Like it or not, humans need four things to survival. Without food, oxygen, water, and shelter, human life is impossible. Why does God create us with the struggle to find each of these things every day? Why would there be the hungry, thirsty, or homeless? Perhaps, each of these things is not just a necessity. God gave us four blessings.
Food is a blessing that we can physically enjoy. To taste a delicious dessert or a warm soup is a blessing in itself. The culinary arts are an amazing field, yet others enjoy creating their own food masterpieces. As beautiful as food can taste, it can be a struggle for some. Each day we choose what to put in the human body. An ice cream cone is a chain on the road to obesity, yet an apple a day can keep the doctor away. We can not blame God for obesity, for we create our own bodies. For Jews, this discipline advances a step further. Orthodox, Conservative, and even some Reform Jews, like myself, keep the Kashrut. The Kashrut are the Jewish dietary laws. These Jews are commanded to abstain from eating and mixing certain foods. God gave us this blessing to enjoy life, but Adonai also presented food to teach discipline to the masses.
Oxygen is life's only constant. We can go days without food, water, and shelter. Seconds without oxygen is so deathly. Oxygen can shows us that some things never fail to happen. To breath is such a simple task, yet it is so crucial. Air is air, right? Wrong! Just as humans have been revolutionizing the culinary arts, they have been revising the air as well. Unfortunately, we probably should have stuck to our original draft. Since the Industrial Revolution, we have been forming our own downfall. I speak the truth, not to frighten us, but just to put it out there. As far as we know, Earth is the only place that has the right balance of air to sustain life. Without a clean Earth, we have nowhere to perform the "simple" task of breathing.
Water shows us how to care for others. It is a blessing for our mind and heart. While some of us can just go to the faucet, others walk miles to find a drink. Why? Water presents ourselves with the power of compassion. Those replete with water could lend a hand to the thirsty. Eventually, no one will have to work hard. Instead, thirst is just as much as hunger. What is the difference? Hunger shows on the body. Humans get skinnier and skinnier when they have no food. Thirst messes with the mind. Poor water supply is the silent killer.
According to my own beliefs, shelter is the most important of the four necessities. Shelter brings us together. When shelter is not a factor, humans are just single wanderers. Without a home, the idea of family does not exist. As my father put it a few weeks ago, "Family is the place where no conversation is too awkward." I know I have at least three people that I can come to with anything. This does not even include my aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and other relatives. These three people live with me. We endure everything together, whether we want to or not.
During the journey through the desert, the Israelites beg for food from God and water from God. Even in a sandstorm, the Israelites would rely on God to give them the lasting breaths for life. Why does God gives us these shackles? Food brings hunger and morbid obesity, but it also brings the splendors of taste. Water entails the suffering of the thirst, yet we can open our hearts and give compassion. Oxygen never seems to stop demanding of our attention, but it is routine. It provides the smallest stability in the roughest of time. At least, the Israelites had each other. On this Shabbat, may we all rest in our tents together.
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