Jews historically visualized the world as a partnership. Do you take from the business and not give something to your partner? Of course not; not if you want the business to survive. You take what is yours and give something to the partner in order to express thanks for his role as well. I used to have a pear tree in my back yard which I did not plant, and which yielded weeks of fruit without an ounce of labor. In biblical times they returned to God sacrificially some of the fruit. God gave our ancestors animals, which they domesticated and raised for food, and they sacrificed some back to God to show their appreciation. In giving up something, in depriving themselves of physical property, they demonstrated a spiritual reality: the presence of God in partnership with us in the universe.
You cannot profess that God exists and then ignore that reality in every action. If God exists, then God must make a difference in our lives. Otherwise, what does it matter? Assumedly, God’s real existence enables us to live by better values, to counter our human inclination to self-absorption and raise ourselves above the animal level closer to the existence of the divine. To do that we must regularize our partnership. You cannot live acknowledging God once in a while and expect that to influence our lives. We cannot live simply saying once a year, "I will help the poor, to acknowledge God in my life." Instead, every day, every decision must testify to God’s existence. When you take a pear off the pear tree you say, “… borei p’ri ha-etz.” “Praised are you Lord our God King of the universe who creates the fruit of the tree.” The natural question for us should be every moment: what would God want me to do here? What do I do when I eat it? What do I do when I drive my car? Do I yell at the guy who just cut me off with his car, or not? Do I give money to that poor person asking for help, or not? What would God want me to do here and now?
Last week I was driving north on Nall, going to the DMV to get my license changed. Driving, I noticed a lady I swear was at least ninety years old, outside in her cleared driveway, wearing what looked like a bathrobe, holding a snow shovel and looking at the snow between the end of her driveway and the street. Clearly, God was presenting me with an opportunity. I drove another block, thought about it, made a u-turn, and pulled into her driveway. She was smiling, like somebody came to visit. She says, “Who are you?” I said, “Nobody in particular.” She said, “You live nearby?” I said, “Not far away.” I said, “You going to shovel the snow?” Now, understand, at this point this grandma was leaning on her car trunk in the garage because she could hardly stand. She said, “I got to be able to get out. My grandchildren are coming over later to do it. But I might have to be able to get out.” But she was standing with the snow shovel. So I got my morning exercise for 5 minutes and cleared the snow piled up between her clear driveway and the street. And ever since I have been thinking about this sweetheart of a lady, and gift to me of her smile, and the nice conversation, and making my morning worthwhile. God gave me an opportunity to give back for all the pear trees God has bestowed upon me in my life.
Leviticus is not only about thanking God for the pear trees, it’s also about responding to the nice old lady. We think of sacrifice as giving up something. But it’s giving up something physical to receive something spiritual. It’s what makes life a blessing.
God touches your life every single day. The question is, "Can you see it, respond to it, and glean the blessing from the moment?"
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