Dvarim: The Mistake
This parsha is always read under the pall of Tisha Ba'av. We begin the testament of Moshe as we recall the severity of Gd's wrath, bemoan the banishment, question the severity of the justice, and regret our national errors. In the parsha, Moshe emphasizes a prototype of national error: the sin of the scouts ( miraglim).
I am surprised that the golden calf is not (directly) mentioned. Rather, it seem that it is the sin of heeding the spies, by itself, that leads to the 40 year journey to nowhere. The nation's support for a defeatist approach means that (almost) no one will achieve his destiny.
Punishment is almost always perceived as unfair by the victim. " NOT FAIR" is always the first protestation of the disciplined child. It is quite impossible to mete out an exact corrective for a wrong. We recognize that Hamurabi's code is unfair in practice. There can never be true equality of opportunity, the punishment never fits the crime.
It feels right to consider the actions that brought us to this place at this time of year. The days are getting shorter, harder weather is on the distant horizon, the annual days of judgement are anticipated. Will our lives improve? Are more trials ahead? Will I achieve my destiny? Will I wander forever? Have I repeated the treacheries of my ancestors? How long will their extraordinary punishment protect me from the consequences of my errors?
The transgression that cost Moshe and his generation so much is not simple. Even Moshe agreed to the idea of sending scouts to help plan the approach to the promised land. The enterprise of conquest was to be a joint effort: Gd would help, not do everything. Miracles would be replaced by a charmed, more normal life. The people did not understand courage, they could not balance their perception of reality with their faith that the outcome was promised by a greater authority with a clearer perception. This led to a combination of doubt, debility and loss of discipline.
The 3 body problem of fusing what we see with what we believe and what we understand has no closed-form solution, just successive approximations
Punishment is almost always perceived as unfair by the victim. " NOT FAIR" is always the first protestation of the disciplined child. It is quite impossible to mete out an exact corrective for a wrong. We recognize that Hamurabi's code is unfair in practice. There can never be true equality of opportunity, the punishment never fits the crime.
It feels right to consider the actions that brought us to this place at this time of year. The days are getting shorter, harder weather is on the distant horizon, the annual days of judgement are anticipated. Will our lives improve? Are more trials ahead? Will I achieve my destiny? Will I wander forever? Have I repeated the treacheries of my ancestors? How long will their extraordinary punishment protect me from the consequences of my errors?
The transgression that cost Moshe and his generation so much is not simple. Even Moshe agreed to the idea of sending scouts to help plan the approach to the promised land. The enterprise of conquest was to be a joint effort: Gd would help, not do everything. Miracles would be replaced by a charmed, more normal life. The people did not understand courage, they could not balance their perception of reality with their faith that the outcome was promised by a greater authority with a clearer perception. This led to a combination of doubt, debility and loss of discipline.
The 3 body problem of fusing what we see with what we believe and what we understand has no closed-form solution, just successive approximations
posted by Sheldon Goldberg at 9:00 AM
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