"The great, dreadful wilderness, [where there is] snakes, vipers, and scorpions, and thirst where there is no water" (Deuteronomy 8:15). Before entering the Land of Israel for the first time, the Jewish people had to travel through the desert. The modern-day meaning of this desert is the Galut (exile) in which we live. Every detail of the description of this desert is found in our daily lives today. “We are currently in Galut, exile. In order to understand Geulah, redemption, we must first understand Galut along with its cause, then rectify that cause, and automatically arrive at Geulah.”.
For example, a sick person, when they understand that they are ill and what their illness is, goes to a doctor to find out what medicine to take to get better. The very knowledge that they are ill and what their illness is, is already half the cure, and in time, it will bring the other half of the cure, leading to complete health.
Knowledge of the Galut and its cause brings the beginning of the Geulah.
The actions of our parents are signs for our children, so if the Torah tells us about the desert through which our ancestors journeyed before entering the Promised Land, it is a sign for us. The exile in which we find ourselves is similar to the desert in which the Jews found themselves at that time. By analyzing the adjectives the Torah uses to describe this desert, we will understand the exile in which we find ourselves, and then discover how to reach the Redemption.
The first adjective used to describe Galut is desert big, That is, the first step of exile is when one considers the world around them to be "bigger" and more important than oneself. The desert is a place uninhabited by man. In this case, man represents Judaism. The meaning of the "big" desert as exile is the feeling that the place inhabited by man, Judaism, is of minimal importance, and the place inhabited by other peoples, society in general, is of greater importance.
The second adjective is fearsome. "Great" means something more important than oneself, but at least one represents a minority. "Fearful" signifies an even deeper exile, where the feeling is that one fears everything and everyone. As long as one considers the world "great," one is affected by it when in contact with it, but not in one's private life, where one is one's own master. However, when one considers the world around oneself not only great but also "frightening," even in the synagogue, even in one's own home, one fears to express one's Judaism in a revealed form.
The third adjective is snake. The venom of a snake is hot. This means that one begins to "heat up" with the world, losing sensitivity to spiritual matters, and one's energy is primarily used in worldly affairs. This inclination reaches such a point that one completely abandons their Judaism, represented by the fourth adjective, the snake, of even hotter poison.
The fifth adjective is scorpion. The scorpion's venom is cold. This level of exile is even worse than that of the snake and the viper, because when one has energy, even if it is being misused, there is a possibility of guiding it correctly, so that the energy that was previously dedicated to worldly matters can now be dedicated to spiritual matters. But when there is no energy, one is "cold" like the scorpion's venom; this indicates a general level of indifference, which is much more difficult to transform.
The sixth adjective is Thirst, where there is no water. This level means that even when God gives one a sign and generates a "thirst," nevertheless "there is no water." Water is Torah; indeed, one is thirsty, but doesn't know for what, because one has strayed so far from one's roots that one doesn't even know what Judaism is about.
Where did this profound exile begin, where one feels the need to reach out to something but doesn't know what? The first adjective describing the desert is big, One places too much importance on the world around them in relation to their Jewish life. That is the first step in the descent to a level where one loses all contact with their Judaism.
To resolve all these levels of exile, one must address their root cause. One must strengthen one's Jewish faith, remaining undisturbed by the world around them, by remembering that "You chose us from among all the nations." Only then will one be truly free from exile and enter the good and spacious Land through our righteous Messiah, who will come swiftly in our days.
Extracted from Likutei Sijot vol. 2, p. 371