Because of modern heating and air conditioning, it is easy to ignore how harsh winter and summer can be in this part of the country. And with the convenience of modern communications through television, radio and, especially, the internet, there are few reasons to feel cut off from news, educating ourselves and entertainment in our own homes. Electricity, water and gas lines make home an easy place to stay, and the machines we use to wash dishes and clothing and to vacuum the floor help to make housekeeping lighter than it might be.
All of these things dis-incline us to leave the house, especially when it is as hot as it has been this summer. If we could just get someone else to do the food shopping, some people could consider never leaving the house at all and be perfectly happy. The problem arises when leaving that kind of comfort is not simply an option but a mandate. Children cannot stay home all day every day; they must go to school. Those who work usually do so outside the home. Without direct, human contact, our sense of connectedness to other people withers. Staying in can be comforting, but staying in too long can be stultifying.
The Torah gives one small hint that something similar happened to the Israelites as they reached the last step of their journey to the Promised Land. Having wandered for forty years in the wilderness, where their needs were provided by God – the water came when they needed it, the manna and other food came when they needed it – they now have to conquer this land and make it their own. We know that when they finally began that process the manna stopped falling. They appear to have been lingering at Mt. Horeb, as God tells them “You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Start out and make your way to the hill country...” The extended period of wandering was supposed to be a punishment for the previous generation’s sins, not a permanent holding pattern. Fearing complacency, God orders them to begin entry to the land. We should remember that lesson and not allow ourselves to let our own comfort turn to complacency. There is a time to linger at Horeb and a time to fulfill our destiny.
