To See The Good Land
What makes this land "the good land".? How does G-d define "good"
The first chapter of Genesis describes the creation of the world in seven stages or "days".. Ecery day ends with the dramatic declaration "and God saw that it was good". Every one of the six days except on the sdecond day "And God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the water, and let it be a separation between water and water."( Genesis 1:6). The day of separation between the water and the water was not dfeined as good.The Midrash explains that the separation of the waters caused great “sadness” and consternation” amidst the “Lower” waters who were suddenly disconnected form the “Heavenly “waters. At the end of his life we hear Moshe, the humble and faithful servant of Hashem pleading with G-d to let hime enter the good land.
And I beseeched Hashem at that time, saying: “O Hashem G- d, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness, and Your strong hand; for what god is there in Heaven or on Earth that can do according to Your works, and according to Your mighty acts? Let me go over, I pray to You, and see the good land that is beyond the Jordan, that goodly hill-country, and Lebanon.”(Deuteronomy 3: 24-25): This may seem strtange as Moshe is the man who spoke to G-d as men speak to each other This is the man who walked into the fiery mountain and felt the Glory of G- d pass over him. . Yet we hear him pleading "Let me go over, I pray to You, and see the good land that is beyond the Jordan, that goodly hill-country, and Lebanon"
Moshe describes Hashem's answer
26But the Lord was angry with me because of you ( LeMaanchem), and He did not listen to me, and the Lord said to me, "It is enough for you; speak to Me no more regarding this matter.
the calssical translation that reads "the Lord was angry with me because of you " is firstly not characteristic of Moshe . More inmportanmtly the wotrd Because of yopu in hebrew LeMaanchem does not mean because of you but rather "for your sake".
why woyuld Moshe's non entry into the land be something that would be for the sake of his people. The people of Israel were still the children of Israel. The voyage they had experioenced through the deseryt was a bgreat statemnt of faith. "o said the Lord: I remember to you the lovingkindness of your youth, the love of your nuptials, your following Me in the desert, in a land not sown."( Jeremiah 2:2). Yet it was a harrowing voyage. A voyage the people may habve thought could only be done with the guiding hand of teitr masrter and teacher, Moshe. They lived in the desert but they drank from the miraculous well of Miriam and ate of the manna from heaven and were protected in their voyage by the very clouds of Glory.
Could they finf their inner voice and nascent courage if they continued under the shadow of the great leader.All this was to change upon entry into the "good " land. They need to disengage from their dependence on Moshe They needed to end that dependence so that they could discover the spiritual truttgh in the physical reality. that is what this land is all about.This land is the "good " land.
That is waht Hashem is offering Moshe with the following command " Go up to the top of the hill and lift up your eyes westward and northward and southward and eastward and see with your eyes, for you shall not cross this Jordan.( ibid 27)
Rashi explains "You requested of Me “Let me… see the good land” (verse 25). I am showing you all of it, as it says: “And the Lord showed him all the Land” (Deut. 34:1)
What then did He show Moshe;
The land of isarel is like no other land. It is a place wherein the physical melds with the spiritual. Each fruit is prophecy revealed and each raindrop a function of prayer. This is the land where the past and the futeure fold into the present.
We are living in a disjointed world the sages called Alma Deperuda, wherein the pieces of the puzzle remain painfully distant from their natural partners. In such a disjointed world, opposing forces of darkness and light intermingle and it becomes difficult to discern and reveal the goodness within the evil. Yet we read in psalms; “ Sur Merah veAseh Tov – Depart from evil and do that which is good.”( Psalm 37:27)
One could then assume that the way to deal with the complexities of our existence would be to move as far away from discernible evil as is possible. Following that, it would be critical to build walls and fences around what has been salvaged in order to ensure its purity and clarity. Those actions achieve the “Sur Merah – the separation from evil , yet how can or must we deal with the second phase of Aseh Tov-doing that which is good. What then can help us define what is “good”?. Again we turn to the Book of Psalms.
"Behold, how good (tov) and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”(Psalm 133)
Goodness seems to be defined and rooted in unifying diversity.
The land of Israel is the place where that coming together is most possible. That is the reason that there are so many spiritual and self centered forces in this land to doi excatly the opposite. When good begins to flourish the "other side" workls even harder.
So then that is the secret oif this land and the secret of goodness. One must never lose the power of duiscernment yet one must always look for ways to acheive a "coming together" of passions thinking and ideals. That is true for each of us in our personal lives with spouse, children and friends, That is also critiacl Israel as it is for the whole world
Depart from evil and do that which is good and dwell forever .”( Psalm 37:27) in the "Good Land"
