Sometimes in life, we don't get second chances. It may surprise you that I am saying this, because so often in Judaism we talk about
repentance, forgiveness, and change. Indeed, our High Holidays are all about second chances, where we espouse the notion that God is always ready to receive us; always willing to take us back, to forgive our offenses, and wipe the slate clean. And all that sounds really, really great... but sometimes life just doesn't work that way. Even though it's hard to accept, an important lesson we must learn is to make the most of the time we have on this earth, to appreciate those around us, and not waste our lives... because sometimes, you just can't get it back.
This week's Torah portion is an ominous one, where 12 spies scout out the Promised Land in preparation for its conquest. But ten of the spies bring back a report that it's unconquerable, and only two, Joshua and Caleb, say that God's mission can be accomplished successfully. The people, of course, side with the pessimists and attempt to rebel against Moses and God; wanting instead to turn
back to Egypt. Naturally, God is furious with their lack of faith, and if Moses hadn't calmed God down, all of the Israelites might have been wiped out on the spot. However, it is at
that moment that God declares that we will wander the desert for 40 years before making a second attempt to conquer Canaan. All the members of the older generation must first die out before the new and improved Israelites - Version 2.0 - are allowed to leave the desert and enter the Holy Land.
Now this part rarely gets talked about: After the Israelites hear God's proclamation, they quickly change their minds and get ready to march into Canaan. But the moment has passed! God is no longer on their side, and even though they have (seemingly)
regained their courage, the opportunity came and went, and there is no way they can change their fate. As the foolish Israelites prepare to attack, Moses chides them, "Why do you transgress the Lord's command? This will not succeed. Do not go up, lest you be routed by your enemies, for the Lord is not in your midst" (Numbers, 14:41-42). There is no going back. The Israelites realize they were wrong, they acknowledge that they sided with the wrong spies, and they see that if they only had faith in God, the mission would be successful, no matter how powerful the opposition. But it's too late. They rush up to attack their enemies... and they are defeated.
In Judaism, we like to talk about repentance. Often in life we can change our ways, and we can
improve the way we live. But we also cannot use repentance as an excuse for making poor choices right now. Time and again the rabbis remind us that Yom Kippur is not an invitation to live a life of sin, dishonesty, and dishonor for an entire year, only to have everything washed away and nullified just because we dress in white and fast for a day. Yes, God accepts our penitence, but we are also strongly encouraged to get it right the first time so we don't have to repent!
Don't rely too heavily on the High Holidays. Life is lived every, single day, and we are held accountable - to ourselves, to our family, friends (even those on Facebook...), our community, and certainly to God - for everything that we do. Yom Kippur reminds us of the path we should be walking, and how to get back there if we've gone astray. But why not look for that path today, and start figuring out how to stay on it and avoid future temptations to get lost? You may not get a second chance, so why wait till you need one?
Photos in this blog post:
1. CC image courtesy of Alyssa L. Miller on Flickr
3. CC image courtesy of The National Guard on Flickr
4. CC image courtesy of MinivanNinja on Flickr
5. CC image courtesy of Todd Barnard on Flickr
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