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his week's sedrah por-
trays one of the per-
sistent attitudes in our
career as an external people,
our unique propensity of con-
ducting debates with God.
Moses argues his case before
the Almighty and submits an
impassioned plea on the basis
of justice and equity. He
recalls his debate with God.
"I made a plea to God in those
days, and I said, '0 Lord, let
me cross the Jordan. Let me
enter the Promised Land.' "
Now that seems to be a just
demand that should surely
have been granted. Moses had
started the whole process of
deliverance which began
when he stood bravely before
Pharaoh 40 years earlier. For
four decades in the
wilderness, he led a difficult
and vexing people who fre-
quently rebelled, constantly
complained, and even
reverted to idolatry. He lived
through it all and led them
close to the Promised Land.
Now, finally, at the very edge
of the Jordan, when he wants
to complete his historic task,
he is forbidden to do so. He
wants to know: "What is the
justice in having me die
before I finish the most im-
portant enterprise of my
life?" God responded like a
stern judge and summarily
discussed his claim, saying to
him, "Ray loch, enough now
Do not say anything more
about this matter." God
silenced him brusquely and
denied him any further state-
ment. Why?
By His stern response, God
wanted to teach Moses that
his plea to finish the work
that he had begun is not fair.
Small tasks can be begun,
continued, and finished, but
the great tasks, the world
tasks, are never quite com-
pleted. God said, (in effect,)
"Do you think your job will be
concluded if I let you cross the
Jordan to go into the Promis-
ed Land? Just remember, I
gave you Ten Commandments
to give to your people, to all
humanity: 'Thou shalt not
steal. Thou shalt not kill.'
Have robbery and murder
ceased in the world? Is the
ideal of establishing law,
order and justice completed
anywhere in the world? Such
an endeaver is not easily
finished, and so do not talk of
finishing your work.
"You are the first of the Pro-
phets. I have prepared suc-
cessors. You are working in
■ IP
too great a cause for you to de-
mand to see it completed in
your day. It is not small
enough to be finished."
Moses accepted this deci-
sion against him but felt that
he ought to have some sort of
consolation. God gave it to
him. He said, "Go up to the
summit of Mount Pisgah and
look westward. See the
Lebanon and the plain of
Sharon and the Great Sea
beyond with your eyes." But
what kind of comfort is that?
Actually, it is one of the most
satisfying sources of consola-
tion to be found.
If one can stand on a higher
level and continue to see the .
Promised Land in spite of
day-by-day heartbreak, that
is a glorious spiritual achieve-
ment. In spite of all the crime,
corruption and violence, we
believe, because Moses taught
us, that there truly is a Pro-
mised Land. This is a biblical
affirmation of faith, which in-
6.4
1
Shabbat
Vaetchanan:
Deuteronomy
3:23-7:11
Isaiah 40:1-26,
spired the Jewish will to
believe. This is the most noble
and enduring of gifts because
so long as the heart continues
to have faith, the soul will
continue to strive for
goodness.
A Talmudic dictum describ-
ed the character of the final
judgment. When a man
stands before the Court of
Heaven, after his days on
earth are completed, he will
be asked certain questions.
First: Have you conducted
your business affairs honest-
ly? Second: Have you fixed
regular hours for the study of
Torah? The third question:
Have you maintained your
faith in the salvation of
mankind, have you preserved
your belief in the deliverance
of the world?
We have to struggle to
believe that beyond the Jor-
dan there is still a Promised
Land. Of course, such faith
has to be fought for. It is not
easy in the face of bitter reali-
ty to hold on to such a
resplendent and glorious vi-
sion of the future. But God
demands of each of us to
maintain that faith.
We can ascend to a higher
level and gaze through the
mist of the present and
perceive a landscape of hope.
May the Almighty grant us
such strength and bless us
with such visions. 0
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