Parashat Masei

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”  – John Lennon

With this week’s reading, Parashat Masei, the book of Bamidbar (In the Wilderness), the 4th of the five books of Moses, comes to a close. Although the popular name Numbers describes the censuses taken during the 40 year period over which the book spans, it is the midbar, the wilderness, that provides the backdrop for this epic.

From the first sentence, our parasha sets out to expound upon all the journeys that B’nei Yisrael took as they wandered for 40 years in the midbar.  What follows is a comprehensive list of every departure and every encampment after their exodus from the land of Egypt.  But for all the parasha’s fastidiousness, it does not describe much if anything about the actual journeys themselves.  Perhaps the reason for this is because the Israelites couldn’t see the bigger picture, the significance of the journeys themselves.

“These are the journeys of the Children of Israel, who had gone out of the land of Egypt according to their organized groups, with the guidance of Moshe and Aharon. Moshe wrote down their departures for their journeys as directed by G-d, and these are their journeys for their departures.” (Num. 33:1-2)

Rabbi S.R. Hirsch, the 19th century sage, points out the change in the order in verse two:

“Moshe wrote down their departures for their journeys as directed by G-d, and these are their journeys for their departures.”

Rav Hirsch says that G-d intended for the journeys to be the focal point of their desert wanderings, as evidenced by the text. They were to depart solely to begin each journey.  But the Israelites, in their fragile human condition, despite the leadership of Moshe and Aharon, lived in fear of the unknown. Each journey was a momentary diversion from their spiritual struggle, and they lived for each departure.

This parasha is read each year as we approach the 9th of Av, the national day of mourning, when we take the time to reflect on our longest journey as a people, the current exile that started 2000 years ago and that has led us through the darkest and scariest corners of the world, and of humankind.

Although the wilderness is a frightening concept, the Torah teaches that the greatest of opportunities spring from the midbar, the wilderness. Moshe first confronted G-d at the burning bush in the wilderness, and it was in the midbar that manna fell from the sky to sustain the Israelites.

In our own lives, it is also the unknown that provides our greatest opportunities. If we can go forth knowing that fact, the journey will be meaningful, even if we cannot imagine our destination at the outset. As we approach the month of Av, our saddest time of the year, when we lament for lost potential and harsh exile, let us at least learn something from all the journeys that have gotten us thus far.

“…Va-yifnu el-hamidbar v’hineh k’vod ad-nai nirah b’anan – ….and they turned toward the wilderness and the glory of the Lord appeared in a cloud.” (Ex. 16:10)

Seeing and feeling the presence of our Creator in our darkest moments means that our brightest cannot be far off.

May we soon rejoice as the month of Av turns from our greatest sadness to our greatest joy.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Greg