We are going to talk about the travels of the Jewish people in the
desert, and we will see how it’s apropos for the times we are in, for multiple reasons.
From when Bnei Yisrael left
Mitzrayim, until they got to Eretz Yisrael, they went to 42 places, starting in Ramses and ending in Arvot Moab.
Parashat Maasei, which we read in the summertime, lists the 42
spots that they traveled to. What’s the
significance of this?
As we get ready for Pesach,
we can talk about the travels that started on Pesach. But there’s a another important point for us, in the times that we are in now.
There’s a sefer called Emet L’Yaakov, written by Yaakov
Ninyoh, a Mekubal raised Sfat and Teveriah, who eventually traveled
the world. He was in Ismir, Turkey and corresponded with Rav Chaim
Pilaggi. In fact, Rav Chaim even quotes
the following segulah in one of his sefarim,
Ateret Chaim, a sefer of Segulot for difficult times.
In this sefer Emet L’Yaakov, in a section called Sfat Emet, he writes the following:
Mekubalim say that it’s a
segula to read the 42 travels of Parashat Maasei during a time of plague. If
one reads letter by letter, word by word
every day, מבטח לו he’s guaranteed
that he’ll be protected and saved from
the plague and the pestilence and no
evil will come upon him.
That’s a powerful statement.
How does this work? Is it
magic?
What’s the significance?
Basically, as a mashal, if a person
needs vitamin C, there are
different ways to get it.
He explains that whenever there’s a plague, it means that something needs to happen in the upper spheres. That very thing that needs to happen in a
plague also needed to happen in the desert when the Jewish people went
from place to place and
stopped for a certain amount of
town. So Kabbalistically, when they traveled, they were accomplishing the same
thing that needed to happen during a
plague.
Therefore, we can read and
learn the lessons of what happened in
the desert, in order to get what we need
to get, thus avoiding the need to go
through the plague to achieve that same thing.
So you can get your vitamin C by drinking a glass of orange juice
or taking vitamin C pills, or by eating spinach. We always want the
easiest and least complicated way to get what we need.
The easiest way to get what we need to get, is by learning the
lessons of the travels of the Jewish people, because those lessons are the very same ones that we
need to get from a difficulty like a plague or a pandemic.
That’s the introduction.
For today, we will share one small lesson that we learn from their travels, that comes from the Ramban, in
Parashat Bahalotecha, (chapter 9, pasuk 17) describes the travels
of the Jeiah people where it says the
cloud would lead them.
עַל־פִּ֣י יְהוָ֗ה יִסְעוּ֙
They would travel based on G-d
וְעַל־פִּ֥י יְהוָ֖ה יַחֲנ֑וּ
They would camp based on G-d
They no right to move anywhere.
If the cloud spent a long
time in one place, they would spend a long time there. It says
They guarded the guard.
Sometimes they spent a few days in
a place, sometimes just one day, sometimes a month.
Based on the Hashem, they traveled and based on Hashem they camped.
וְשָׁמְר֧וּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל אֶת־מִשְׁמֶ֥רֶת יְהוָ֖ה וְלֹ֥א יִסָּֽעוּ׃
They guarded the guard of
G-d
Rambam says that sometimes they came to a spot that they didn’t
like at all, and they wanted to
leave. But they did not transgress
the Will of Hashem. That’s what it means
that they “guarded the guard of G-d.”
Out of fear of G-d, and trust in G-d, they stayed put. Sometimes it
was difficult to unload and unpack, thinking
they’d be there for a long
time, and then suddenly G-d told them to
move. They had no idea how long they’d be there. One time was six months. Another time, they had to unload, make the beds etc, then after
one day they had to leave.
Sometimes you have guests for a Shabbat. You have to do a lot of
work, for just one day, changing the
sheets, setting up the room, etc.
Imagine if Pesach was just
one day-Baruch Hashem it’s eight days.
What if we had to do all that work for just one day. Or if Succot was just one day. It would
be so much effort, for such a short
time.
The main point was that
they had no idea where they were going or how long it would
last. They had to just follow the will of G-d. That’s what we call uncertainty.
They had a heavy dose of uncertainty,
and they had to do that for forty years.
They had no idea where they were going or for how long. They relinquished all ownership and knew they
did not control anything.
That’s one of lessons, on a simple level, of the travels of the Jewish people. And that’s what’s going on now. No one
knows anything. It’s basically day to day.
At this time of year, we usually start to think about our summer
plans. I usually call the same person I rent a home from in Lakewood, when he goes to Monsey to
run a camp for the summer. We usually confirm the dates and great - it’s done.
But this year there are a lot of I don’t knows. Will there be camp?
Will he go to Monsey... who knows? We know nothing.
What about Deal? I don’t
know.
When is school starting? I don’t know.
What about camp? I don’t know.
There are no answers.
We have no answers.
We have zero control.
And that’s about trivial things.
On a more serious note, right
now, someone close to me is in
the hospital. We don’t know anything. We can’t visit, we can’t even call the doctor... If we are lucky, we can call and catch a nurse to give us bits
and pieces of information. What’s going on?
How’s my loved-one doing?
Who’s taking care? What are the
medicines? Do they know wht
they’re doing?
I don’t know.
I’m not in control.
Suddenly that big lesson goes to my head. Oh my gosh. This is all an illusion. I am not in control at all. I’m waiting
for the cloud to move. I have no answers for anyone. I may look strong,
but I have a cloud to follow. I’m waiting
for the cloud to move. I don’t know what I’m doing. But I’m waiting for the
cloud to move.
That’s the whole story. We
need to get the lesson that we have
no idea
when we’re moving or what we are
doing. We are just waiting for the cloud
to move.
There is a cloud here today, just like then. We just don’t see it.
BeH we should all take that lesson.
