Like a line is crossed and you wonder, "How did we even get here?"
Well, that's kind of what happened with the Israelites in the desert, according to some fascinating ancient texts. They were on their way to the Promised Land, but things got… complicated.
The people, as the Legends of the Jews (Ginzberg) puts it, became more and more "shameless." What exactly does that mean? Well, it wasn't just petty theft or gossiping. We're talking about serious transgressions, specifically engaging with the Moabite women and, perhaps even more seriously, worshipping their idol, Peor.
Now, idolatry in Jewish tradition is a BIG deal. It's seen as a fundamental betrayal of the covenant with God. And this Peor thing? It wasn't just a casual offering of incense. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 64a-b) and other sources describe it as a particularly repulsive form of worship.
So, God, seeing this widespread moral decay, tells Moses to appoint judges. But here's where the story takes a really interesting turn. It wasn't easy to just point out the guilty. There weren't always witnesses lining up to testify. So, God intervenes in a pretty dramatic way.
According to the Legends of the Jews, the cloud of glory – that protective, divine presence that hovered over the Israelite camp – disappeared from above the sinners. Imagine that! A visible sign, clear as day, marking those who had strayed. Talk about a divine spotlight.
Then, Moses appointed a substantial number of officers – "seven myriads eight thousand six hundred" – to act as judges and, ultimately, executioners. That's a lot of people! They were given the grim task of executing two sinners each.
And how was this done? By stoning, followed by a brief display on the gallows. This, we're told, was the legal punishment for idolatry. Not a pleasant image, is it?
It's a harsh story, no doubt. It raises a lot of difficult questions about justice, divine intervention, and the consequences of our actions. What does it mean to stray so far from your values? And what responsibility do leaders have when their people lose their way?
It makes you wonder, doesn't it, about the invisible "clouds of glory" – the moral compass, the shared values – that protect us, and what happens when they disappear. What are the signs today? And what do we do when we see them fading?