Power: Between personal achievement and divine grace – on the fine line between pride and gratitude

Source: Moses's warning: When power turns into pride

"And [if] you say in your heart: My power and the might of my hand have produced this wealth for me - you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to produce wealth."

(Deuteronomy 8:17-18)

Explanation: From miracle to nature: The danger in success

The Hebrew word chayil here means wealth and economic success. Just before the people of Israel enter the Promised Land—moving from a state of miracle (manna from heaven in the desert) to a state of nature (agriculture and labor upon entering the land)—Moses warns them against the greatest danger of natural success: pride. We tend to claim our successes as entirely our own, forgetting the circumstances, luck, or divine help that made them possible.

Perspective: Power as a gift, not a possession

Western culture sanctifies the myth of the self-made person who built an empire with their bare hands. The biblical verse does not ask us to be weak or passive; it acknowledges that a person "produces wealth." The critique is not aimed at using power, nor at human resourcefulness, but at the fear that one will attribute that power to oneself rather than to God. Power is not inherently bad—until the moment it becomes a purely personal tool used to dominate, get rich, or simply indulge an impulse toward violence.

Going Deeper: Self-serving bias: The psychology of attributing success

Psychology recognizes the "self-serving bias." Reality shows that people tend to attribute their successes to internal qualities (I'm smart, I told you so...), and their failures to other factors (the military chief of staff is incompetent, you didn't listen to me...). It is worth noting that just as power is not necessarily bad and holds great importance, self-affirmation is also important and is not always a negative bias. Leaders need to value themselves, be strong, and attribute wisdom and power to themselves in order to govern. Of course, striking a balance between the two is remarkably hard to achieve, as we see all over the world.

Culture: The anthem of individualism: 'My Way'

The song "My Way," performed by Frank Sinatra (written by Paul Anka, Hebrew version by Arik Lavie), became the anthem of a person looking back with satisfaction and saying: I did it my way. Here is a stanza from the song:

'I loved to simply laugh, there were days I wept as well. And now, when it's all over, I know that I was blessed. I traveled a long road, where I stumbled and rose again, but I always walked in my own way.'

It is a hymn to individualism, to willpower, and to a self-glorifying gaze, yet it overlooks almost entirely the people along the way, good fortune, and grace. This is the romance of personal power at its peak.