Finding Holiness in the Wilderness of Life
Numbers Rabbah 23:4
讘诪讚讘专 专讘讛 (讜讬诇谞讗) 驻专砖讛 讻讙 鈥�
讚 讚”讗 讗诇讛 诪住注讬 诇诪讛 讝讻讜 诇讬讻转讘 讘转讜专讛 讻诇 讛诪住注讜转 讛讗诇讜 注诇 砖拽讘诇讜 讗转 讬砖专讗诇 讜注转讬讚 讛拽讚讜砖 讘专讜讱 讛讜讗 鈥徸溩欁� 砖讻专谉 讚讻转讬讘 (讬砖注讬讛 诇讛) 讬砖砖讜诐 诪讚讘专 讜爪讬讛 讜转讙诇 注专讘讛 讜转驻专讞 讻讞讘爪诇转 驻专讞 转驻专讞 讜转讙诇 注专讘讛 讜讙讜’ 鈥徸曌炞� 诪讚讘专 注诇 砖拽讘诇 讬砖专讗诇 讻讱 讛诪拽讘诇 转诇诪讬讚讬 讞讻诪讬诐 诇转讜讱 讘讬转讜 注讗讻”讜, 讗转 诪讜爪讗 注转讬讚 讛诪讚讘专 诇讛讬讜转 鈥徸欁┳曌� 讜讛讬砖讜讘 注转讬讚 诇讛讬讜转 诪讚讘专 讜诪谞讬谉 砖注转讬讚 讛讬砖讜讘 诇讛讬讜转 诪讚讘专 砖谞讗诪专 (诪诇讗讻讬 讗) 讜讗转 注砖讜 砖谞讗转讬 鈥徸曌愖┳欁� 讗转 讛专讬讜 砖诪诪讛 讜诪谞讬谉 砖讛诪讚讘专 注转讬讚 诇讛讬讜转 讬砖讜讘 砖谞讗诪专 (讬砖注讬讛 诪讗) 讗砖讬诐 诪讚讘专 诇讗讙诐 诪讬诐, 鈥徸愖� 诪讜爪讗 注讻砖讬讜 讗讬谉 讗讬诇谞讜转 讘诪讚讘专 讜注转讬讚 诇讛讬讜转 砖诐 砖谞讗诪专 (砖诐 /讬砖注讬讛讜 诪”讗/) 讗转谉 讘诪讚讘专 讗专讝 砖讟讛 鈥徸曌斪撟� 讜注抓 讜注讻砖讬讜 讗讬谉 讚专讱 讘诪讚讘专 砖讻讜诇讜 讞讜诇 讜注转讬讚 诇讛讬讜转 砖诐 讚专讱 砖谞讗’ (砖诐 /讬砖注讬讛讜/ 诪讙) 讗祝 讗砖讬诐 鈥徸懽炞撟懽� 讚专讱 讘讬砖讬诪讜谉 谞讛专讜转 讜讗讜诪专 (砖诐 /讬砖注讬讛讜/ 诇讛) 讜讛讬讛 砖诐 诪住诇讜诇 讜讚专讱 讜讚专讱 讛拽讚砖 讬拽专讗 诇讛 诇讗 鈥徸欁⒆懽�谞讜 讟诪讗 讜讛讜讗 诇诪讜 讛讜诇讱 讚专讱 讜讗讜讬诇讬诐 诇讗 讬转注讜. 鈥�
Why were all these stations privileged to be recorded in the Torah? In return for 鈥巘heir having received Israel, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will in the future give 鈥巘hem their reward, as it is written, “The wilderness and the parched land shall be 鈥巊lad; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom 鈥巃bundantly, and rejoice” (Isaiah 35:1) Now if the wilderness will be thus 鈥巖ewarded for having received Israel, is it not certain that one who receives 鈥巗cholars into his house will be rewarded all the more? You find that the 鈥巜ilderness is destined to become an inhabited territory, while inhabited territory 鈥巌s destined to become a wilderness. Whence the inference that inhabited 鈥巘erritory is destined to become a wilderness? From the text which says, “But 鈥嶦sau I hated, and made his mountains a desolation” (Malachi 1:3). And whence 鈥巘he inference that the wilderness is destined to become an inhabited territory? 鈥嶧rom the text which says, “I will make the wilderness a pool of water” (Isaiah 鈥庘��41:18). You find that at present there are no trees in the wilderness, but in the 鈥巉uture there will be; as it says, “I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the 鈥巃cacia-tree, and the myrtle, and the oil-tree (ib. 19). Nor is there, at the present 鈥巘ime, a road in the wilderness, for it is all sand, but in the future there will be a 鈥巖oad; as it says, “I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the 鈥巇esert” (ib. 43:19), and it says, “A highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall 鈥巄e called the way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be 鈥巉or those; the wayfaring men, yea fools, shall not err therein.” (ib. 35:8)鈥�
This is perhaps the original midrash that foretells land development: the acres of 鈥巉armland-turned-housing developments in the United States or Israel, the acres of 鈥巇esert turned into habitable land. It points us to a deep truth: what is, will not always be; 鈥巜hat is not now, may one day come to pass.鈥�
That life is ever changing makes us curious, grateful, wary. How are we to navigate the 鈥巙ncertainty in a way that makes us feel rewarded? “Is it not certain that one who 鈥巖eceives scholars into his house will be rewarded all the more?” By bringing scholars 鈥巌nto our homes鈥攖hat is, by bringing Torah into our lives鈥攁nd in opening our hearts, 鈥巓ur minds, ourselves to learning Torah, we find that we are open to seeing the ways in 鈥巜hich the wilderness of life is in fact a pool of holiness the waters of which we drink. 鈥嶢nd our souls are nourished.鈥�
