Parshat Eikev – Kochi V’Otzem Yadi

There’s an old joke about a man running late for a meeting, frantically circling the block looking for a parking spot. Desperate, he finally calls out, “Hashem, if You get me a parking spot, I’ll start doing more mitzvot—keep Shabbos, put on tefillin, have more kavana, be a better person…”

Right as he finishes his promise, a spot opens up right in front of the building. He looks up and says, “Thanks, Hashem—but never mind, I just found one myself.”

It’s funny—until we realize how often that’s us.

In this week’s parsha, the Torah warns us against thinking “Kochi v’otzem yadi asah li et hachayil hazeh”—“My strength and the might of my hand made me all this success.” We accomplish something, and we tell ourselves, I did it. I studied, so I got a good grade. I worked hard, so my business grew. I made the call, I closed the deal.

We reach out to Hashem when we feel overwhelmed—when it’s “too big for me.” But the rest of the time, we act like we’ve got it handled.

The Torah gives us a powerful formula in Devarim 7:17: “If you say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I, how can I drive them out?’” Hashem’s answer is clear—remember what I did for you in Mitzrayim, and know that I will do it again.

Notice the phrase “say in your heart.” On the outside, the Torah tells us to prepare for battle. Put on your war face. Fight with everything you’ve got. But inside your heart, know the truth—you can’t win on your own. Every victory is Hashem’s doing.

That’s how we’re meant to live. On the outside, you might look like a seasoned businessman who can close any deal. But when you walk into that meeting, in your heart you’re saying, Hashem, this is all You. Without You, I can’t accomplish a thing.

The moment we start believing the success is ours alone, we’ve already lost the most important battle—the one for our emunah.

Hashem wants us to use our talents, to work hard, to show up with our best effort. But He also wants us to remember the Source of those talents, the One who makes every effort bear fruit. The goal isn’t to do less—it’s to do everything with the deep awareness that every ounce of success is a gift from Him.

And when we live like that—fully engaged on the outside, fully connected on the inside—then our accomplishments aren’t just ours. They become part of Hashem’s story for our lives. And that’s the kind of success that lasts.