Into the Wilderness

May 22-23, 2015 / 5 Sivan 5775

Shabbat Bamidbar

Torah: Numbers 1:1 - 4:20 / Haftarah: Hosea 2:1 - 2:22

“Into the Wilderness”

Dear Friends,

This week, we begin the fourth book of the Torah.  In Latin, the book is called ‘Numeroi’ and in English, ‘Numbers’.  These names describe the first story of the book, that of taking a census of the Children of Israel who have left Egypt.  Its Hebrew name, ‘BaMidbar – In the Wilderness’ is a far better title, for it tells of the powerful situations that arose in the desert as our ancestors traveled towards the Promised Land.

We learn in BaMidbar the little known fact that the former slaves actually arrived at the borders of the Promised Land in only two years.  Yet, when it became abundantly clear that they were too fearful to enter the Land, they continued to live another thirty-eight years out ‘in the desert.’  During this time, a new generation would be born, one that had not known slavery and degradation.  This new generation would have the honor, merit and ability to move into the Land to settle and, if necessary, defend it as truly free and proud people.

We Jews have a thing about deserts.  There are many times in the Hebrew Bible when individuals and groups have gone to the desert.  There, they reflected, meditated, and grew.  Challenge and growth are what deserts are all about. Our ancestors learned that in the silence and ruggedness of existence and in the separation from society with its daily cares, distractions and worries of life, they could contemplate, consider, evaluate and change.  In the freedom of the desert, our tradition tells us that individuals grow up and become strong, self-reliant, independent and proud.  We Jews are a people of the desert.

Yet, nowadays, we, who know so much comfort...  we, who know only the abundance of food, shelter and safety...  we, who have never known real scarcity... we have forgotten the message of the wilderness - whether it be desert, forest, mountain or plain.  We have forgotten what spending some time in the wilderness can do for our Jewish hearts, minds and souls.  We call opportunities for spiritual growth ‘retreats’ for a reason.  Sometimes, we have to go away for a bit in order to get our lives and priorities straight.  Sometimes, we have to take some time alone in the vastness and solitude of the wilderness to get back on track or find a new direction.  When we Jews go to the wilderness, we pray, we think and we study.  We examine our lives, we evaluate, we grow and then we return back to our regular lives renewed and refreshed.

Spring is here and the summer will soon follow.  Plan and take some personal retreat time in the ‘wilderness,’ be it near or far - your backyard, a State Park or beyond.  Take a prayer book along (your High Holiday prayer books are a great start) and take pen and paper, too.   Go alone, or go with another or others who join you in retreat reflection.  We Jews understand that retreat time is a needed diversion from the demands of regular life.  We also understand that in the desert, we discover wisdom and spirituality on a deep and meaningful level.  In the desert, we encounter our lives and consider tshuvah - repentence for past wrongs.  We contemplate our devotion to living with thoughtfulness, mentschlichkeit and blessing.  In the wilderness we change and we grow.  When we return, we are renewed.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow