“I implored God at that time saying, "Let me now cross over and see the good land,
that is on the other side of the Jordan, this good mountain and Lebanon.
One of the 10 ways of praying to Godis to ask/beseech, as Moses does in this portion,
for an undeserving gift. Moses, the faithful servant of God, the devoted shepherd of the people, beseeches God from a place of humility and deference.
He knows he is not entitled, not deserving of anything, and yet,
he pleads for God to acquiesce and
allow him the opportunity to go into the Promised Land.
God, with the divine plan and vision will not allow him to enter.
Instead, he invites him to climb the mountain to at least,
glimpse the land from afar. God instructs Moses to look all around.
To not just look at where he is not going,
but also, to look back to where he has come from.
Yes, Moses yearns and longs to enter the land, and concurrently,
he is also able to look back from where he has come.
God allows Moses a moment to reflect, to take stock,
to perhaps feel successful and
to appreciate what he has completed and achieved.
God encourages Moses to focus on the seeds he has planted, and
the long and arduous journey he has taken,
even if he doesn’t get to actually get to his destination.
We also live the same paradox as Moses.
Perhaps we also yearn and plead with God for things that we will never have,
places we will never go, relationships we will never experience,
loved ones we have lost who we yearn for more time with.
How do we react if our requests are denied?
Are we angry with God?
Do we stop believing in God?
Do we turn our backs on God?
Or do we, like Moses, at some point stop praying for that outcome and
allow God to run the world and know what is best for us?
Can we like Moses accept when our supplications are denied and
know that every heartfelt prayer is precious and has an effect
somewhere in the spiritual world.
Like Moses we can also look back at what we do have, things we have done,
places we did go to, relationships we were able to enjoy and so on.
We have the capacity to hold both the disappointments and
the blessings in the same heart.
May we learn from Moses. May we like Moses know when to stop praying and
accept that God knows what is good for us.
May God give us the strength to accept God’s ways,
the ability to appreciate with joy and gratitude what we do have, and
peace knowing that every heartfelt prayer impacts the world for good.
Much love and Shabbat shalom
Elissa
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