What Does it Mean to Reach the Promised Land (or not)

This week’s portion, Hukkat, brings us, suddenly, into the fortieth year of the Israelites’ wandering in the wilderness. Miriam and Aaron die, leaving Moses alone to finish out the journey to the Promised Land.

But we all know that he does not achieve that goal. In this portion, God informs Moses that he will die before crossing the Jordan River. Like the entire generation who came out of slavery, Moses will perish in the wilderness.

This is a distressing prospect for the man who spent his entire adult life shepherding this people. Moses endured their complaints, advocated on their behalf before God, gave them hope when they were near despair, and kept the ideal of the “land of milk and honey” in their dreams, and his own. How did Moses come to this unfair fate?

In the central incident of the portion, the people complain that they have no water. Moses receives instruction to order a rock to produce water. But instead of speaking to the rock, he strikes it (Hebrew: vayach). Water pours out. God condemns Moses, accusing him of lacking faith and announces that he will not enter the Promised Land. (Numbers 20:8-12)

One might argue that Moses could easily have confused the instructions, given that, when the Israelites complained at the beginning of their journey that they had no water, God ordered Moses to strike a rock to produce water. (Exodus 17:6) Others claim that Moses lost his temper.

This is not the first time Moses strikes in anger. In his first adult act, Moses struck (vayach) an Egyptian taskmaster who was beating a Hebrew slave (Exodus 2:12).

Aside from these examples, Moses manages to control his anger for forty years. In fact, he is often in the position of calming divine anger against the Israelites. This leads me to wonder, how did Moses learn to control his anger? And is there a direct correlation between striking the rock and dying in the wilderness?

In the closing passages of our portion, we have a clue to Moses’ inner life. On the last stage of their journey, the Children of Israel are traveling through enemy territory, preparing to enter the Land. Before they face the dreaded giant King Og of Bashan, God tells Moses, “Do not fear him.” (Numbers 21:34)

Yet we have no indication that Moses was afraid. Only once before has Moses admitted fear: when he killed the Egyptian taskmaster. (Exodus 2:14)

Rabbi Israel Lifshitz, a nineteenth century commentator, tells a tale that opens a window into Moses’ inner life. When Moses brought the Israelites out of Egypt, all the people of the world were amazed at this great man, Moses. One of the neighboring kings sent his greatest painter to bring back a portrait of the great leader, so that he might learn something from him.

When the painter returned with the portrait, the king invited all his wise counselors to examine the portrait and tell him the qualities of this leader. After studying the portrait, they decreed: based on this picture, we must conclude that this is a wicked, proud, envious, and obstinate man. The king grew angry and responded, “Don’t you know that this is a great man who is known all across the earth? How can you say such things?”

The king rode out to where the Israelites were camped so that he could see Moses for himself. When he arrived, he was shocked to see that Moses looked exactly like his portrait. The king went into Moses’ tent, bowed before him, and told him what the counselors had said about him.

Moses answered, “It’s true that all the faults that your wise counselors have ascribed to me are indeed part of my nature, perhaps even more than they know. But through hard work, I have overcome these faults.”

Surprisingly, Moses, who is known in the Torah as “the humblest man on earth” (Numbers 12:5), is described in this tale as “wicked, proud, envious, and obstinate.” Moreover, Moses admits to having these qualities. This audacious account reminds us that even those who appear to be the most noble and pious struggle to confront and contain their weaknesses.

Judging by our portion, Moses continued to struggle throughout his life. Though he knew and accepted his anger and fear, he could not erase them from his soul. Though his faults did not enslave him, he could not be master over them either.

Moses’ heroic inner struggle is perhaps even more meritorious than his deeds as leader of the Exodus. The question remains, is there a correlation between Moses’ actions in our portion and his destiny?

I would argue that Moses was not punished for striking a rock. Rather, he and Aaron and Miriam had been destined to die in the wilderness thirty-eight years before, when they were told “none of the men who have seen My Presence and the signs that I have performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, and who have tried Me these many times and have disobeyed Me, shall see the land that I promised on oath to their fathers.” (Numbers 14:22-23)

In fact, Moses, Aaron and Miriam all outlived the slave generation. Moses received the privilege of viewing the land of Canaan from Mount Nebo before he died. Though he grew up in Egypt, he lived to see a new generation arrive, in freedom, to the banks of the Jordan.

Our lives are filled with inner struggles as we travel through the wilderness. Some of us may be privileged to see our dreams fulfilled, others may not. Moses teaches us that the greatest achievements occur within, as we face our fears and failures.

This column appeared in The Jewish Advocate on June 25 under the title, “Traveling Across the Wilderness.”