This week’s Jerusalem Lights podcast looks at the enigmatic Generation of the Desert, that generation of Israelites who participated in the Egyptian exodus, were present at the transformative Sinai experience, and rose to a great level of holiness, yet ultimately failed dismally, as we learn from the sin of the spies. How do we understand the extreme dichotomy of people who could be so righteous and yet, so flawed at the same time? Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman examine this question in the light of fascinating Torah insights into the nature of the human condition, the essence of true leadership, and the natural desire that pulls towards materialism, vs. the spiritual hunger for closeness to G-d.