The wheat has recently been harvested and there were great rolls of it stacked up waiting to be moved to storage. This was nice to see as we had enjoyed the green wheat and barley fields at Pesach.
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| Wheat field in the Jezreel Valley at Pesach |
But the high-lite of the day was spending Shabbat with dear friends at a beach picnic. It was a gathering of those who live here (many of whom have made Aliyah) and are managing distribution centers around the country. Their vision to help those in need and their selfless giving of their time and resources is inspiring and challenging.
In Deuteronomy 15 the L-rd tells us:
... there should be no poor among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you if only you fully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today.
But G-d knew us even before we arrived in this place. Not too many verses later He also says:
There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.
The provision of the Inheritance that G-d gives is so rich that there should be no one lacking in our midst. But He knows the many and varied reasons why this is not so. So He reminds us to be 'openhanded' towards those in need. Another act of trust~ to open our hands~ our purses~ our schedules~and be 'openhanded'. How much can an open hand hold? Nothing. The L-rd has held back nothing good from us and has asked us to have the same attitude towards those around us in need.
As we traveled today, viewing the abundance of the Land's harvest and visiting with those who are truly openhanded, we are challenged in a new and fresh way to examine our 'fists' and trust the L-rd to pry open our fingers to be more like Him. May we all be blessed with the ability to trust so fully and not hold anything back.
~Side note: If you would like to help the poor in the Land but are not sure where, we would be happy to recommend a list of faithful people and organizations. Just send us a note~
Very very good; It has taken a long time for me to learn that opening my hand is "not losing" anything. Anyone that has lost things all of their life, like the Holocaust Survivors, of which I am one, it was very very very hard to learn to trust G-d but He is so patient and I realized that He is Soooo Trustworthy...
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