Hashem desires those who fear Him; those who await His kindness.
(Tehillim 147:11)
The Zohar in Parshas Beshalach explains this pasuk: Who are those who fear Him? Those who await, anticipate and ask Hashem for their food every day. Rav Yeysei Saba would not set his table with food each day until he would beseech Hashem for his food. He would say, “Let us not set the table until our food is given to us from the King.” He would wait some time and then say, “Now is the time, it has been bestowed upon us by the King.” This is the way of those “who fear Him”.
What is the meaning behind the conduct of “those who fear Him” as exemplified by Rav Yeysei Saba? Why would He not partake of food that he already had before praying to Hashem for it?
Additionally, why is the prime example of “those who fear Him,” “those who constantly await his kindness and ask Him for their sustenance every day”? Even people who don’t especially fear Hashem ask for and await His kindness. The Gemara says that even a thief asks for Hashem’s help when he steals. It would seem that there are far better examples of “those who fear Hashem”.
Perhaps the pasuk is teaching us the surest way of attaining fear of Heaven. There are many ways one may inspire himself to fear Hashem, however, these are temporary; as time passes so does the inspiration.
However, when we realize that even what seems to be in our possession we don’t really have without Hashem’s constant kindness, and we internalize this by asking Hashem for our every need and awaiting His fulfillment of them, our fear of Heaven becomes as permanent as all of our needs. To internalize this, even one as great as Rav Yeysei Saba saw fit to go through the process of asking Hashem for the food he already possessed before partaking of it.
Let us not take anything for granted. We need Hashem’s intervention for everything we eat and do. We don’t doubt this, however, without acting upon it, it remains in our mind, not in our heart. Let us internalize this truth in our hearts by focusing upon it, calling out to Hashem for our every need, and awaiting His assured kindness.
Other parts to this series: Inspiration in Bitachon
