For that generation, the challenge was not too difficult, because as Moses had pointed out to them earlier, they had personally experienced forty years of miraculous survival in the desert wilderness, fed by the daily manna and watered by a spring which accompanied them on their journeys. With such manifestations of Divine wonders, they would not be likely to ascribe any future success to their own strength and cunning. Today, however, many centuries away from the Biblical times, we may think that the world operates purely by natural law. That we can determine our own destiny, in which success or failures are due to how much effort we exert.

 

Thus, Moses' message was intended for us even more than for his own generation. True, we are required to work, and the Torah states that Yahveh will bless the work of "our hands"  (Deuteronomy 14:29) but we should not lose sight of the fact that the Divine Blessing, not brains, ultimately determines our fortune. The only difference between today and Moses' time is that there, Yahveh's hand was manifest everywhere, today, however, it is mostly concealed.