Who is a wealthy person?” asks Ethics of our Fathers, and answers: “One who is happy with his portion.” This mishnah teaches that wealth derives from happiness and not the other way around. Further, the mishnah leads to the inference that if one cannot be happy with what one presently has, then further material possessions will also not increase one’s level of happiness.
As well-known and widespread as these ideas may be, deep down many people believe that the portion they presently have is not necessarily their portion, that is, the portion meant for them. As a result, they feel a sense of want that detracts from their happiness and they tend to unduly focus on having “more.”
The mishnah, however, by stating “his” portion instead of “the portion he presently has,” indicates that one’s present portion is indeed his INTENDED portion. The rabbis confirm this message by teaching that what one actually possesses at any given moment in time is what they are MEANT to possess at THAT point-in-time. It is what they NOW require to grow beyond their present spiritual level. If one grows, the tools they require for growth will also increase, according to the need. Likewise, if one spiritually regresses, they might require a reduction of physical assets to stimulate spiritual growth.
This idea is alluded to in this week’s parsha. When it came time to divide the Land of Israel up among the many families and tribes, it was done by way of lottery. Now, normally, for most people, a lottery implies randomness and chance. However, as the Talmud explains (see Rashi on , the lottery used to divide the Land was miraculous, each lot literally verbalizing what piece of land was to go to whom. There was no mistaking the Divine Providence in the division of Eretz Yisroel, and therefore, a family had to accept G-d’s decision as being the best for them.
We may not receive what we need by way of lottery these days, certainly not ones that can talk and confirm G-d’s role in our daily sustenance. However, the message is still the same. We have to be happy with our portion because it IS our portion. It doesn’t mean that you can’t want more, and perhaps, even strive for more. But it does mean that one cannot go through life feeling that you received the “short end of the stick.”
Good Shabbos!
