This past Fourth of July, travel was up seventeen percent from last year nationwide. San Diego is especially known for its tourism and travel, as people are always coming and going. The summer has its own special category of travel, even my own children took off this past week. As I was saying goodbye to my son in law, I told him that he can “call” once in a while….if he wants to. At that, my son in law told over a famous short story about a student who went on a vacation and asked his Rebbi (teacher) if there was anything he wanted from the place he was going to?
The Rebbi told the student that he wanted a cigar from that city. The student found that strange because the Rebbi didn’t smoke, nevertheless he said of course he would bring it back. Sure enough on the way back home the student remembered that he had forgotten to buy the cigar in that city, so he bought it closer to home. When he went to see his Rebbi he confessed and told the Rebbi what had happened and asked hopefully that it was ok. At that point the Rebbi said, “I really didn’t need a cigar from that city, but rather I wanted you to remember me, remember your Rebbi, even when you are on vacation and traveling”.
The last two portions of Bamidbar are read this week, the second one being Massei. Parshas Massei relates the forty two places the Jewish people traveled to during the forty years in the desert. Imagine the generation that was just going from one place to another in order to wait out the forty year sentence that the Jews would wander in the desert. They knew that their generation (those from 20-60 years of age) would not enter Israel and no one else would enter until they all died out. I am sure they would be thinking about the sin and the cause of their being denied entrance into Eretz Canaan. Many years to contemplate and maybe even repent and do Teshuva . Even without thinking of their sin, we know that the Jewish people sat and learned Torah for the years they traveled in the Midbar, the desert. With the open miracles around them the constant thought of Hashem’s presence was always there and on their minds. We too, as we go on our vacations and travels should also keep on thinking about Hashem. Whether it comes through Davening with a minyan, keeping up with a chavrusa by phone, keeping the standards of Kosher that we are accustomed to at home, anything that will keep us focused about our Judaism will help.
This same idea is a lesson for the full length of our lives. Our life is a state of travel from the time we are born until we die. We are only passing through this world as it is only a temporary place. We recall the famous story of the saintly Chofetz Chaim whose house was bare. When asked where all his furnishings were he replied: “Just as a person traveling only takes a few possessions with him, so too I am only passing through this world so I merely need a few things to get by”. Throughout our lives we need to have constant reminders to take Hashem with us wherever we go. There are times through this journey of life that we think we are on our own and we don’t need God. This attitude will veer us off the road and will end up lost in life. As we travel this summer, become a member of the AAA, the Almighty’s Always Around.
Ah Gut Shabbos
Rabbi Avram Bogopulsky
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