The story of Israel in the wilderness offers a stark, and frankly, heartbreaking answer. Fresh from the miracle of the Exodus, having witnessed God's power firsthand, the Israelites were on their way to the Promised Land. Yet, according to Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, at every single place they stopped in the wilderness, they succumbed to idolatry. As it says in Exodus 32:6, "And the people sat down to eat and to drink…" But the verse doesn't end there. It continues, "And they rose up to play." According to this midrash, that "play" wasn't innocent fun; it was the beginning of idol worship.
And it wasn’t just idolatry. Numbers 25:1 tells us, "And Israel abode in Shittim…" Shittim, meaning "acacia trees," was a place, but it was also a turning point for the worse. What happened there? "...And the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab." One sin seemed to pave the way for another.
Rabbi Jehudah offers a chilling perspective on the events at Shittim. He points to Job 21:16, "The counsel of the wicked is far from me," and connects it to the story of Balaam. Remember him? The non-Israelite prophet hired to curse Israel, but who ultimately blessed them instead (Numbers 22-24). But Balaam, it turns out, had another trick up his sleeve.
According to Rabbi Jehudah, Balaam advised the Midianites that they couldn't defeat Israel unless they could get them to sin against God. The plan? Set up booths outside the Israelite camp, filled with alluring merchandise. The daughters of Midian, painted and adorned like harlots, lured the young Israelite men away from the camp. These young men, perhaps bored or restless after their long journey, succumbed to temptation. They took Midianite wives and, tragically, went astray after their gods. The result was devastating: twenty-four thousand Israelites perished.
It's a sobering reminder of how easily even the most sacred journeys can be derailed by temptation, and how external influences can exploit our weaknesses. It makes you wonder: what are the “Shittim” in our own lives? What are the temptations that lie just outside our “camp,” waiting to lead us astray? And what counsel are we listening to? The answers, I suspect, are crucial to our own journeys, wherever they may lead.