Problems need solutions and ailments need cures but often the first step to fixing the problem is through changing perspective.
Exile is a problem and our world afflicted with war, jealousy and evil needs healing and the weeks following Tisha B’av are a time to focus on preparing ourselves and the world for redemption when our world will be perfected for all. The Torah portions we read each Shabbat between the saddest day of the year and the beginning of the new year provide us crucial lessons in how to make this happen.
In this week’s parsha Moshe continues recounting the many details of the forty-year long journey the Jews experienced in the desert before inheriting the Land of Israel. He implores upon them to not forget G-d “who led you through that big and awesome desert, [in which were] snakes, vipers and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water.” Our national experience three thousand years ago was in fact a beta test for what’s happening now. The desert represents exile and entering the Land of Israel represents redemption. Since the diagnosis is half the cure and by properly understanding exile we know how to neutralize it and usher in redemption, let’s unpack the different adjectives Moshe used to describe the desert. The first issue with the desert is that it’s “big.” Desolate desert land dwarfs civilized habitation by millions of square miles. The same imbalance is true regarding divinity and morality in comparison to selfish depravity; altruism is certainly in the minority. When the “big desert” becomes “awesome” it’s intimidating and you will struggle doing the right thing even in the privacy of your own home. “Snakes and scorpions” come next. Snake venom is hot and represents a situation where one is enthused and excited with exile matters. Scorpion venom is cold and represents a situation when one is uninspired and listless about life in general. Worst of all is when “drought” sets in. Even when one is inspired to search for meaning he or she has a hard time finding the “water” of Torah to quench their soul’s thirst - the harshest expression of exile. It all begins with seeing the “desert” as “big.” Of course Torah and Mitzvos are quantifiably dwarfed by everything available out there, but Jews are legendary for ignoring the arithmetic and focusing on quality and depth. Rather than ignoring reality we can choose to see it from a more elevated position. To view the desolate mundane world as a place of opportunity for revealing G-dliness instead of losing ourselves in the crowd by setting aside time from the busy work-day to study Torah, boldly giving charity above and beyond what society dictates and adopting more Mitzvot that initially seem frightening to keep. The ailments of our fractured and bleeding world can be healed with this simple paradigm shift because it all begins in the mind.