Are We There Yet?

-

Are we there yet?  The question that all parents dread on a long road trip.  The kids are really excited packing their little suitcases, preparing food and getting into the car.  Then the journey starts, and now the pressure is on.  How much longer, and when will we get there?


How many of us live our lives that way?  I had some relatives who came to visit, and I took them to see the breathtaking scenery of California.  A minute into each stop, the same person would say: “OK, let’s move on.”  We felt sorry that they were not able to just stop and soak in the beauty of the location.  


We are all on a journey through life, and a productive life means setting goals and working to fulfill them.  But are we constantly focusing on the outcome, or are we finding meaning in every step of the journey?


Imagine the disappointment of our forefathers in the Sinai desert, when they found out that, instead of going straight to Israel, they would have to spend 40 years wandering in the desert.  Would they lose their will to continue?  Would they feel that they could not accomplish their mission because they would not see immediate results?  


The second of the two Parshiyot we read this week, Massei, enumerates 42 camping stops that the Jews made on their long trek from Egypt to Israel.  True, there were a few episodes along the way when they lost faith, and sometimes with dire consequences, but is that what defined the entire journey?


The Torah tells us otherwise:  “These are the [42] journeys of the Jewish people by which they left Egypt.”  Problem is that only one of those journeys was actually leaving Egypt!  The remaining 41 stops were all part of the journey toward Israel.


Chassidus explains that Egypt is not just a place, but also a state of mind.  It is an inner slavery and constriction which holds us back from realizing our full potential.  Each step in the journey is another exodus from Egypt.  Every day is a day when we can grow and achieve new heights.  Yes, we have goals, personally and globally.  But the way to achieve the goals is to make every step of the journey meaningful, to “leave Egypt” today and allow our soul to have full expression.  

At each stop along the way,  the Jewish people set up the Holy sanctuary and brought offerings to Hashem.  They didn’t give up, and they didn’t wait until they got to Israel to proceed with their spiritual growth.  They recognized that each journey and each stop was another exodus, and another step to fulfillment.


We are each on a life-long journey to improve ourselves and the world.  Our fulfillment is not in the future, it’s not some “endgame.”  that we are hoping to achieve one day.  The journey is the purpose, to make every day meaningful.  All too often the very thing holding us back is our singular focus on “getting” to our destination.


Globally, we are moving toward redemption, towards perfection and holiness.  Though we’re not there yet, disappointing as it may seem, we should never despair and never give up.  


We are on the journey to the great day of Moshiach’s revelation and the way to get there is by making today’s journey meaningful.  Yes, we must keep our eye on the goal and make sure what we are doing is bringing us closer to it, but the way we get “there'' is to bring light to the world today.

 

Comments

  1. AnonymousJuly 28, 2022 at 5:59 PM

    Good read rabbi, don’t forget to enjoy the coconut 🥥 grey goose on the journey

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yonah Alexandre BronsteinJuly 30, 2022 at 1:01 PM

    I got the Levi aliya, with the 42 journeys, at the netz minyan today! Is Moshiach on the way, or what? :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sacrifice for Shabbat

-
  One of the things, our Sages said, that helped the Jews in Egypt merit the Exodus from Egypt, was Shabbat observance. This merit will also help bring the redemption from our current exile. In honor of the Parsha Vaera, where we read about the beginning of the process of redemption, I would like to reprint a story that was published today by Rabbi Mordechai Lipskier.  He wrote that he heard the story from Rabbi Moshe Raitport, who heard it first hand. A few years ago, a woman called the Shomrei Hadas Funeral Chapels in Brooklyn to arrange her husband’s funeral. “Before going ahead with the arrangements, I have a request to make. May I tell you a story?” This woman had gotten married in the early 1940s in Brooklyn. It was difficult for a Shabbat observer to hold down a job, so like many other Jews, her husband was pink-slipped from one job after the next. (They would often take a job on Monday, and when they refused to come on Shabbat, they were fired.) Their struggle worsened...
Read more

Breaking Ground

-
Image
“Ma Tovu Ohalecha Yaakov…” – How goodly are your tents, Jacob, your dwelling places, Israel.  These famous words are the evil prophet Bilaam’s reluctant blessing to the Jewish people.  There are several ways to explain his blessing.  He saw how the opening of the tents were placed so as to ensure privacy, and he was moved by the modesty that is one of the hallmarks of the Jewish people.  Another explanation is that he was foreseeing the synagogues and Torah study halls of the future.   I want to venture a guess that he would also be impressed by the way we open our homes to guests.  Hachnasat Orchim – bringing guests into the home –  is a value that we have going back to our forefather Avraham.  It is one of the pillars of the great Mitzvah of Gemilut Chasadim, acts of kindness.  Another crucial part of that Mitzvah is Bikur Cholim – visiting (or caring for) the sick.  How great is it then when both of these Mitzvot are bundled toge...
Read more