I pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying, 24 "O HaShem, You who let Your servant see the first works of Your greatness and Your mighty hand, You whose powerful deeds no god in heaven or on earth can equal! 25 Let me, I pray, cross over and see the good land on the other side of the Jordan, that good hill country, and the Lebanon." 26 But HaShem was wrathful with me on your account and would not listen to me. HaShem said to me, "Enough! Never speak to Me of this matter again! [Devarim 3:23-26]

The opening line of the week reading reminded me of the old Rolling Stones song which is the title I have chosen.

Moses pleads with HaShem to let him cross over with Israel into the Promised Land.  HaShem not only is angry with Moses, but also advises him to never speak of the matter again.  Yikes!!

There are times when HaShem will not give us what we want no matter how much we beg and plead our case.  Why?  I believe that everything that HaShem does is because He loves us and it is for our benefit. 

Following the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 many stories emerged of people who were late arriving to work that morning.  Sometimes it was due to a traffic jam, or that the car would not start.  I wonder how many people were complaining about being late for work that morning, prior to knowing the events of that day.

If we examine the life of Moses we may get a glimpse into why HaShem did not allow him to cross over into Eretz Yisrael (the land of Israel).  Moses is considered by many to be one of the greatest Rabbis ever.

Imagine what may have happened had he been able to enter the land.  Yehoshua (Joshua) may not have developed into the leader which he became because people would have still looked to Moses for help.  Conversely, what if Yehoshua had developed into a great leader?  It may have lead to comparisons between the two men.  It may have lead to possible rivalries or bitterness.  It could have diminished Moses status as a leader in Israel.

However, due to the fact that Moses was not allowed to go allows us to continue to hold both leaders in high esteem.

So the next time HaShem doesn’t answer your prayer, or you find yourself in a difficult situation, remember to thank HaShem for the traffic jams in your life!!