Seeing the Land From Afar

By RABBI DAVID ROSENN

Parashat Ha'azinu (Deuteronomy 32:1-52)

"For you shall see the land from afar, but you shall not enter there..."

(Deuteronomy 32:52)

At the beginning of a year, so many new things are starting. Some of them are projects that we will complete soon, others are things that may take years or even a lifetime.

Some of our work takes longer than one lifetime, and we are contributing what we have right now because what we have is needed now, even though our share of the work will not complete the task or solve the problem. We do it because not doing it is an abdication of our responsibility. We know, deep down, that Rabbi Tarfon was right when he said:

You are not responsible for finishing the task, but neither are you free to desist from it.

(Avot 2:16)

Moses devoted his adult life to bringing the Israelite people from slavery to freedom, but did not make it with them into the promised land. Standing on the border, he was told by God: "You shall see the land from afar, but you shall not enter there."

It is often said that working for social change is a marathon, not a sprint. How is training for and competing in a marathon different than a sprint? What are the implications of knowing in advance that you may not be able to see the fruits of much of your work?

© AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps