶת־הַחַיִל הַזֶּהIn this chapter, God teaches the people that while He may no longer supply food directly, He will place them in an environment designed for blessing—and it will be their responsibility to recognize God’s role within their own effort.