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Harav Hagaon Elimelech Reznick Shlita

Your Forty-Two Stops

Parshas Matos-Masei

Harav Hagaon Elimelech Reznick shlita

This week’s parshah discusses the 42 masa’os of Bnei Yisrael, and gives rise to the following halachos. The Magen Avraham teaches that we do not break up the masa’os, but lein them all in one aliyah, because they correspond to the 42-letter Name of Hakadosh Baruch Hu — which is alluded to in the tefillah of אנא בכח — and we do not want to interrupt in the middle of an allusion to that Name.

Another halachah that arises from this week’s parshah is that, as the Tur notes in Hilchos Sefer Torah, the number of lines in the sefer Torah is 42, corresponding to the 42 masa’os. There is another minhag that the sefer Torah contains 48 lines, and this also corresponds to the masa’os, which can be calculated differently, to include another six.

What connection is there between the lines of the sefer Torah and the masa’os?

Perhaps the answer lies in yet another halachah related to the sefer Torah. When the sefer Torah is lifted during hagba’ah, the minhag is that we look at the writing on it — some people point to it or bow — and we say וְזֹאת הַתּוֹרָה אֲשֶׁר שָׂם מֹשֶׁה לִפְנֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, and then add the words עַל פִּי ה’ בְּיַד מֹשֶׁה. This, the Siddur HaGra notes, is really a mistake, because these words are not part of the passuk, and we are not supposed to say half a passuk. Indeed, the Mishnah Berurah states in several places that we should not recite half a passuk; for instance, when a person says Kiddush on Shabbos day, he should not begin with the words עַל כֵּן בֵּרַךְ ה’, because that is not a full passuk. For this reason, many siddurim give the following passuk to be recited after vezos haTorah: עַל פִּי ה’ יַחֲנוּ וְעַל פִּי ה’ יִסָּעוּ אֶת מִשְׁמֶרֶת ה’ שָׁמָרוּ עַל פִּי ה’ בְּיַד מֹשֶׁה. This is the passuk that contains the phrase עַל פִּי ה’ בְּיַד מֹשֶׁה, regarding the masa’os of Klal Yisrael, as described in Parshas Behaaloscha.

Apparently, there is great significance to remembering the travels of Klal Yisrael each time we see the sefer Torah. What is that significance?

Repairing the World

The Ramban and Rabbeinu Bachaye, in Parshas Behaaloscha, explain that when the Torah specifies that Klal Yisrael encamped at times for one day, or for two days, or for a month, and so on, according to how the amud he’anan rested or moved, it is conveying to us that Klal Yisrael followed Hashem’s lead regardless of their own comfort. Certain places where they camped were very comfortable, while other places were less comfortable. In some locations, they sensed the kedushah and experienced an aliyah, while in other places there was tumah and darkness. Nevertheless, Klal Yisrael followed Hashem faithfully. If they came to a comfortable place, where they were relieved to unpack their bags and rest for a while, but discovered the next morning that the anan was up and ready to travel, they did not complain, but followed the anan. Conversely, if they were camped in an unpleasant place, they stayed there as long as the anan indicated.

The Leshem writes in his sefer, citing R’ Itzeleh of Volozhin’s sefer Peh Kadosh, that in each place where Klal Yisrael encamped in the Midbar, they had to accomplish certain tikkunim, and similarly, in every place and situation a person finds himself, he has something to fix, by repairing the nitzotzos of tumah and bringing nitzotzos of kedushah. Through that, a person experiences an aliyah. Certain places in the Midbar were places of tumah, and Klal Yisrael had to enter and rid the places of those impure nitzotzos, bringing sparks of kedushah before moving on. Difficult as this was, Klal Yisrael nevertheless followed Hashem faithfully.

The Degel Machaneh Ephraim, citing the Baal Shem Tov, explains that every Yid, in his lifetime, goes through 42 masa’os, just as Klal Yisrael did in the Midbar. And before the neshamah comes down to Olam Hazeh, Hakadosh Baruch Hu tells that neshamah, “This is your job. These are your 42 masa’os. Do you agree to this travel plan?” The neshamah says yes, and Hakadosh Baruch Hu gives it all the tools — the middos and kochos hanefesh — that it requires, in gashmiyus and ruchniyus, to succeed in all the nisyonos it will face. These become our travels and travails in life.

Whena person understands this, he can go through his personal journey, fortified with the bitachon that whatever his situation is, that’s where he’s supposed to be.

The Shach, on Parshas Behaaloscha, sees allusions to this effect in the names of some of the masa’os listed in the Torah. There is a place called Marah, which connotes bitterness, and a place called Miskah, which connotes sweetness. There is Har Shafer, which connotes being on top of the mountain and experiencing greatness and success, and then there’s Tachas, which connotes being downtrodden, lonely, and unsuccessful. There is Charadah, which connotes fear and anxiety, and Chashmonah, which connotes strength, like the Chashmonaim. There is Refidim, which connotes weakness, not having kochos, and Eilim, which connotes power, having tremendous kochos. There is Midbar Sinai, where Klal Yisrael received the Torah and were engrossed in its study, doing well in ruchniyus, and Kivros Hataavah, a place of tumah where the yetzer hara took over.

