Personal Learning and Following the Leader

אל תעלו כי אין ה' בקרבכם וכו' - במדבר יד, מב

ויעפלו לעלות אל ראש ההר וארון ברית ה' ומשה לא משו מקרב המחנה - שם מד

"Do not ascend for Hashem is not in your midst..." (Bamidbar 14:42)

"And they defiantly ascended to the mountain top, [but] the Ark of Hashem's Covenant and Moshe did not move from the camp." (ibid. 14:44)

The Rebbe, shlit"a, asked: If Moshe already assured Klal Yisroel that Hashem was not in their midst and would not come to their aid in their forced ascent to Eretz Yisroel, isn't it obvious that the Aron and Moshe Rabeinu did not go with them?

The Aron Bris Hashem, the Ark of the Covenant, represents an individual's personal growth in Torah knowledge and practice. A general commitment to a lifestyle of true Yiddishkeit is not enough. We must continue to strive and become better in our Divine service all the time. If we don't view our spiritual growth as intrinsic to our very lives, if we begin to think that we can "rest on our laurels" and not be intimately involved on a personal and proactive level with our own "ascent", then we can't possibly expect to be successful.

But, even if we have the Aron in place, there is another vital component at work over here: Moshe Rabbeinu, the leader of Klal Yisroel. Seek counsel from our inspired leaders. Heed their words. Do not sit jaded when they exhort us to grow and become, to rise to meet challenge and to find truth and holiness in every act and every moment. We all need to hold on to the "Moshe Rabbeinu" of our times.

Without these two forces present in the forefront of our lives, we cannot ascend the mountain of Hashem. The Aron and Moshe, real growth in Torah and following our leaders, are what bring Hashem into our midst. Only then will we merit miraculous Divine intervention, generally in everything that we need, and specifically as well, in entering Eretz Yisroel with Moshiach.