THE SONGS OF THE DESERT
The desert sings of spiritual desolation of the Land of Israel in exile which will soon flourish and rejoice.
[Song 5] Desert (Ch. 1)
מִדְבַּר אוֹמֵר. יְשֻׂשׂוּם מִדְבָּר וְצִי ָּה וְתָגֵל עֲרָבָה וְתִפְרַח כַּחֲבַצָּלֶת: (ישעיהו לה א)
The Wilderness is saying: “The wilderness and the desert shall rejoice, and the arid region shall exult, and blossom like the rose.”
Commentary
There is nothing the empty desert ought to sing about. Nevertheless, with its
very desolation, it sings how the desert-like land of Israel will transform into a
joyful irrigated land. The more dead a desert appears, the more it sings of
Hashem’s ingathering of His nation which for so many centuries seemed
hopelessly lost in exile.
Even when going through a dismal period of life, a Jew must never lose hope.
The lower one is, the more magnificent it will be when Hashem draws him close
again. Even the desolate patches of life are indispensable components of the
Song of Existence. Our music then may seem unpleasant, but to Hashem it is as
beautiful as that of the Land of Israel.
LIVING WITH THE SONG
This world is not perfect- not yet. As an exiled people we have come to accept the fact that our lives in general
and our service of Hashem is particular are somewhat diluted and distant from the traditional ideal. How many
love only Hashem, with all of their hearts?
Yet this does not hinder the Song of Existence. The deserts and wastelands too lie barren and desolate. Nothing
significant grows or lives there. Here, in absence of all, does light begin to sprout. It sings of the future time when
all the seeds we plant during our lifetimes of this exile will sprout and flourish. The plants will not be merely
physical. They will be glorious spiritual light, as the wasteland calls: “A light will sprout for the righteous.”
This light is not always apparent. If at times one toils endlessly and does not see fruits of his labor, he should recall
our origins as slaves to פרעה ,where we built Pisom and Ramses which kept on collapsing. We did so receiving no
pay and experienced frustration and futility. All the more so we should serve our God Who redeemed us from
there and raised us to serve Him, promising limitless reward for doing so. No matter how much or little we succeed
we are obliged to keep faith and keep trying.
Keep up your good work. The world is tone-deaf but Hashem is enjoying your music.
Inspirational commentary By Shmuel Ben-Tzion Kraines author of
The Song of Existence.