THE LORD WAS INCENSED AT ISRAEL, AND FOR FORTY YEARS HE MADE THEM WANDER IN THE WILDERNESS, UNTIL THE WHOLE GENERATION THAT HAD PROVOKED THE LORD'S DISPLEASURE WAS GONE.                                                            

(B'midbar 32:13)

 

THE SPIRITUAL FATE OF THE GENERATION OF THE WILDERNESS - THE ENTRY TO THE LAND OF ISRAEL AND THE ENTRY INTO THE LAND OF LIFE.

Our Sages taught: The Generation of the Wilderness has no portion in the world to come, as is written "And in this desert they shall perish and there shall they die" - "they shall perish" - in this world; "and there shall they die" - in the world to come.

And it us also stated (Psalms 95) "Concerning them I swore in anger, They shall never come to My resting-place." - these are the words of Rabbi Akiva.

Rabbi Eliezer says: They do come to the world to come, as is written (Psalms 50) "Bring in My devotees, who made a covenant with Me over sacrifices." How, then, to understand "I swore in my anger?" - in my anger I swore - but I relented.

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korcha said: This passage refers only to the [immediately] following generations; "Bring in My devotees" - these are the righteous of every generation; "Who made a covenant with Me" - these are Channania, Mishael, and Azaria, who surrendered themselves to the furnace of fire; "over sacrifices" - [these are] Rabbi Akiva and his companions who surrendered themselves to be slaughtered for the teaching of Torah.

Rabbi Shimon ben Menasya says: They do enter the world to come, as is written (Isaiah 35) "And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come with shouting to Zion."

Said Rabba bar bar Channa in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: Rabbi Akiva desisted from his righteousness and said harsh words, as is written (Jeremiah 2) "Go proclaim to Yerushalayim... I accounted to your favor the devotion of your youth, Your love as a bride - how you followed Me in the wilderness, in a land not sown" - if others enter in their merit - then certainly shall not they themselves?

 (Bavli, Sanhedrin 110b)

 

 

THE SOJOURNING OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL:

GOALS OR DESTINY?

Yosef-Hayim Benjo

It would seem possible to call the beginning of the closing parasha in Sefer B'midbar - Parashat Massey: "Invitation to a journey". But perhaps we are dealing not with an invitation but with a necessary order? This idea may raise thoughts about the value of travel and about the meaning of passage from place to place in general: movement without purpose, escape, or perhaps actually a course composed of various stages which advance the traveller to the desired goal. And perhaps, all of these...

I shall attempt, in this dvar Torah, to examine this idea with the help of Torah commentators, although the personal experience of each of us can contribute to the understanding of the subject.

Parashat Massey records a long list of sites at which the Children of Israel camped, from their exodus from Egypt till their arrival at the steppes of Moab. In some cases, mention is made of the event which occurs at the site. Without doubt, this historical and geographical list - ostensibly technical - demands explanation. It is worthwhile to map out these verses against the background of the development of events which the Chumash relates.

 Our parasha closes the Book of B'midbar. The story of Israel and its desert tribulations ends. Before the beginning of the Book of Devarim, which includes Moshe's final will, the Torah offers a summation of the 40 year period in the wilderness.

A long journey has reached its end. Journey's end marks a fundamental change - from a state of slavery to a condition of national freedom, not dependent on any other nation as it enters the Land. Indeed, like all other nations - yet totally dissimilar. Here we have a nation receiving its land - a land in which it was not born, as though to show the rest of the world an example of a nation which is not a member of the family of nations, a society based upon justice and love of the other. In order to point out this change, the Torah relates that the entire generation (excepting Yehoshua and Caleb, of course) which left Egypt died; it will be up to the new generation, which had never experienced servitude, to create the new society.

Again, the same question: Why such a technical list? To remind us what belongs to whom? To remind the new generation of their parents' tribulations, or to remind them of the events which they experienced, or perhaps also to point out that beyond the generational change, there is a single thread which leads the Children of Israel through 42 stages, from slavery to freedom.

Our commentators of old dealt with these questions. Their answers can be organized into two major categories:

1st.Why was it necessary to travel through 42 stations?

2nd.Why was it necessary to mention each of the stations and to detail some of the events?

