This past week, I drove down to Philadelphia to join colleagues in the Reform movement at our annual convention. In preparing to leave on any journey, I find I am most nervous in the hours before I leave. This is the time I am considering how to pack, what to bring, and what I will need to do to make it to my destination safely and on time. While traveling may be second nature to some of you, it is most definitely not for me. Usually, I don’t feel comfortable until I actually set off along the way.
In a way, this is the problem the rabbis are trying to solve in this week’s Torah portion, Pekudei. In the final verse of the Book of Leviticus, the Torah tells us that a cloud hovered over the Tabernacle during the day and a fire at night during all of the Israelite’s journeys. The Hebrew word used for journeys is Masa’eihem, a word that could mean both the travels themselves and the rest stops along the way. The question the rabbis ask is whether our ancestors needed God’s protection most while they were traveling or while they were encamped? Rashi and other traditional commentators argue for the latter, whereas I had always read it as the former. Perhaps like me, we are most anxious before we leave. After we set out, we have one another and a plan for how to arrive at our destination.
For me, the best part of a trip is coming back home. After a week away, I look forward to joining Cantor Frank and our synagogue band and singers tonight at our Shabbat in Liverpool at CSS. I hope to see you there!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex
Last Updated on 03/13/2024 by Marc Slonim