There's a fascinating little moment in the Torah that really highlights this human tendency, and it involves the tribes of Reuben and Gad. They come to Moses with a proposition. They've seen the lands east of the Jordan River, and they're impressed. Perfect for their livestock, they think!
Now, here’s where it gets interesting. According to the retelling in Ginzberg's Legends of the Jews, their request to Moses went something like this: "We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones."
Did you catch that?
They mention the sheepfolds before the cities for their children! Ginzberg points out that this reveals their misplaced priorities – they seem to value their cattle more than their own kids, thinking of the animals first.
Now, Moses, ever the wise leader, doesn't explicitly scold them. But he subtly corrects their order. He replies, "Build you cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep."
He flips the script. Kids first, cattle second.
It's a gentle but powerful lesson. It's not that tending to our livelihoods, our possessions, is inherently wrong. But it is a reminder to keep things in perspective. What truly matters? What are our core values? Are we prioritizing what should be prioritized?
Food for thought, isn't it? What "sheepfolds" might we be putting ahead of our "cities"? And what would it look like to reorder our lives to reflect our true values?