by Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback
וּבַדָּבָ֖ר הַזֶּ֑ה אֵֽינְכֶם֙ מַאֲמִינִ֔ם בַּה׳ אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃
Yet for all that, you have no faith in the ETERNAL your God. (Deuteronomy 1:32)
We knew what was expected of us. We knew what had to be done. God couldn’t have been clearer about it. God told us to leave the wilderness, to go forth from Mount Sinai and journey to the Land of our Dreams, the land promised to our ancestors.
But we didn’t go. We were afraid. We didn’t believe. After all God had done for us, we lacked faith.
What was true of our ancestors is no less true of us. Often we know what must be done. We know what is required of us and, yet, we fail to do it. We tell ourselves it’s because we’re too busy or because it’s too hard or because it’s not our job. But maybe it’s because we’re afraid. Maybe it’s because we lack faith.
As the New Year approaches, as we prepare for the Ten Days of Turning, we take the time to reflect on what is required of us, the things that we are called to do in this world. May we have the courage and the faith to move forward, to make the effort, so that we might do what we are called to do, so that we can move ever closer to the Land of our Dreams and live up to our promise.