Into the Desert

Shabbat Shalom from Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow

April 6-7, 2018 / 22 Nisan 5778

Shabbat Pesach Day 8

Omer: Day 7

“Into the Desert”

Dear Friends,

What did our ancestors, the Children of Israel, really face in leaving Egypt?  As we conclude our week-long Passover celebration and the telling of our ancestors’ miraculous deliverance from bondage, reality starts to set in.  The new normal becomes apparent.

With the crossing of the Sea of Reeds, our ancestors confronted a whole new existence – desert dwelling.  Remember that they were village and city people.  They were farmers and craftsmen living in one of the most fertile regions of the world, the Nile River delta.  What did they know of deserts?  What did they know of camping?  What did they know of the nomadic life? Nothing.  This was a whole new existence – exhilarating and frightening, exciting and challenging in ways no one could possibly imagine.  Soon our ancestors would receive the Torah at Mount Sinai and then they would move on to the Promised Land.  Through forty years of wandering they would emerge as free men and women.

The Talmud asks why it was necessary for the Israelites to endure such a difficult experience.  One answer describes how a crucible of ore must endure the blast furnace in order to produce pure gold.

As we leave Passover behind and set off for the Promised Land, remember that the way of growth is hard and that change is never easy. Remember that the path to maturity, identity, confidence, and pride is rarely smooth, but it is worth it in every way.  Our Jewish tradition teaches that we must go into the desert in order to reach the Promised Land.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow