The
Torah portion for today is such a challenging reading as well as a telling one
for us as individuals as well as congregations and as an association. The book
of numbers tells the story of the Jewish people
wandering in the wilderness after achieving their freedom from slavery
in Egypt. They were searching for their homeland continuing the story from the
book of exodus. Throughout the journey in the wilderness there is a constant
what the Bible calls murmuring, we might say complaining. There was an
insurrection that was violently put down, and at one point even Aaron and
Miriam challenged Moses for leadership. Even after Moses learned to delegate
authority, people struggled with any form of hardship, even proposing going
back to Egypt. It is natural to fear the unknown, Some people prefer the
harshness but certain existence of how things were, but we if we are to be who
we were meant to be we have risk a little uncertainty.
Different
then the book of exodus when God was very forgiving to the people when they
murmured, In Numbers God was willing to wipe out the people due to their
complaining . The only thing that saved the people from God’s wrath was Moses
holding fast to the hope for the people. But even Moses (just like ministers
occasionally) gets frustrated, with the people complaining and strikes the rock
instead of talking to it to provide the water to save the people. For this Moses is banned from ever entering
Israel. Lets give Moses a break ok, He was working 70 hours a week, preaching
and teaching and probably even creating a newsletter on tablets for the people.
Now we can look at this story as how a large group of nomadic people learned to
govern themselves, that is probably some truth to that.
But
I see
a beautiful story of overcoming insurmountable obstacles it is the story of
sticking with it, it is the story of despite doubt and hardship continuing to
move forward.
I
have to admit, growing up Jewish in the Bronx in NYC, I did not have a lot of
experience with the physical wilderness. I hate to perpetuate stereotypes but My
idea of wilderness was going to the Bronx Zoo.
Now my wife Jan on the other hand grew up camping her entire life. So
after we dated a while she suggested we try camping for a weekend. And being the willing suitor that I was I
agreed. After we had procured all the
proper equipment for tent and fire building and the mandatory marshmallows, we
headed out on the highway to unknown territory.
Then
it started to rain….and then it started to rain harder. I’m talking Noah and
the flood kind of rain.
I saw
this as a sign of impending doom,
but
I hung in there. We finally make it to
the campground and check in and as I get back into the car to drive to the
campsite, mind you it still pouring down rain, our car is stuck in the mud.
But
I remained calm, and I still hung in there.
I
said to myself, I’ve seen something like this on tv.
I
can handle this. That will impress
her. So I start rocking the car back
and forth and then I tell jan to hit the gas and you guessed it, as the car
lurches out of the mud all the mud just flies all over me head to toe. At
that point, I swallowed whatever little pride I had left and said we are going
to a hotel tonight. But I washed myself off, hung in there and came back the
next day and put up the tent in the rain and Jan created a fire in the rain which
really impressed me. I spent the rest of
the weekend communing with nature and had a wonderful time. Maybe not the land
of milk and honey, but it was nice
Sometimes
doing new things, learning new things, can be difficult or messy.
It
takes us a while to figure out how things work.
We often though when doing new things find a reservoir of skill and
determination that we never previously knew we had. Now for many years thereafter and later on
with our children, we went camping often, and things got easier over time,
but
it never would have happened it I first hadn’t agreed to go along on the trip into
the great unknown and if I hadn’t stuck in there, despite the setbacks, despite
the rain, despite the mud.
Sometimes
we just have to stick with it and believe that it will get easier and live into
that future.
So
the wilderness can be seen as a place we need to travel through on the way to
our destination, as a test, as a place to receive revelation, as a
place to find enlightenment,
The wilderness
does not have to be a physical place but can also be a state of mind.
Some
people do not want to leave the comfort of the status quo, but to find
transformation we have to journey into the unknown Its hard, muddy work. We
have to risk getting dirty and being uncomfortable. But
this story of Moses and Hebrew people tells us, if we are ever to reach our
destination, we need to stick together, even when we sometimes don’t agree with
the direction. It may take us longer, but
if we are ever going to fulfill our destiny as a religion we have to stick
together, and have faith in each other.
At the end of this story, Moses, Aaron, and
Miriam all die before the community reaches their destination. This message tells
me that eventually old ideas and ways have to die if we are going to make room
for new ideas, and new ways and new people. That is the hardest thing I think,
to leave behind the skills that got us to where we are.
So
I encourage you to be open to change, because another truth is the things we
need to get us out of slavery, the things we need in the wilderness through the
hard times, are not always the same skills we need to create something new.
May
our journey bring us wisdom, may it bring us peace, may it bring us healing. I
would rather die free in the wilderness with you than be a slave in and to the
past. Let us go and find those who are fleeing, let us all gather and let us
walk together into an uncertain future, a future where we can build the world
we dream about. Let us all find our way home.
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