As I look around the world today I see the polar opposites of abundance and scarcity. There are people who hunger for food and those who could never consume all of their food. There are those who seek shelter and those whose roof could shelter many more people than it does. We also experience these opposites simultaneously in our lives. What parts of your life are overflowing in goodness? What parts lack proper nourishment?
This tension arises visually in Pharaoh’s dreams found in Miketz. In one, he dreams of seven healthy cows who are consumed by seven emaciated cows. In the other, he dreams of seven bountiful ears of corn that are consumed by seven shriveled ears. Our wise ancestor Joseph interprets this to mean the land will produce seven great years of harvest followed by seven years of famine. To prepare for the scarcity of food, Joseph advises proper planning in the years of abundance.
We do not often have the luxury of that type of planning in our lives, nor the clear delineation between times of scarcity and abundance. What we can do is bring our awareness and appreciation to our abundances and harness them to carry us through our scarcities.