What Cancer Taught Me About the Desert

In contrast, at Rephidim, the Torah tells us only that water was absent. And if we follow the story back to where it is detailed in Shemot (Exodus), we find that this was more than a quiet inconvenience. It was a people at their breaking point, a leader crying out to God in despair, and Amalek descending on them while Moshe’s arms had to be held aloft just to keep the battle from being lost. Elim asked them to enjoy what they were given. Rephidim asked them to keep believing when there was nothing yet to hold onto, a harder, rawer kind of emunah, faith, being carved in real time.