When we read about the journey of the Israelites in the wilderness, we might recall the miracles: the manna that fed the people, the water that came from a rock. We could remember the kvetching and the misjudgments: the constant refrain of “let’s go back to Egypt, at least we had fish and cucumbers there,” the Golden Calf, and the scouts who decided that it wasn’t worth entering the Promised Land after all, followed by 40 years of wandering.
Perhaps we also remember the high point of hearing the voice of the Divine. For the Israelite community, that once-in-a-millennium event took place in thunder and lightning and shofar blasts at Mt. Sinai.
But after leaving Mt. Sinai, the Torah tells us The Eternal One spoke to Moses in the wilderness. (Num. 1:1)
Wandering in the wilderness is one of my favorite Biblical images, because we never actually arrive in the Land (within the 5 books of the Torah). The forty years of wandering applies to our individual lives, which are all about the journey, and not about the destination.
As Rabbi Chaim Stern described the Promised Land:
“a land that must have seemed far away, almost mythical, as our own far-off destinations may sometimes seem…
And when we feel we’re lost in a wilderness, we can remember that Moses in the wilderness heard the voice of the Eternal; perhaps we can too.”
After a year of dramatic changes in our journey, we have a long way to go to reach the Promised Land. Indeed, at this point, we are like our ancestors in our Torah portion in the Book of Exodus who are still encamped at the Mountain. Like them, we are waiting for the signal to pack up and start the journey again. Before we do, let’s consider what we have lost and what we have gained in this encampment. What do you want to take with you when it is time to begin to set out?
This past Shabbat morning, we considered these questions, as we read poetry by Maya Angelou, Adam Fisher, and Ruth Brin, and discussed key words to describe our feelings and experiences this past year. We concluded with “A Reflection for Receiving the Coronavirus Vaccine.” Please look at these resources and consider how you are reflecting on the year that has passed. As a group, we each expressed gratitude for this community and for our ongoing connections despite the distance.
In the words of Maya Angelou,
Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Perhaps we, like Moses, can hear the voice of the Eternal as we make our journey.
Rabbi Barbara Penzner
Alone
Maya Angelou - 1928-2014
Lying, thinking
Last night
How to find my soul a home
Where water is not thirsty
And bread loaf is not stone
I came up with one thing
And I don't believe I'm wrong
That nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.
There are some millionaires
With money they can't use
Their wives run round like banshees
Their children sing the blues
They've got expensive doctors
To cure their hearts of stone.
But nobody
No, nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Now if you listen closely
I'll tell you what I know
Storm clouds are gathering
The wind is gonna blow
The race of man is suffering
And I can hear the moan,
'Cause nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.
A Sweet Side of Life
by Adam Fisher
Loneliness
is the dark side
of solitude
which is a
sweet side
of life.