THE ETERNAL YOUR G-D IS WITH YOU

בס"ד

EEN GEDACHTE OVER PARSHAT DEVERIM 5786

Hashem Elohecha Imach – The Eternal Your G-d Is With You

Deuteronomy 1:1

“These are the words that Moses addressed to all Israel on the other side of the Jordan.”

This parashah is always read on the Shabbat before Tisha B’Av. This is no coincidence. In Devarim, Moses looks back on Israel’s journey through the wilderness and reminds the people of those moments when their trust in G-d faltered. One of the most significant examples was the sin of the spies.

Twelve spies were sent to scout the Land of Canaan. Ten of them returned with a discouraging report. The people became frightened and refused to enter the land. That night they wept.

The Talmud directly connects this event with Tisha B’Av:

“And all the congregation lifted up their voice and cried, and the people wept that night” (Numbers 14:1). Rabbi Yochanan said: That night was the night of the Ninth of Av. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: ‘You wept needlessly on this night; therefore I will establish for you a true cause for weeping throughout the generations.’” (Taanit 29a)

Over the centuries, Tisha B’Av became associated with a series of national tragedies, beginning with the decree against the generation of the wilderness and later including the destruction of both the First and Second Temples. What began as a night of misplaced fear became a day of national mourning throughout Jewish history.

For the generation of the wilderness, it could not have been easy to hear that they would spend another forty years wandering through a barren desert and not live to enter the land.

Yet Moses later reminds them of something remarkable:

“The Eternal your G-d has blessed you in all your undertakings. He has watched over your journey through this great wilderness. The Eternal your G-d has been with you¹ these forty years; you have lacked nothing.”

(Deuteronomy 2:7)

You Have Lacked Nothing

The saintly Maggid of Kozhnitz notes in his work Avodas Yisroel that this verse is especially striking because of the circumstances in which it was spoken.

Israel was not living in comfort or security. The Torah describes the wilderness as:

“Who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with fiery serpents and scorpions, a thirsty land where there was no water; who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock.”

(Deuteronomy 8:15)

For forty years the people lived amid danger, hardship, and uncertainty.

And yet Moses says:

Lo chasarta davar — “You have lacked nothing.”

How can that be?

The answer lies in the same verse:

Hashem Elohecha imach — “The Eternal your G-d is with you.”

The circumstances were not easy. The dangers did not disappear. The wilderness remained a wilderness.

But once the people recognized that G-d was with them, their perspective on those circumstances changed. They realized that they had never truly been abandoned.

King David expresses the same idea:

“Though I walk through the valley of deepest darkness, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

(Psalm 23:4)

Elokim and the Hiddenness of Divine Guidance

The Maggid’s insight raises an important question: How does G-d accompany us when His presence is not immediately visible?

Jewish tradition addresses this through the Divine Name Elokim.

Moses says:

Hashem Elohecha.

In Jewish tradition, the Name Elokim is associated with G-d’s governance of the world through the natural order. The Sages note that the numerical value of Elokim is the same as that of ha-teva (“nature”).

When the Name Elokim is emphasized, G-d’s guidance often operates in a hidden manner. Events appear to follow ordinary causes and effects. We see circumstances, people, and events, while G-d’s hand remains concealed in the background.

This is exactly what we see in the wilderness: barren landscapes, lack of water, poisonous creatures, and countless natural dangers.

Yet the Torah teaches that behind this hiddenness lies a deeper reality. Behind the natural events stands the Creator who continues to guide the world.

Hiddenness does not mean absence. It simply means that G-d’s presence is not always immediately visible.

The G-d of All Flesh

Hidden providence does not mean distant providence.

The Torah goes even further and teaches that the One who guides history also knows every individual personally.

In Numbers, G-d is described as:

“The G-d of the spirits of all flesh.”

(Numbers 16:22)

The Sages explain that this expression emphasizes that G-d knows the thoughts, motives, and inner world of every human being—not only those of Israel, but of all flesh, of all humanity.

His providence is therefore not merely a general concern for the world. It is also a personal involvement in the life of each individual.

When a person feels forgotten, G-d still knows his thoughts.

When a person struggles with doubt, G-d knows that struggle.

When a person desires to draw closer to Him, G-d knows that desire as well.

What Can Noahides Learn From This?

Although Moses is speaking to Israel, this lesson contains a message for every human being.

Everyone experience periods of “wilderness” in their lives—times of uncertainty, loss, waiting, illness, disappointment, or confusion. During such moments, it may seem as though events are merely the result of circumstances, chance, or natural causes.

The name Elokim reminds us that G-d often works through the natural order. Miracles are not always open and obvious. More often, His guidance unfolds through ordinary events, encounters, opportunities, challenges, and even setbacks.

But the Torah teaches us that hiddenness is not the same as absence.

The same G-d who guided the generation of the wilderness remains involved with His creation today. He knows not only the world, but also the people who live within it. He knows their thoughts, their concerns, and their aspirations.

When we look back on our lives, we often discover that events which once seemed meaningless or painful later reveal themselves to have been part of a larger design. What first appeared to be coincidence turns out to have been providence.

The generation of the wilderness eventually learned that even forty years of wandering did not mean abandonment.

Hashem Elohecha imach — “The Eternal your G-d is with you.”

This was Moses’ message to Israel as they stood on the threshold of the Promised Land, and it remains G-d’s message to every person who finds himself in a wilderness today.

Because when G-d is with us, even the wilderness is no longer a place of abandonment.

Therefore they could say:

Lo chasarta davar — “You have lacked nothing.”

Door Angelique Sijbolts
Met dank aan Rabbi Tani Burton

Footnote

1.  This refers to the children of the people who left Egypt, those who were below 20 when the decree was given. ︎

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