In preparation for her Bat Mitzvah, Lillie Greene and I took a closer look at the story of the sin Moses committed in the Book of Numbers of hitting the rock to produce water as opposed to merely talking to it. For this, he is barred by God from fulfilling his greatest wish, joining his fellow Israelites in the march into the Promised Land. The anger from this indignity stays with Moses his whole life, leaving our people’s central spiritual leader bitter and forever heartbroken. This week’s Torah portion, Ve’etchanan, begins with Moses begging God to “cross over and see the good land on the other side of the Jordan, that good hill country, and the Lebanon” (Deuteronomy 3:25). God’s response to him is one of the harshest in all of Torah, as he screams at Moses, saying, “Enough! Never speak of this again.”
In processing the incident, Lillie and I spoke about overcoming disappointments and challenges in our own lives. Even as a 13-year-old, Lillie could relate, sharing wisdom beyond her years, as she recounted stories of her struggles perfecting tumbling routines in cheerleading, trying and trying again until she was eventually able to achieve it. Knowing how empathetic she was, I asked Lillie what she would tell Moses in response to his own life challenge. This is the truth she offered in her Bat Mitzvah speech last Shabbat afternoon: “Moses was upset to not get what he wanted. I know what it means to not get what you want in life. Every wish you make in life is not always going to come true, and that is what makes life interesting. We go through many different paths and try different things and make new wishes. So, people change their wishes all the time, they may not always get their wish and what they want… If I could tell one thing to Moses that would be very, very beneficial to him is that everything happens for a reason, that is all you need to know. Moses can change his attitude in life and if he can focus on the positive.”
For her Bat Mitzvah project, Lillie held a bake sale, raising $1,561 for the Make a Wish Foundation. Way to go Lillie and your whole family for a job well done on your Bat Mitzvah and for a wonderful message not only to Moses, but to all of us.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex