Imagine, you're finally free. Free from centuries of enslavement, free from back-breaking labor, free from the sting of the whip. But where do you go?
The Israelites, fresh from their miraculous escape from Egypt, faced just that question. According to Legends of the Jews, before the Exodus could even truly begin, Moses had to have one crucial thing: Joseph's coffin. Think about that for a moment. Generations after Joseph's death, his remains were still a potent symbol of hope and a promise of a future homeland. Only with Joseph's earthly presence in tow could the journey begin.
And what of the Egyptians? You might picture them as a unified force of opposition. But Ginzberg's retelling paints a more chaotic scene. Pharaoh, in his fury at his advisors for their terrible advice, even slays them! He’s so desperate to see the Israelites gone that he escorts them himself, just to be absolutely sure. Can you imagine the look on their faces?
So, why didn't God lead the Israelites on the most direct path to the Promised Land? It seems logical, right? Straight from Egypt to Canaan. But, as we find in Legends of the Jews, there were several divine reasons for the circuitous route. First, God wanted them to go to Sinai and receive the Torah, the divine law.
But there's more to it than just divine instruction. According to the text, the time wasn't right. "The time divinely appointed for the occupation of the land by the Gentiles had not yet elapsed," the text says. Divine timing is everything, it seems.
And there's also a very practical reason. Ginzberg, drawing on various Midrashic sources, including Midrash Rabbah, explains that the wilderness was essential for the Israelites' spiritual and material well-being. If they had immediately entered Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel, they would have been consumed by the day-to-day labor of cultivating the land, leaving no time for the study of Torah. The wilderness, a harsh and unforgiving place, paradoxically offered them freedom from daily worries, allowing them to dedicate themselves to learning God's law.
Think of it: manna from heaven, water from a rock. All their physical needs were met, freeing them to focus on the spiritual.
Beyond that, consider the state of Eretz Yisrael itself. The Canaanites, upon hearing of the Israelites' approach, engaged in a scorched-earth policy. They destroyed crops, felled trees, and choked water springs to make the land uninhabitable. God, however, had promised their ancestors a land "full of all good things," not a wasteland. So, the forty years in the wilderness served a dual purpose: it allowed the Canaanites time to repair the damage they had inflicted.
Furthermore, the miracles performed for the Israelites during their desert wanderings instilled fear in the hearts of other nations. As we read, their hearts melted, and there remained no more spirit in any man. They didn't dare attack the Israelites, making the eventual conquest of the land much easier.
So, what seems like a detour, a delay, a punishment even, was in reality a carefully orchestrated plan. A plan to prepare the Israelites, physically, spiritually, and emotionally, for their destiny. A plan to ensure that when they finally entered the Promised Land, they were ready to receive it, and to build a nation dedicated to God's law. It makes you wonder about the detours in our own lives, doesn't it? Perhaps they aren't delays at all, but essential steps on a path we can't yet see.