I will be the first one to admit there are many things that I am absolutely petrified of. Having my blood taken is the perfect example. I have built it up in my head some much that even the sight of someone having their blood taken turns me green. When it was decided that we wanted to showcase the wonderful efforts of the Noni Dodge Blood Drive here at Temple, I could not even walk past the room in fear that I would see someone having their blood drawn. All of this fear toward needles, veins, and the like is completely irrational. I know I am not being harmed. It’s just a reaction to the small sample size of experiences in my life.
This week’s Parsha, Sh’lach L’cha, drops us into the first Israelites first exploration of the promised land. God instructs Moses to send spies to scout out the land and see if there were inhabitants. Moses sends one spy per tribe to see what the land holds in store. As you may or may not know, after forty days the spies come back with a bunch of grapes so big that two people had to carry them as well as varying opinions on what they saw. Ten of the spies said the land was filled with giants that they would have no ability to conquer. This news made the entire community break into sorrow. They shouted at Moses and Aaron for taking them out of Egypt. But Joshua and Caleb pleaded with the people to calm down. They told them that the land was exceedingly good and that God would protect them. Even hearing the positive reinforcement from Joshua and Caleb, the people continue the cry out that this is a bad idea. God at that moment decides that none of the Israelites that escaped from Egypt, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, will be allowed to enter the promised land and only the next generation will be allowed in.
It’s hard to make the connection between my fear of my blood being drawn and the people’s fear of what awaits them in Israel. I have never had to escape from bondage and wander in the desert. But what I can say is that their reaction like my own, even as irrational as it is, is fear of the unknown. I don’t get my blood drawn often and it’s easy to forget that the anxiety and the minute of lightheadedness are only temporary. The long-term benefits are boundless. Doctors are able to use my blood to determine the best course of action for whatever might be ailing me. Similarly, the anxiety the Israelites are feeling is caused by the unknown. Hundreds of years of living in slavery had created a bubble around the people. They are only used to what they know. And the shock of fleeing and wandering and now getting prepared to settle somewhere new has made them especially jumpy. Here is what we should all know and understand. Change is not a bad thing. Sometimes it’s the only way forward. At Temple Jeremiah, we are in the process of experiencing some pretty significant changes. Just this past week we installed our new board including now officially new president Steve Kleiman. It’s easy to let all of this make us edgy. But it’s important to embrace these changes. With new people come new ideas and new energy. Like the Israelites, we could cry out that we should have never let these changes occur. We could have easily stuck with what we know however change is inevitable. And in order to make the most of change we need to embrace it. I hope everyone takes the time to reach out and connect with Steve. He would love to hear how you feel connected to our congregation.
Shabbat Shalom,
Danny Glassman