The Book of Numbers: The Dissolution of Community in the Breakdown of Face to Face Communication

The Book of Numbers is about the failure of "community" in the wilderness.  After all the community building of the Exodus, of Mount Sinai, of familial and tribal ties, of building the Mishkan, of the inspiring blueprint for a new society in a land of milk and honey, of Moshe's leadership, of being in God's physical presence, of communal ritual feasting and celebration... none of it has worked, which, when you think about it, is absolutely amazing!  In this dvar Torah, I give my answer as to why by looking at the common issue of the Miriam/Cushite incident, the 12 Spies catastrophe, and the Korach rebellion.  The word "religion" is based on the word "religio" -- bonds.  What is the bond that holds people together in community?  It's not belief, it's a certain kind of emunah, a kind of faith that normally is translated as "trust."  Trust is built through face to face communication, not shared experiences or shared beliefs.  The lack of it is breaking apart society today, and we may not be able to turn back the clock.  It's what's missing in the kind of "friendship" a new generation is experiencing.  The Industrial Age is passing to the "No Face to Face Communication Age."