 |  | In this week’s double parsha, Matot-Masei, God warns the people against desecrating the sanctity of Eretz Yisrael, saying, “Do not defile the land in which you dwell, in whose midst I am present, for I, God, am present in the midst of the Children of Israel” (Bamidbar 35:34). Would it not have been enough for God to have simply said, “Do not defile the land in which you dwell, in whose midst I am present”? Why does the Torah go on to say, “I, God, am present in the midst of the Children of Israel”? Isn’t that a bit redundant? According to Rav Hirsch, God must impress upon the people that the land will only bring to bear its promises of plenty and blessings if the people themselves live lives of righteousness, morality and virtue. In other words, “the nature of this life is what determines whether the conditions on earth are worthy of God’s Presence” (Commentary on Bamidbar 35:34). That being said, we should never despair that God’s Presence will not dwell in our midst and rest upon the land if we fail to live up to our spiritual, ethical and moral mandate. Rather, “God is present in Israel’s midst, even if the life of the people is still far – in various respects – from the goal of perfection. He is present among them, even if they still have various defects pertaining to impurity. He is close to Israel at every present moment because His eye in on their future moral perfection, and this perfection will be attained through God’s love, which trains them to attain it” (Ibid.).
God does not demand that we be perfect beings right now. Rather, God demands that we strive to be more perfect today than we were yesterday – that we aspire to be more today than we were yesterday. God’s Presence is always with us because His belief in our ability to continually improve ourselves – our moral character, our sacred commitments, our faith, our perspectives on life – is constant, motivated by nothing except His selfless love for His children, and His desire to see them grow and flourish in the land He wishes so desperately to gift them. God’s Presence will never leave His people, even when the people fall short of their lofty expectations. God will always be there to guide and encourage us as we travel the peaks and valleys of life, as it says, “Fear not, for I am with you. Be not frightened, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with My victorious right hand” (Yeshayahu 41:10). However, in order for the perfection God hopes for to one day be achieved, we must believe that we are capable of attaining it. We must strive to feel that same sense of hope in ourselves, our missions, our aspirations and goals that God feels about us every day.
This Shabbat, may we feel encouraged that God’s Presence is always near even if we are far. May we know that God always has faith in us even if we lose faith in ourselves. May God’s loving hope restore our own, and may we always reach for the highest heights of living holy, righteous, moral and compassionate lives, knowing that our Creator, our Maker, our Father will be with us every step of the way.
Shabbat Shalom!
-Rabbi Dan
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