Where Are You Looking?

      The Torah portion (sedra) sounds a bit like a parent saying to a child: "YOO HOO, are you listening?" Moses seems to be saying to Israel over and over again: "Listen closely!" The issue here is not the ability to hear G‑d's Word, but to listen with a receptive heart, [i.e., act on it]. After 40 years in the desert, Israel did not have a great track record for obedience, and the nation had been disciplined by the L‑rd because of its disobedience. So, it's understandable why a message of hope also needs to be woven into Moses' charge to Israel. Here, as the nation is facing the prospect of crossing into Canaan and battling with the giants, it is very insecure. The people are thinking: "How can we conquer these people when we are so puny (7:17-18)? 

      Moses does not argue with the people and say to them: "You are wrong! We are a nation of 2 million people, with 600,000 fighting men. We should have no problem defeating them." Instead, he challenges them to take their eyes off themselves and on to the L‑rd. Moses reminds them of the spectacular power the L‑rd displayed in delivering them time and time again. He also challenges them to remember what kind of G‑d they serve: "...the L‑rd your G‑d, who is among you, is great and awesome" (7:21).

      We at Yeshuat Tsion find ourselves in a similar situation. We are not a large congregation, so it is easy for us to sink into unbelief when we look around and wonder: "Can we make a significant impact upon our community?" Or, we may battle with unbelief when it comes to our own individual circumstances—"Can G‑d really help me to overcome my weaknesses so that my life will make a significant difference, for Him? We need to take Moses' words and apply them to our situations. 

            Like Israel, we need to lift our eyes off ourselves and onto the L‑rd. The L‑rd is the One who has given us a call to serve Him—as a congregation and as individuals. Like Israel, we need to follow the L‑rd in obedience, step by step. The L‑rd is not promising to us, any more than He did to Israel, that the process would be instantaneous. In fact, He did say that we would have to fight, but that He is the One that would give us the victory. Let us remember that "faithful is He who has called us, who will also perform it," (I Thessalonians 5:24).