These are the journeys of the Children of Israel, who went forth from the land of Egypt according to their legions, under the hand of Moses and Aaron. Moses wrote their goings forth according to their journeys at the bidding of G-d, and these were their journeys according to their goings forth. –Numbers 33:1-2
THESE ARE THE JOURNEYS: This is comparable to a king whose son was ill, and he took him to a distant land to cure him. After he was cured, they headed back the same way they had come. On the way back his father began to count all of the journeys. He said to his son, Here we slept. Here we felt cold, Here you had a headache, etc. –Midrash Tanchuma quoted by Rashi
Our sages inform us that everything mentioned in the Torah contains relevance for future generations. What relevance does the sojourning of the Jewish People hold for the contemporary cosmopolitan Jew?
THESE ARE THE JOURNEYS: This is comparable to a king whose son was ill, and he took him to a distant land to cure him. After he was cured, they headed back the same way they had come. On the way back his father began to count all of the journeys. He said to his son, Here we slept. Here we felt cold, Here you had a headache, etc. –Midrash Tanchuma quoted by Rashi
Our sages inform us that everything mentioned in the Torah contains relevance for future generations. What relevance does the sojourning of the Jewish People hold for the contemporary cosmopolitan Jew?
Additionally,why does the Torah refer to the journeys in the present?
Finally, after the Torah gives this great introduction to the journeys, it describes both the journeys and the encampments. Why does the Torah only introduce them as journeys?
In Hassidic literature there is a widespread teaching that traces its roots back to the founder of the movement, Rabbi Israel Ba’al Shem Tov. The Ba’al Shem Tov, as he is commonly referred known, explains that the message of the journeys could not be more relevant today. He maintains that every Jew must undergo forty-two journeys in their lifetime, just as the Jews journeyed on forty-two separate journeys in the desert. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch explains: “Journey and halt (in the desert) were always made at G-d’s command. When G-d made them break camp, the purpose was always to reach a fresh goal for which G-d’s educational ruling considered the new halting place the most suitable. Each journey was a progress…”
In Hassidic literature there is a widespread teaching that traces its roots back to the founder of the movement, Rabbi Israel Ba’al Shem Tov. The Ba’al Shem Tov, as he is commonly referred known, explains that the message of the journeys could not be more relevant today. He maintains that every Jew must undergo forty-two journeys in their lifetime, just as the Jews journeyed on forty-two separate journeys in the desert. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch explains: “Journey and halt (in the desert) were always made at G-d’s command. When G-d made them break camp, the purpose was always to reach a fresh goal for which G-d’s educational ruling considered the new halting place the most suitable. Each journey was a progress…”
The same rule of thumb is apropos for all of the various situations that we face in this ever changing world. We are granted numerous opportunities for growth throughout our lifetime. Alexander Graham Bell summed it all up with his famous statement, ““When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” From the time of birth, each person is placed in unique situations. No two people embark on the same journey. Whilst undergoing a particular situation/challenge, one may not necessarily even realize that this is yet another journey on the long highway of life. We journey and journey, but there are also the encampments. The purpose of the encampments is to allow us to take stock of our growth and to plan for the future. By no means is stagnation being advocated, rather a meticulous and calculated evaluation of the journey is an absolute requirement. That is why the Torah refers to the making of the camp as part of the journey. It is a vital aspect of journeying, if only that it allows us to refuel for the next mission. The Jewish view is that our past informs our future. We must reflect at our past in order to charge up for the future, but fixating on our past could easily jeopardize the opportunities contained within.
R. Chaim ibn Attar,(1696-1743) the Ohr HaChaim, expands on this thought. He explains that the Jewish People were journeying in the desert specifically to undo the negative energy that built up there over the years. As Idol-worshiping sects set up camps in the desert on their way back to civilization, negative energy was imparted into the very earth. Some places were utterly suffused with negative energy, therefore many years of Positive Energy were needed to undo their effect. Other places just needed a quick cleansing with the purifier of Positive Energy. Similarly in our times, the job on each of our journeys is to impart the spiritual energy wherever we may be. Whether we find ourselves in Bangkok, Hong Kong, Jerusalem, or Thornhill, it makes no difference. Our job is the same. We must spread the spirituality!
R. Chaim ibn Attar,(1696-1743) the Ohr HaChaim, expands on this thought. He explains that the Jewish People were journeying in the desert specifically to undo the negative energy that built up there over the years. As Idol-worshiping sects set up camps in the desert on their way back to civilization, negative energy was imparted into the very earth. Some places were utterly suffused with negative energy, therefore many years of Positive Energy were needed to undo their effect. Other places just needed a quick cleansing with the purifier of Positive Energy. Similarly in our times, the job on each of our journeys is to impart the spiritual energy wherever we may be. Whether we find ourselves in Bangkok, Hong Kong, Jerusalem, or Thornhill, it makes no difference. Our job is the same. We must spread the spirituality!
Journeying is not always simple, but that is the only way we can make it the proverbial Promised Land. When life throws you curveballs, hit them out of the park! There is no other way to live. May we all live life to its fullest, and may we view each challenge as one journey closer to our ultimate goal in this world!
