Masei: Territoriality

After the Bnei Yisroel leave Egypt they "wander" in the desert. Why did they need to invade the territory of the Canaanites? Why could the desert bloom for them? It appears that most of the wandering time was peaceful, no one else was claiming the land they were traversing. Did Gd simply reject the early Zionist dream?

The wandering in the desert was a type of exile. It is similar to the exile of the unintentional killer( also detailed in the parsha). The exile ends with the death of Aaron, the high priest. Perhaps, it is an atonement for the unintentional killing of the Egyptians.

The first exile is that of Adam from the garden of Eden. This exile is the result of Eve's trespass. Thus, she is the one who was most severely punished. In the parsha, the entry into the land is an undoing of the exile from Eden. Perhaps that is why it ends with the daughters of Zelophchad being disenfranchised.