The idea of a promised land is full of problems when interpreted as literal land. Settler colonialists have used this idea for centuries to justify their divine right to land over indigenous communities. But this idea has also represented a moral and ethical destination – a fulfillment of collective liberation.
As we move in this month of Pride, on the heels now of Juneteenth, even as so much uncertainty and destruction abound, may we live into this blessing: may we move and be moved in pride and dignity and strength. May we be sustained, as the Israelites were in this week's parasha, through work of repair, holding the citizen and the stranger to the same ritual and law, and full knowledge of our inherent dignity.
Shabbat shalom,
R’ David