A word of Torah:
In this week’s Torah portion, we are told that it has been a year since the Israelites had left Egypt. Much has happened, including the revelation at Sinai, the worship of the Golden Calf and the building of the mishkan/sanctuary. The Israelites are finally ready to continue their journey led by the cloud of glory, a visible sign of God’s providence to accompany them.
After only three days, they stop and begin complaining about food. At first glance, this sounds like their complaints they expressed about the lack of food and water right after they left Egypt. Upon closer examination, there are significant differences. When they left Egypt, they did not have time to prepare food for the journey. It was legitimate to be worried where they would find enough food to feed such a large group of people. Now they had manna that fell daily from heaven. There was no reason for food insecurity. Yet they complained about the manna and “remembered” their cuisine in Egypt: “the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions and the garlic.” (Num. 11:5).
How do you successfully journey forward into an unknown future? Not by repeating arguments that had some validity in the past, but are no longer very relevant. Nor by carrying with you a distorted memory of an idyllic past instead of the reality of an Egypt where Israelite slaves were beaten by taskmasters. It is equally impossible to move forward if you are weighed down by an accurate memory of the hardships you have suffered in the past. The challenge is to remember the past but not prevent it from letting you move ahead. It is a mistake we all make when we see the present circumstance as a repetition of a seemingly similar circumstance from the past. Things change. The problem of the food supply has been solved. Yet the Israelites act as though nothing is changed.
They are consistent about only two things—their fear of the unknown future and their solution to their present circumstance---a return to Egypt. What they really fear is freedom. Freedom means being able to choose and having to make difficult decisions. This is true of all journeys, both personal and political. As Israelis and Palestinians struggle to imagine a different world, we know that the path ahead will be strewn with obstacles and mirages. May it also be brightened with new thinking and a willingness to look forward, not backward. Memory is only helpful if it provides light and lightness on the journey ahead.
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