Moses’s failed spies walked through the Land of Israel, and reported that it isn’t worth the trouble, as yesterday’s Torah portion reports.
All of Israel’s suffering - inside and outside of the Land - stem from the fateful Tisha B'av night when we cried that we didn't want Israel.
Our salvation will come when we yearn to walk through land with love and gratitude, returning to Yehoshua and Calev's call that "the land is very, very good."
Although I wasn't sent by Moshe, I too trekked by Israel’s Negev desert last week while hiking along the Israel National Trail.
As you see in this clip, most of what I saw was rolling fields, valleys, and riverbeds - stunningly beautiful in their simplicity, sincerity, and history.
For example, take a look at this random hill in the middle of nowhere, right along the Route 40 as it enters the Negev Desert.
That's Tel Keshet, an ancient city at the northern edge of the Negev that was first settled in the Canaanite period. Perhaps it's one of the towns that Moshe's failed spies walked by and felt like ants in the eyes of its inhabitants.
The most striking thing about the place is that it was never properly excavated - in this incredible country, there are so many 3,000+ year old cities that not all can be uncovered.
For me, Israel comes alive when I walk through its fields, valleys, and hills, like my ancestors did before me.
Driving in an air-conditioned metal box until I reach one spot with a famous story just isn't the same.
By the way, if you’d like to learn how and why to yearn for the Land of Israel, check out my book, Land of Health: Israel’s War for Wellness. You’ll particularly appreciate the chapter called The Perfect Land for Imperfect People.
When Israel's in Trouble, Walk Through the Land