July is our Jericho by the Jordan

During the month of July we finish reading from the book of Numbers and begin reading from Deuteronomy.

In many ways these two books have vastly different styles. Numbers completes the micro-depiction of the Israelites journey, which began with the Exodus from Egypt. Deuteronomy begins a macro-retelling of the story, finishing with the death of Moses.

Many consider it the “cliff notes” for the previous chapters, yet in the retelling some details change.

According to the famous quote, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Such is the reality of our lives.

Who could have imagined fifty years ago that we would be able to hold a computer in our hand and that the same device is also a telephone, stereo system and more? Who could have imagined that we would have landed on the moon and set up an international space station with Russia that orbits the earth?

Who could have imagined over 500 television stations, non-invasive medical imaging of the human body and a pill with a camera in it to scan our gastro-intestinal system? It seems as if much has indeed changed, but what about us as people.

Could we have imagined that there would still be so much conflict in our world, so much hunger, so many repressive dictators and pandemic diseases? We certainly hoped technology would help us be better people and that we would use our good fortune to help others.

We never envisioned the type of greed that has cost so many people jobs and financial security. We hoped that people would change and create a better society, only to be disappointed.

The stories we find in our Torah, of people complaining, being greedy, dealing with conflicts and diseases, hunger and persecutions are still the reality of our lives today. In some ways we have made life better, but not as much as we could have. Why?

Probably because we have ignored the lessons of our past, the lessons told one way in great detail from Exodus to Numbers and in a more general way in Deuteronomy.

Our ancestors were wanderers and so are we. They were looking for their promised land, just as we are today. When they forgot what the past was really like, they seemed to regress. When we forget our own past we also lose the opportunity to move ahead.

The month of July brings us the sadness of Tisha B’Av, a fast day to remember the destruction of both Temples and other tragedies, including the expulsion from Spain in 1492.

We have survived the physical exile from many places throughout the centuries, but can we survive the spiritual exile of not remembering our past?

Our roots ground us and give us the strength to reach higher. Only when we remember our past can we move closer to our own promised land.

The last words in the book of Numbers are, “al Yarden Yericho” — “By the Jordan River at Jericho.” This is the last stop for our ancestors just before they entered Israel.

July is our Jericho by the Jordan. We can see the new Jewish year that is just a couple of months away. We will soon enter the month of Elul and begin our preparations for the New Year.

Will it be a year of promise for us? Only if we remember where we have been, by remembering and reflecting on our past.