This week is parshas Masai. It is most common for parshas Matos and Masai to be combined and read together on one Shabbos. Occasionally, as it this year, they are read separately. What lesson can we learn from the Bnei Yisroel’s travel, stops and passing through the desert in avodas Hashem? The Baal Shem Tov explains that the travels in the desert represent 42 journeys that a person travels throughout his or her lifetime. The purpose of these travels for each person and for all of us collectively is to fulfill our mission of making this world a dwelling for Hashem. Ultimately we will reach the Jordan River, as the pasuk says; “Ad Yarden Yareicho”. The root of the name “Yareicho” means “reiach”- smell. This refers to Moshiach about whom it says that he will be “moreiach vadayin- he will judge with his sense of smell”.
Some of the names of places that Bnei Yisroel camped refer to negative events that occurred at those locations. For example, one place was named “Kivros Hataavah” (meaning the burial place of lust) because it was here that the Bnei Yisroel went to their graves for the sin of lusting after meat. What can this location and negative event teach us in our service of Hashem? The Baal Shem Tov teaches our service to Hashem requires us not only to control our lusts, but even more, to bury them! This means that we only desire Hashem and have no lust for the physical. We do however, have free choice to decide which path to take either for the good or the opposite chas v’Shalom.
Wherever we travel we need to know that our purpose is to bring Moshiach, and that we are never alone. Hashem is with us to guide us along the path to fulfill the divine purpose for which our neshamos descended into this world. As we travel, He sends His Malachim to help us. The journey, at times, seems like an endless desert. Ultimately will be successful in accomplishing the purpose of making this world into an oasis, a pleasure garden of Hashem’s presence.
So too it is when we do the Rebbe’s shlichus, we do not go alone. The Rebbe escorts us and gives us the power to accomplish and be successful on our shlichus.
In 1971 I was among the third group of Shluchim that were sent to Australia on Shlichus. During our Yechidus we had before we left, the Rebbe said that although our ultimate goal is to reach Australia, nevertheless each stop (each encampment) is important, and a journey in and of itself. We stopped in Israel, Iran and India. We had planned to be in Australia for Shabbos but were not able to arrive on time so we ended up having to stay over Shabbos in a hotel in Calcutta (India). We took the opportunity to speak in the local Shuls. In a hallway at the hotel we were welcomed with a greeting of “Shalom” from an American teenager who was stuck in the hotel due to a delayed flight, as he was returning from exploring the Far East. We became friendly and soon invited him to share with us our Shabbos meal of tuna, mangos, oranges, Coca Cola, flat bread. We also shared a bottle of vodka that we had purchased at duty free to make a farbrengen for Shabbos Mevarchim. We had a fabrengen that night and stayed up until the early hours of the morning. At the end we helped him get back to his room. When he left the hotel he left us a note that read; “Thank you for showing me the green light”.
This is the meaning of the masaos. Each journey and every stop is; “Al pi Hashem-according to Hashem’s plan”. There was a reason that we got stuck in Calcutta for Shabbos.
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