Dvarim

August 11, 2024 Journal No Comments

BS”D

Of Leaders, Of Crowds, Of Moving Forward
A Message From Dvarim

An Appealing Political Whirlwind

There is a phenomenon in the United States. A candidate for president and her running mate are heading a movement that is quickly sweeping across the land with fervor, excitement, and joy. Wherever they go, throngs of people gather to see Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz, to be a part of the rousing and electrifying event.

What brings so many people to these rallies? What is at the root of so much excitement and happiness?

Relief from fear, and the promise of freedom. Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz are gathering support to form and lead a new government in which all Americans will have a voice, and the government will act on behalf of the people it serves.

The opposing party has a much different agenda. Their presidential candidate once held the office of President of the U.S. His presidency was marked by lies, extreme incompetence, and widespread corruption. He attempted to exercise powers that were not due him by the Constitution, and he attempted to seize control of the country and remain in power after the people had voted him out of office.

The candidate and his party now have an agenda to seize control of the country again. This time, if the candidate becomes president again, he intends to use dictatorial powers to exact revenge on his political rivals and use the powers of his office for personal gain. He and his political party intend to roll back the wheels of progress to take away women’s right to determine their own health needs, and take away voting rights of racial minorities.

Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz bring a fresh new message to those who threaten to bring America back to the days of racial discrimination and subjugation of women. Even while cautioning their supporters that they still have to fight to win, they also have this declaration about the direction they are moving: “We are not going back!”

Moses gathers all of Israel

Dvarim

There is a parallel between the Harris-Walz campaign, and this past week’s Torah portion, Dvarim.

At the beginning of Dvarim, Moses gathers all the people of Israel to speak to them. The crowd that came to hear Moses was much larger than the crowds at Harris-Walz rallies. Moses gathered all the people of Israel. All twelve tribes. He gathered them toward the end of the fortieth year after they had fled Egypt.

Except for Joshua and Caleb, all those who were adults at the time of the exodus from Egypt had passed away in the wilderness. It was a new generation that Moses spoke with on the other side of the Jordan. He wanted to speak with this generation of Israelites to prepare them for the coming years in the Land of Israel.

When Moses spoke to the Israelites, he wanted to caution them about the dangers of forgetting Torah. The people seemed to believe that they were completely ready to enter the Land of Israel, and that nothing could get between them and Torah. They believed their faith was so strong they could not even imagine a reason to slip.

Moses admonishes them by recalling places they had been on their journey – places where the past generation of Israelites committed transgressions. Whether it was the sin of the golden calf, or Korach’s rebellion, or the complaints about lack of food and water, the people were punished because of lack of faith. And this was a generation that saw miracles every day. The cloud and the pillar of fire were constant reminders of G-d’s presence, and still their lack of faith led them to grave errors.

When this new generation goes into the Land of Israel, they will not see a cloud or a pillar of fire. They will not collect mannah for their meals anymore. There will be no more daily supernatural miracles to remind them of G-d’s continuous presence. If the past generation had these daily miracles and still fell off the path, how can this new generation be so sure of its faith when they don’t have constant reminders?

The answer is they cannot be sure. They can never be completely sure. When the past generation became scared, they would often say, “We should go back to Egypt.” And every time G-d would perform a miracle to show them there was nothing to be afraid of. And He would punish those who spoke of returning to slavery. But that did not stop the Israelites from becoming scared again on another occasion, and again demanding to be taken back to Egypt. And again being punished for lack of faith.

This new generation must go into the land of Israel and virtually burn the bridge behind them. In this way, they will force themselves to have the commitment to keep the faith, and keep their land, and prosper in their lives, and teach these things to their children. This new generation, and all the generations to follow, must remain vigilant, and dedicate themselves to learning Torah and abiding by its precepts. With that forward-looking commitment, the Israelites can cautiously declare, “We are not going back.”