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The gifts G-D gives us must be earned through righteousness, and maintained through righteousness. Always look up to receive!
The ideals which make for good character are not necessarily tangible; temptations, however, are always part of the material world - even power! “How so?” you may ask (since we’ve heard all-too-often about its corruptibility!). Power is about controlling people and industry (their bodies - actions, rewards, and punishments).
In our parashah, when G-D instructs the Israelites to turn around, by way of the Sea of Reeds, to the Wilderness (Deuteronomy 1:40), this speaks to us by essentially telling us - through this admonition - to retrace your (or our) steps to freedom, remember where you come from, and what I (G-D, in this instance, of course) have done for you.
If you want to understand how you arrived at this particular place in your life and time - geographically - all you need to do is retrace what happened along the way. You must evaluate where you came from, and why. Further still, you must look at your family’s history - our parashah mentions Laban - and at how we must all learn from their mistakes.
We are constantly separating from evil, which includes people. After all, one is known by the company one keeps. Those who wanted to take Canaan after the spies’ evil report, and their punishment, serve as prime examples. You cannot avoid consequences of your evil actions by pretending you get a do-over. There are times when it is too late to try to make things right. You must accept your punishment and repent - do good from then on, but the goal must be holy, and not self-serving.
We must all learn to recognize when our goals are no longer attainable, and turn around, and accept the consequences that affect not only ourselves, but also our generations. First we lost our ability to reclaim our inheritance in the desert. Then came the destruction of the first Temple, then the destruction of the second one. . . Each time we were separated from our inheritance for longer periods of time.
When G-D wants us to claim what is meant to be ours, we must not only prove ourselves worthy, but we must continue to do so.
What is ours will always remain ours, even if we are physically apart from it (in the material world). However, we must learn to treasure our connection with G-D.
What was true then is just as true now. Humans continually make the same mistakes - longing for (i.e. following) false gods, such as lust, power, control - treasuring the wrong things, and closing their eyes to what is truly worthy and real.
Of late, Egyptians have been going backwards, historically. Perhaps this is due to their being so far removed from true reality. If you have to fight an outside “enemy” to unite your people, then a country’s idea of power and control is fatally flawed.
The Jewish people were made into a Nation by G-D, to unite for G-D, good, love, peace, justice, fairness, and kindness. This is inherent in the Torah’s laws. Through all of our separations, we remain the Children of Israel, united under “G-D,” and for G-D. We are purposed to lead the nations of the world - towards peace, love, kindness, etc.; additionally, for justice - not to control the world, not for power - but because we are all G-D’s Children. We are all connected.
We have been - and in some cases, some of us still are - oppressed, but we do not oppress others. We have always fought for freedom, justice, peace, kindness, etc., wherever we have found oppression. World history, and American history as well, have examples to demonstrate this.
Maybe for this alone has Adonai continued loving and supporting our people. Essentially, we are guardians of the messages G-D desires us to impart to one another.
Pray for Israel. Pray for everyone. Pray for peace! I’d love to know what you think! You may e-mail me, call me, write your thoughts on my blog page on goodreads.com, or on my Facebook page.
Shabbat Shalom!