Hidden Treasures

 די כנענים וואס האבן געוואוינט אין ארץ־ישראל און האבן געהערט אז זייער לאנד איז צוגעזאגט געווארן צו די אידן, האבן נישט געוואלט אז דאס פאלק ישראל זאל הנאה האבן פון זייער בליענדיג לאנד און פון זייער גרויסן פארמעגן, דעריבער, האבן זיי פארברענט זייערע פעלדער, האבן אויסגעריסן די ביימער, האבן פארניכטעט די פרוכטן, האבן צושמעטערט די הייזער און אנגעפילט די קוואלן מיט ערד.

Di K’nanem vos hobn gevoynt in Erets־Yisroel un hobn gehert az zeyer land iz tsugezogt gevorn tsu di Idn, hobn nisht gevolt az dos folk Yisroel zol hanoe hobn fun zeyer bliendig land un fun zeyer groysn farmegn, deriber, hobn zey farbrent zeyere felder, hobn zey oysgerisn di beymer, hobn farnikhtn di frukhtn, hobn tsushmetert di heyzer un ongefilt di kvaln mit erd.

The Canaanites who lived in Erets־Yisroel (Land of Israel) and heard that their land had been promised to the Jews, did not want the people of Israel [the descendants of Jacob/Israel - ie, the Jews] to take pleasure in their prosperous land and from their great possessions; therefore, they burned their fields, uprooted the trees, destroyed the fruit, smashed the houses and plugged up the wells with dirt.

Hashem Yisboroch (Gd) saw their actions and said: “I promised my servant, Abraham, that I would bring his children into the land that was “zavat khalav ud’vash” [flowing with milk and honey] and because the Canaanites have destroyed the land, I am not bringing them in here now. I will detain them in the wilderness forty years until the land prospers and is built anew.”

The Canaanites saw that a long time had gone by and the Israelites had not entered their land. They began to take account of all that they had destroyed. They dug new wells, built houses, planted trees and sowed seed. And after forty years when the Jews entered the land of Canaan, they found a fresh and prosperous land just as Gd had promised to their fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

The Jews were in the wilderness for a long time in order to show the nations of the world the miracles and wonders that Gd did for his people; in order to take revenge on the gentiles who murdered the men of the Tribe of Ephraim, and; in order to instill enough fear in the nations of the world that they would not dare to wage war against the Israelites.

After the Jews got out of Egypt, the kings of Edom, Moab, Amon and Amalek tried to wage war with them, but not only weren’t they victorious, but they didn’t even success in getting near them because Gd surrounded his children with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night just like a fence.  Just as a shepherd who collects one of his sheep and surrounds it with a fence so that wild animals won’t be able to get near it and hurt it, so Hashem (Gd) surrounded his people on all sides and no nation could hurt them.

The nations saw the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire and a great fear befell them. They did not wage war with the Jews the entire time that they were in the wilderness.

Forty Years in the Midbar (Wilderness)

זייער א לאנגע תּקופה זענען די אידן געווען אין מדבר, פערציג יאר זענען אריבער פון די צייט וואס זיי זענען ארויס פון מצרים ביז זיי זענען אריין אינעם צוגעזאגטן לאנד — ארץ־ישראל.

Zeyer a lange t’kufe zenen di Idn geven in midbar, fertsig yor zenen ariber fun di tsayt vos zey zenen aroys fun Mitsrayem biz zey zenen arayn inem tsugezogtn land, Erets Yisroel.

The Jews were in the wilderness for a very long time. Forty years went by from the time they left Egypt until the entered into the Promised Land — Erets Yisroel.

Immediately after the splitting of the Reed Sea, the Ministering Angels said to Hashem Yisboroch (Gd) that the time had come to give the Torah over to the Israelites who, on Her account, merited going out from slavery to freedom. Gd said to them: “My children have not yet had enough time to regain their strength from the crushing labor they did in Egypt. They have not yet rested up from the distress they suffered there. Therefore, I will show them the miracles and wonders associated with presenting the Torah, I will do good by them, and only after that will I give them the Torah.”

Although Erets Yisroel (Israel) is found at a distance of three days’ walk from Egypt, Gd did not bring the Jews into the land immediately, but he led them in the wilderness for forty years. Why?

There’s a story about a king who wanted his only son to inherit his entire fortune. The king thought in his heart: “If I give all my treasures to my son now, while he is small, he will not know how to watch over such a great fortune. It is better if I wait until he is grown. Then he will understand more and know how to use wisely the treasures that I am giving to him.”

So did Hashem (Gd) do with the Jews. He didn’t want to give them the Torah or immediately bring them into Erets Yisroel, as they did not know how to fullfil the mitsvos, they did not know the laws of contributions and tithes because they were not accustomed to keeping the Torah. And another thing… when the Jews would [first] enter into the land and be busy with planting gardens and fields and building houses, they would not have time to learn Torah. Therefore, Gd caused the Israelites to be lost in the wilderness for forty years so that they could receive the Torah and learn what is written in Her. They should fulfill their mitsvos without worrying about parnasa (livelihood); they should eat manna and drink well water and be able to learn Torah without any obstacles. And only then would Gd bring them into Erets Yisroel.