This week’s Parsha contains the most uplifting and euphoric blessings.
The Torah states that if you listen to the commandments of Hashem, you will be uplifted, blessed, successful and healthy.
I would like to focus on the following verse (Devarim 28, 2) which spells out a unique blessing that will come if we fulfil Mitzvot:
You will not have to pursue prosperity; rather, all the following blessings will pursue you and overtake you if you obey God, your God:
The language of blessings ‘pursuing’ and ‘overtaking’ you is rather unusual. Usually, it is we who pursues the blessing, not the blessing that pursues us.
Rabbi Yosef Chaim of Baghdad explained that this language is describing an extremely powerful blessing.
Sometimes a person experiences true, divine success so powerful and strong that whatever they do prospers. Even if they have done things that naturally would have obstructed the blessing.
Imagine someone who bought merchandise at too expensive a price. The business analysts predict that he will go bankrupt. Then, instead of failing, the unexpected happens. All of a sudden the market for that product becomes so lucrative that he makes tons of money.
Logically, the person should have lost their money. Yet even though this person was doing everything wrong, and practically running away from profit, the blessings chased them down and found them anyway because of the overwhelming favor God has given them.
Perhaps a modern-day example can be found in the story of ‘Google’.
The founders of Google were going to sell their company for less than a million dollars. The buyer thought it was overpriced and didn’t go through with the purchase. Google’s founders are currently mega billionaires because of that failed transaction. Hashem obviously wants them to be wealthy and didn’t allow the sale to go through.
That is what God is promising us in this verse. If we keep His commandments, we will be so blessed that even if we do things that are barriers to success, blessings will pursue us and catch up to us—all because we listened to Hashem.
I love the uplifting note of this blessing.
Personally, in light of the wave of negative media, I am inspired and filled with trust and faith in Hashem, that He is sending us the current challenging circumstances as a blessing. Rather than being regressive, it will be the catalyst to catapult us to far greater success than we have ever had before through G-d’s infinite blessings.
May you and your loved ones be blessed with being pursued by blessings of success, health, nachas and prosperity.
Shana Tova Umetukah,
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Yosef Kantor