Among the subjects this week's parsha speaks about are the travels of Bnei Yisroel through the desert. The parsha tells us that when the ananei hakavod (clouds) signaled, the Bnei Yisroel travelled. In some places they stayed for a year, or a week, or even just a day or two. What practical knowledge do we gain by knowing the various travels and camping places of Bnei Yisroel in the desert? The answer is to teach us that the Bnei Yisroel camped and traveled according to the word of Hashem.
The Gemorah asks: How do we know that we may not carry between a private domain and a public domain on Shabbos? If we learn this halacha from the desert, we know that a desert is not considered a city, but rather a karmelis (not a public domain)? The Gemorah answers that we learn the halacha out of the fact that the Bnei Yisroel traveled and camped according to Hashem. When the Bnei Yisroel encamped, that place became a permanent establishment. Thus, the laws of a private domain and a public domain applied. This teaches us that even though the Bnei Yisroel might have only stayed briefly in a certain place, because Hashem told them to stop there, their stay, however short, was considered permanent.
The Rebbe explains that a desert has two features: no one can live there and nothing grows there. This shows a level of klipa. Nothing positive can come from klipa, and klipa wants everything for itself. When the Bnei Yisroel entered the midbar, wherever they settled converted that part of the desert into a city. There were six hundred thousand households and a population of over two million individuals, they were supplied with water from Miriam's well and they erected the Mishkan. The Midrash adds that plants even began to grow. Bnei Yisroel converted the physical desert into a physical city and a spiritual desert into a home for Hashem. This same lesson should be applied to our avodas Hashem in this time of golus. We are living in a spiritual desert without revelation of Hashem. Our job in this desert is to erect a Mishkan, a dwelling place for Hashem. In this sense, every one of us represents the shevet Levi who must establish our dwellings as a Mishkan and do the service of Hashem in our home – where each of us represents the kohanim.
Sometimes we travel away from home. Even if only for a day or so, we may feel that we are only traveling and what we do is not so important. One might say to himself, “ich bein nor interveigen - I am neither here nor there.” Why should I be mehadar in kashrus, in tznius, davening with a minyan, etc. while in transit? I am on the road, don't bother me. This week's parsha teaches us that even when the Jews only encamped for one day, the Levi’im had to erect the Mishkan, disassemble it the next day and load the wagons with much hard labor! The Levi’im did not excuse themselves saying, “we don't need to get so involved, why should we bother for only a day or two?” Instead, they knew their encampment was by the word of Hashem and it was their task to prepare the Mishkan for the Cohanim to bring korbonos. They therefore treated every temporary place as permanent, and erected the Mishkan and performed avodas Hashem in that place.
The same is true for us. When we travel, we must remember the lesson from the Baal Shem Tov that everything is by Divine Providence. As the possuk says in Tehillim 37:23, “The steps of man are directed by Hashem.” So if one ends up somewhere, even overnight, it’s because Hashem wants him to be in that specific place. Our whole life is and wherever we are must be “al pi Hashem”. One must behave as if one is at home, and make that campground, hotel, motel or airport lounge into a Mishkan for Hashem.
Likutei Sichos, Vol 13 and vol 7, p. 351; sicha said to the shluchim going to Australia, 11 Iyar 5731/1971