By Yossi Kahana
In 1955, David Ben-Gurion said, “It is in the Negev that the creativity and pioneer vigor of Israel shall be tested.”
This week, Parshat Matot-Massei covers the years that the nation of Israel lived and traveled in the desert. In it, we hear details about the 40-year journey among the sand dunes and arid landscapes.
On a superficial level, the Torah’s delineation of the 42 encampments of the Jews during the 40-year journey in the desert also looks like a sentimental retrospective. They reached the end of their journey and were taking a look back at the experiences along the way to record them for posterity. However, Maimonides, the great 12th century scholar, points out that the Torah is conveying a deeper message about the special relationship between G-d and His Chosen Nation -- of how He painstakingly took care of them during this time.
The Jews were a nation of nearly three million people who were miraculously fed and taken care of in the midst of the barren desert that surrounded them throughout the 40-year trek. Those who experienced it would surely remember the details, but memories of the wonders in the desert might fade over time, leading to rationalization of the miracles that occurred. Later generations might say that they survived in the desert because they planned the trip very carefully. That they only camped near cities that had adequate resources to sustain them and made sure each place had enough food, water, and shelter from the harsh desert climate.
The Torah, by pointing out exactly where they camped, shows us that this wasn’t the case. They camped in the middle of the desert, far away from any trace of civilization. Yet they survived. G-d provided them with manna, heavenly bread, and water that came from a rock for sustenance. He enveloped them with special protective clouds that kept away dangerous desert animals and the rough weather. Their clothing didn’t fade or tear from overuse or overexposure. G-d showed the Jews that He cared for them and would sustain them.
By listing the encampments, the Torah tells us that no matter how bleak our situation may seem, G-d is there to help us. It is almost inconceivable that three million people could live in a desert for 40 years, yet the Jewish People prospered there with the help of G-d.
In essence, the story of the Jews’ journey in the desert and their survival is the story of our long history to this day. As a nation we have experienced our share of pogroms, blood libels, holocausts, and any other type of prejudice known to humankind. The wandering Jew has ended up in all corners of the world, trying valiantly to find a secure home. Yet those who have tormented us and expelled us from their lands have all come and gone, while the Jewish Nation has survived.
We are no longer wandering the desert. Throughout our history we have been persecuted and exiled, always wandering, trying to find a place to call home. But now we are making a home in the desert, the exact place where we used to wander. With the help of Jewish National Fund, Israel is putting down roots in the remote and arid regions of the Negev and Arava. We are turning sand dunes into communities, we are taking dry earth and planting vast fields and orchids of produce. Ben Gurion’s dream was to see Southern Israel thrive and each and every day JNF is working to make that dream a reality.
Shabbat Shalom,
Yossi
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