 

1st. As regards the journeys themselves, Ibn Ezra notes that they are part of the divine plan (as Rabbi Yehuda Halevi writes), and are not the results of chance. Ibn Ezra comments on the verse "Moshe recorded the starting points of their various marches as directed by the Lord" as follows: the clause "as directed by the Lord" refers to "their various marches" [and not, as one might have thought, to "Moshe recorded"].

S'forno sees the trials and tribulations of the wilderness as expressions of meritorious behavior on the part of Children of Israel; they braved all the desert's misfortunes and adversities, and therefore "they were deserving of entry into Eretz Yisrael." The journey is a means of purifying the nation from the impurities of Egypt. This idea brings us back to an incisive question: Entry into Eretz Yisrael - at what price?

Both commentators accept the following principle: In order to move from a situation to an opposite situation, there must be a passage of instability, of travel...

Rabbi Nachman of Breslav goes a great step further in explaining the function of the journeys. He sees a connection between two verses from different contexts: "These are the journeys of the Children of Israel" and "These are your gods, Israel" (at the sin of the golden calf). The transgression caused instability, inability to continue on the straight path; it became necessary to wander in the wilderness in order to return to the earlier condition, to repair it. "These are the journeys of the Children of Israel" is to attain expiation for "These are your gods, Israel" - for idolatry. The journeys are a means of shaking off all remnants of idolatry. Rabbi Nachman details the process: Idolatry (the golden calf) arouses God's wrath (instability) which leads to the sufferings of the journey; subsequently God's mercies are aroused, and they, in turn stimulate an equal measure of compassion among the Children of Israel.

 

2nd. And as regards the second subject: the reasons for the detailed recording of the journeys.

Ramban disputes Ibn Ezra's position, claiming that the recording is part of the divine plan. He reads our verse as: And Moshe recorded as directed by the Lord."

Rashi first tries to define the phenomenon: "Say not that they were constantly in movement all 40 years, having no rest". On the contrary, the itinerary was orderly and well-planned, and thus Rashi explains the reason for the journeys: "To inform us of the goodness of the Omnipresent". By careful examination of the journey's details, Rashi reaches the conclusion that the journeys occurred in measure and in rhythm; "It is seen that during 38 years they marched only 20 times." This provided reasonable time for rest, and the Children of Israel were not in a state of fleeing or aimless wandering.

Midrash Tanhuma offers yet another insight: Rabbi Tanhuma compares writing to learning, "And Moshe recorded" = in order to teach future generations. The journeys remind the Children of Israel of the misfortunes from which they were saved by The Holy One, Blessed Be He, and it was necessary to eternalize this knowledge. Otherwise, the journey would have been considered a normal mission, say, punishment for the sin of the spies; however, after the decree that the Children of Israel would wander 40 years, they discovered that the route was ridden with obstacles and misfortunes, and each stage further recalls the miracle of His saving of the Children of Israel. Rabbi Tanhuma mentions that "One who flees bandits, violates the Shabbat and saves his life... the saving of life takes preference over the Shabbat." Here, The Holy One, Blessed Be He, violated His Shabbat to save the Children of Israel, as He did at the exodus from Egypt, and continued to do so throughout the desert period.

But when they reached the steppes of Moab, at the gate of their entry to Eretz Yisrael, the series of miracles comes to an end; now the Children of Israel face a new reality - freedom demands responsibility, and the entry into their land means the entry into normal reality.

In his Guide for the Perplexed, Rambam develops this idea and adds an interesting twist. He explains that the stories and the lists, censuses and stations, all those chapters which are ostensibly technical, are no less essential than the events or the laws recorded in the Torah. These details are necessary in order to imbue the narratives with authenticity. Rambam adds that this record is not intended for the Jewish nation alone, but for other nations, lest they think that the Children of Israel lost their way, and knew not where they were going, as is written "They are astray in the land" - and so, adds Rambam, do they think until this very day.

In Rambam's view, the list of journeys is relevant to every period, until this day. The Jewish nation is seen as a wandering people, drifting among the nations with no clear purpose, but, reminds us Rambam, "this was not due to their having lost their way; they depended on the rising of the pillar of cloud." Throughout its history, the Israelite nation passed through many stages in order to reach the goal - entry into Eretz Yisrael. It may be said the journeys of the Children of Israel in the wilderness were a kind of rehearsal for our times in which we stand in the gate to Eretz Yisrael.

May it be His will that our current entry be deserving of success.

Dr. Yosef-Hayyim Benjo is a sociologist and educator

 

 

 

What's Happening in Our Movement

Beth Midrash for Peace

 

Lectures and sheurim within the framework of Beth Midrash L'Shalom will take place this year in seven locations.

 

 

 

 

 

Editorial Board: Pinchas Leiser (Editor), Miriam Fine (Coordinator), Itzhak Frankenthal and Dr. Menachem Klein

Translation: Kadish Goldberg

This weekly publication was made possible by:

The Moriah Fund, the Tisch Foundation and private donors

 

To our readers:

We will be happy to have you actively participate in "Shabbat Shalom" by:

• Letters to the editor
• Publication of Divrei Torah (in coordination with the editorial board)

For details, contact Miriam Fine (053-920206 or 02-6730196)

If you enjoy Shabbat Shalom, please consider contributing towards its publication and distribution.

• Hebrew edition distributed in Israel $1000
• English edition distributed via email $ 100

Issues may be dedicated in honor of an event, person, simcha, etc. Requests must be made 3-4 weeks in advance to appear in the Hebrew, 10 days in advance to appear in the English email.

US, Canadia or British tax-exempt contributions to OzveShalom may be made through the New Israel Fund or through P.E.F. Israel Endowment Funds, Inc.

Contributions should be marked as donor-advised to OzveShalom/Netivot Shalom, the Shabbat Shalom project.

New Israel Fund, POB 53410, Jerusalem 91534 (Please include Israeli address and telephone number)

New Israel Fund, POB 91588, Washington, DC 20090-1588, USA

New Israel Fund of Canada, 801 Eglinton Ave. West, Suite #401, Toronto, Ontario M5N 1E3 Canada (Canadian tax exemption)

New Israel Fund of Great Britain, 26 Enford Street, London W1H 2DD, United Kingdom (British tax exemption)

P.E.F. Israel Endowment Funds, Inc., 317 Madison Ave., Suite 607, New York, New York 10017 USA

 

About us:

Oz Veshalom-Netivot Shalom is a movement dedicated to the advancement of a civil society in Israel. It is committed to promoting the ideals of tolerance, pluralism, and justice, concepts which have always been central to Jewish tradition and law.

Oz Veshalom-Netivot Shalom shares a deep attachment to the land of Israel and it no less views peace as a central religious value. It believes that Jews have both the religious and the national obligation to support the pursuit of peace. It maintains that Jewish law clearly requires us to create a fair and just society, and that co-existence between Jews and Arabs is not an option but an imperative.

Oz Veshalom-Netivot Shalom's programs include both educational and protest activities. Seminars, lectures, workshops, conferences and weekend programs are held for students, educators and families, as well as joint seminars for Jews, Israeli Arabs and Palestinians. Protest activities focus on issues of human rights, co-existence between Jews and Arabs, and responses to issues of particular religious relevance.

9,000 copies of a 4 page peace oriented commentary on the weekly Torah reading are written and published by Oz VeShalom/Netivot Shalom and they are distributed to over 350 synagogues in Israel and are sent overseas via email. Our web site is www.netivot-shalom.org.il.

Oz Veshalom-Netivot Shalom's educational forums draw people of different backgrounds, secular and religious, who are keen to deepen their Jewish knowledge and to hear an alternative religious standpoint on the subjects of peace and social issues.

Oz Veshalom-Netivot Shalom fills an ideological vacuum in Israel's society. Committed both to Jewish tradition and observance, and to the furthering of peace and coexistence, the movement is in a unique position to engage in dialogue with the secular left and the religious right, with Israeli Arabs and with Palestinians.

Our activities are funded by donations and one part time employee.

OzveShalom/Netivot Shalom                Tel./Fax 972-2-5664218

Pob 4433                                             Email: ozshalom@netvision.net.il

Jerusalem 94310, Israel                        www. netivot-shalom.org