Community Magazine May 2013

Like all good deeds, Bene Yisrael ’s patience and faith paid off, providing merit for future generations. Centuries later, Gd proclaimed through the prophet Yirmiyahu (2:2-3), “I have remembered for you the kindness of your youth…following Me in the desert… Israel is sacred to Gd – all who devour it shall be held accountable…” Our generation is a very impatient one. We do not take kindly to delays, inconveniences, sudden schedule changes, or anything that takes more time than we want it to. A 15-minute wait at the toll booth is enough to get us fuming. One lesson we should learn from the generation of the wilderness is to accept inconvenient and uncomfortable situations without complaint and without losing our cool. Our journey through life, like our ancestors’ journey through the desert, will not always be smooth or predictable. Many difficult and unexpected situations will arise, and many last-minute changes in our plans will have to be made. We would do well to learn from the “kindness of your youth,” from the righteous generation that faithfully followed Gd through the desert, about remaining calm and patient no matter where Gd brings us in life, confident that we will eventually reach the destination He has set for us. Sparks of Holiness But there might also be an even deeper message for us to learn from our ancestors’ sojourn. The Torah emphasizes that Bene Yisrael ’s “itinerary” was very inconsistent. There were times when they would travel or encamp for just a day or two, while on other occasions they would travel or encamp for months. Outwardly, this system appeared random and haphazard, without any rhyme or reason dictating when they would journey and when they would stay in place. In truth, of course, this was hardly random. Kabbalah teaches us that the purpose of Bene Yisrael ’s travels was to reveal the “ nitzotzot ,” the holy sparks, latent within all the locations where they traveled. Their purpose was to drive away the forces of impurity that existed at the various places through which they journeyed, in order to bring out the dormant forces of sanctity. Gd, in His infinite wisdom, knew precisely what was required for this goal to be achieved in each location. There were some locations that required Bene Yisrael ’s presence for an extended period, while in others it sufficed for them just to travel through. Bene Yisrael ’s travels were thus carefully designed down to their last detail, in accordance with the particular spiritual needs of each location. The Ba’al Shem Tov (Rabbi Yisrael Ba’al Shem Tov, 1700-1760) taught that each and every one of us, like our ancestors, passes through different stations in life according to the spiritual purposes we are each destined to fulfill. Just as Bene Yisrael needed to pass through and spend time in different areas in the desert, each person is led through various places and situations in life to enable him to make the tikkunim – spiritual “rectifications” – that he is supposed to make. Our journey through life, although we might not always recognize it, is also “ al pi Dedicated inmemory of   Sarah  bat LucetteKishik  18 Community magazine