Matot-Masei, 5786 - All the Stops Along the Way

It’s time for some road-trippin’, everyone! A summer staple, no? Well, in this case I’m really talking about our Torah reading. A good part of our parashah is essentially a recap list of all the rest-stops along the Israelites' 40 years of wandering in the desert. Almost an entire chapter chronicles the following: 'They set out from Libnah and encamped at Rissah. They set out from Rissah and encamped at Kehelat. They set out from Kehelat and encamped at Mount Shepher...' (Numbers, 33:21-23) Let’s be honest; this is a pretty boring list to read about. It is, however, noteworthy that the Torah lists 20 places covered over 38 years of their sojourn; which reminds us that the Israelites did not wander every day. When we imagine the Exodus, we may picture constant marching and moving, when in reality they averaged 2 years in each encampment before setting out on the dusty road yet again. 

Yet each place name and desert oasis is indeed worth mentioning. Stopping for a minute to list every single stop along that way is valuable. It's an opportunity to take stock and appreciate the journey, not just the destination. If you were to take a few minutes right now and write down every place you've lived in your life, I'm sure each would bring back a flood of memories, some good and some less-good. To anyone else, you've only produced a 'boring' list of cities from around the country or the world. To you, each name connotes meaning and reminiscences; people you met along the way, as well as successes and disappointments that marked each place. For the Israelites, this is not just a list of names. Each spot reminds them of God's miracles that kept them alive, as well as enemies defeated and obstacles overcome. Standing on the other end of this odyssey, the Israelites have now become a united, strong, cohesive nation; and that could only have happened because of the journey they undertook together.

It's important for us all to remember that our history shapes us. Good or bad, fun or depressing, everything we've been through has contributed to make us the people we are today. We all need to take time and look back at where we've been and how far we've come. We each have a history that is meaningful to us. This week, as we read the travels and travails of our ancestors, let us remember that their story is ours as well. We wouldn't be here if it weren't for them. A simple list of all their pit stops reminds us where they began, what they went through, and who they had become when it was all said and done. We carry their stories with us as we now continue, with gratitude and humility, to write our own.