Pekudei: How to Inspire A Chevra on Life’s Path

By Mordy Blau

As I sit down to write this Dvar Torah, I struggle with the following question: How could I inspire such an amazing chevra? As Shani Taragin said, “we are the best year.” Then I realized, I don’t have to inspire you. You have to inspire yourselves. How is that possible? Well, it starts by understanding this week’s Parsha.

The end of our Parsha and all of Sefer Shemot concludes with the explanation of how and when Bnei Yisrael traveled in the midbar. The Torah tells us that

וּבְהֵעָל֤וֹת הֶֽעָנָן֙ מֵעַ֣ל הַמִּשְׁכָּ֔ן יִסְע֖וּ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל בְּכֹ֖ל מַסְעֵיהֶֽם׃ וְאִם־לֹ֥א יֵעָלֶ֖ה הֶעָנָ֑ן וְלֹ֣א יִסְע֔וּ עַד־י֖וֹם הֵעָלֹתֽוֹ׃ כִּי֩ עֲנַ֨ן ה' עַֽל־הַמִּשְׁכָּן֙ יוֹמָ֔ם וְאֵ֕שׁ תִּהְיֶ֥ה לַ֖יְלָה בּ֑וֹ לְעֵינֵ֥י כל־בֵּֽית־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בְּכל־מַסְעֵיהֶֽם׃

שמות מ': לו-לח

When the cloud went, Am Yisrael went. When the cloud rested, Am Yisrael rested.

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks Z”L points out a difficulty. When the ענני הכבוד lifted up from the mishkan, it makes sense to say that Bnei Yisrael would go on their journey “בכל מסעיהם” since that was their sign. However, how do we understand the second mention of “בכל מסעיהם?” When the ענני הכבוד rested, so did Am Yisrael! 

Moreover, Chaver Jordan Cohen asked me another question while we were in Yeshiva that has stuck with me until today (or until I looked at my Divrei Torah from when I was in Yeshiva). Why does the Torah say בכל מסעיהם in the plural? Going from Mizriam to Eretz Yisrael was all one journey! I think the answer to these questions can help us start the inspiration train for ourselves. 

Rashi was bothered by the same questions and explains that,

מַסָּע שֶׁהָיוּ נוֹסְעִים, הָיָה הֶעָנָן שׁוֹכֵן בַּמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יַחֲנוּ שָׁם; מְקוֹם חֲנִיָּתָן אַף הוּא קָרוּי מַסָּע, וְכֵן וַיֵּלֶךְ לְמַסָּעָיו (בראשית י"ג), וְכֵן אֵלֶּה מַסְעֵי (במדבר ל"ג), לְפִי שֶׁמִּמְּקוֹם הַחֲנִיָּה חָזְרוּ וְנָסְעוּ, לְכָךְ נִקְרְאוּ כֻלָּן מַסָּעוֹת: ד”ה לעני

Each part of their trip was included in their journey. Even when they stopped, Hashem is telling Bnei Yisrael to view it as part of their journey. When we start viewing it as separate, that is when the downfall begins. As the first פסוק in all of Tehillim says,

 ​​אשרי האיש אשר לא הלך בעצת רשעים ובדרך חטאים לא עמד ובמושב לצים לא ישב: תהלים א:א

How do we understand the progression of walking to standing to sitting? Rabbi Sacks explains that we praise the man who stands since when he begins to sit, it is all downhill from there. Judaism is an escalator, if we are not going up, we are going down. We have to view everything as part of our journey of life.

But what about Jordan’s question? If it is all one journey, why is it written in plural? Rav Taragin (from Hakotel) explains that we should never view where we are right now as our final destination. Every day we have the opportunity to look for ways to continue on our paths in life and influence the world and the people around us. Although Bnei Yisrael were on one long journey from Mitzriam to Eretz Yisrael, the Torah is showing us that Hashem was with us on the cloud at every moment during our day-to-day struggles. Each leg of the journey was important. Whatever struggles or difficulties Bnei Yisrael had in the desert, Hashem was with them.

So let’s connect this back to our lives. What do we think about our lives? Do we view it as a long journey? Are we complacent where we are or are we shifting the goalposts of life? Rav Moshe Feinstein Z”L said that our Parsha highlights this idea of חשבון הנפש. Just like the artisans had to count all of their possessions and donations for the mishkan, so too we must do an accounting of our lives.

So now is the time. Don’t wait until it's too late because

וּמִ֣י יוֹדֵ֔עַ אִם־לְעֵ֣ת כָּזֹ֔את הִגַּ֖עַתְּ לַמַּלְכֽוּת׃ אסתר ד': י"ד

Shabbat Shalom and Good Shabbos!