Every Yid experiences these 42 stops along his journey. Sometimes, we’re in an ideal situation, and we wish we could stay in that place forever, yet suddenly the circumstances change and become less pleasant. What’s happening is that you were successful in the situation you were in, so the Eibishter wanted to bring you to the next level; you graduated. Conversely, at times a person is experiencing hardship, whether in gashmiyus or ruchniyus, and no matter how hard he works to improve the situation, nothing helps. That’s because Hakadosh Baruch Hu wants you to be in that situation, until you manage to accomplish what you are meant to achieve in that circumstance.

This idea is similar to the concept, taught by sifrei chassidush, that just as Avraham Avinu endured ten nisyonos, every Yid experiences something similar in his life. A person has to consider that and see how it applies to his own situation.

Being Shepherded Through Life

R’ Itzeleh of Volozhin sees this lesson reflected in the passuk בִּנְאוֹת דֶּשֶׁא יַרְבִּיצֵנִי עַל מֵי מְנֻחוֹת יְנַהֲלֵנִי, which appears in the perek of Tehillim beginning Mizmor L’David that we recite at Shalosh Seudos. The mizmor begins with the words ה’ רֹעִי, Hashem is my shepherd, and goes on to express that He forces me to stay — יַרְבִּיצֵנִי — in certain places, while compelling me to travel — יְנַהֲלֵנִי — in others. At times, a flock of sheep is eager to move on, but the shepherd insists that they remain in a certain pasture, while at other times the shepherd will urge them to travel even though they want to remain where they are. That’s because the shepherd knows that in one place, there are נְאוֹת דֶּשֶׁא, good pastures for the sheep, so he makes them stay there, while in the place that seems to them to be מֵי מְנֻחוֹת, pleasant and tranquil, where they would like to rest, the shepherd prods them to move on because he knows there better place awaits them.

So it is in a person’s life, says R’ Itzeleh. At times, a person is trying to get out of a specific situation, but Hashem decides, יַרְבִּיצֵנִי — stay right there. Other times, you want to stay in a particular situation, but Hashem decides, יְנַהֲלֵנִי — it’s time to move on. You may think this is the best thing for you, but Hashem knows that the right thing is for you to go on to a new situation.

The way to succeed throughout this bumpy journey is with bitachon, relying on the Eibishter’s guidance and direction.

This reminds me of the story with the brothers R’ Elimelech and R’ Zusha. Once, when they went into self-imposed galus as a kapparah, they were accused of something, and the police threw them into prison. Their cell had a bucket for bodily wastes, and because of the odor they could not learn or even think in learning. R’ Elimelech broke down crying, and when R’ Zusha asked him why, he explained that until now, despite all the hardships, he had been able to learn, daven, say Tehillim, and think about avodas Hashem, but now he can’t do any of that, so how could he serve Hashem in this situation?

“Maybe,” replied R’ Zusha, “right here is where Hakadosh Baruch Hu wants you to be?”

R’ Elimelech derived so much simchah from this thought that he began to dance, and the two danced together around that bucket of waste. When the prison guards saw how much joy they had over this bucket, they promptly removed it.

Evidently, there was a particular situation they had to be in, and the moment they accepted it b’simchah, they received an A+ grade on the report card and were able to move on.

Armed with Bitachon

Each time we see the sefer Torah, and we point to the 42 lines of the sefer Torah that allude to the 42 masa’os, it reminds us that we have to rely on Hashem, with complete bitachon: עַל פִּי ה’ יַחֲנוּ וְעַל פִּי ה’ יִסָּעוּ. The Torah is leading us, and at every juncture we need to be shomer mishmeres Hashem.

Last week, we read the first haftarah of the Tlasa D’Puranusa. After conveying a frightening, gloomy nevuah of galus and churban, Yirmiyahu Hanavi is given this uplifting message, with which the haftarah concludes: הָלֹךְ וְקָרָאתָ בְאָזְנֵי יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם לֵאמֹר כֹּה אָמַר ה’ זָכַרְתִּי לָךְ חֶסֶד נְעוּרַיִךְ אַהֲבַת כְּלוּלֹתָיִךְ לֶכְתֵּךְ אַחֲרַי בַּמִּדְבָּר בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא זְרוּעָה. What connection is there between these words and the preceding nevuah about the churban?

The Arizal explains that Hakadosh Baruch Hu was telling the Yidden, “Although the Beis Hamikdash is going to be destroyed and you will be going into a terrible galus, I know you have the tools to succeed. I’m not sending you anywhere that you can’t hold on until Moshiach comes.”

What are those tools? How do we know we have them?

At the time of Yetzias Mitzrayim, Klal Yisrael went out to the barren, desolate Midbar, to an אֶרֶץ לֹא זְרוּעָה, with no provisions. How were they able to do that? They relied on Hashem. Equipped with bitachon, they embarked on a journey through the wilderness, traveling according to His word and encamping according to His word.

Throughout our own 42 masa’os in life, we take that same bitachon with us, knowing that in every life circumstance, this is where Hashem wants us to be. We accept His mission for us with love, while doing our best to succeed in each stop along the journey. If you muster this koach of עַל פִּי ה’ יַחֲנוּ וְעַל פִּי ה’ יִסָּעוּ, you can succeed in every situation.

We should be zocheh to see the end to this long journey of galus and greet Moshiach Tzidkeinu b’meheirah v’yameinu amen.

Gut Shabbos.

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