“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”
Erev Shabbos Kodesh parshas Korach
1 Tamuz 5781/June 11, 2021
Rosh Chodesh Tamuz – Avos perek 4
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לזכר נשמת זקנתי מורתי פרומה
בת ליבר ע"ה – יארצייט ל' סיון (א' דר"ח תמוז)
לרפואה שלימה נטע יצחק בן רחל
ARE WE HERE YET
Last shabbos, we headed up to the mountains to participate in a wonderful
shabbatone with the ninth and tenth grades of Heichal HaTorah. The car was
packed up with linen, luggage, and half our children (the rest went to their
grandparents).
We left
early Friday afternoon just as a summer rainstorm began. The highway was congested,
and traffic was moving slowly as rain pounded the car. That was when one of our
children asked me for the first time, “are we almost there yet? What time are
we getting there?” I answered as patiently as I could by pointing to the time
on display on Waze, which was open on the dashboard. But I decided to shut off
Waze because I was familiar with the directions. A moment later I was asked
again what time we were getting there, and then again and then again. I must
admit that my patience was sapped, and I reassured the questioner that we
wouldn’t get there any faster because of the persistent questioning and
badgering.
When
driving somewhere, the point is to get to the destination. There are various
ways we try to keep ourselves entertained or mentally busy while en-route
including talking on the phone, and listening to music, radio, lectures, or
podcasts. But the main point is to sit in the car until you arrive at your
destination.
But
there are many other journeys we undertake in life which aren’t just about
arriving at the destination. In fact, it’s been noted that in many instances
the journey is the destination. This is surely true regarding personal and
spiritual growth.
The
tragic story of the spies is one of the great calamities in our early history.
It was on the night of Tisha B’av when our ancestors rejected Eretz Yisroel,
foreshadowing that day as a time of pain and mourning.
But the
truth is that only fifty percent of the nation rejected the land. Rashi
(Bamidbar 36:6) relates that the women had a greater love of the land. In fact,
Kli Yakar writes that if only Moshe had sent women to spy out the land the
whole crisis would’ve been averted.
It’s
hard to imagine that loving the land is gender based. What does it mean that
women loved the land more than men?
At a
graduation for the girls of the Yeshiva of Greater Washington, Rabbi Aharon
Lopianksy suggested the following: Conquering Eretz Yisroel is an arduous and
challenging process. The entire nation originally marched forth from Egypt full
of excitement to enter the Promised Land. But when they realized the daunting challenges,
they would face and would need to traverse in order to conquer the land, the
men lost heart. It wasn’t that they lacked love of the land per se. Rather,
they were shortsighted and only saw the immediate challenges they would need to
face.
The day
after the spies gave their negative report, Moshe told the nation מחר - tomorrow turn back towards the Yam Suf. Their sin was rooted
in their inability to see past the moment. They lacked a vision of tomorrow, of
what would occur if they would be able to follow through and overcame the
challenges.
Women on
the other hand, have a different temperament. A woman possesses a רחם - womb. רחם has the same
letters as מחר - tomorrow. A
woman carries a child for nine painful and uncomfortable months. She bears it
all by remaining focused on the end result - the moment she will clutch her
newborn in her arms. Women more naturally live with a sense of tomorrow.
If the
women had spied the land, they would have seen past the immediate challenges
and would have been able to envision the future time when each person would
“sit in security under his grapevine and under his fig tree.” (Melochim I 5:5)
I can
personally relate to this concept. When we were doing construction on our
kitchen a few years ago, and my wife would discuss the plans with me, I
honestly had no idea what she was talking about. I would do my best to listen
and try to understand but I couldn’t really picture how things would look until
it was actually done. I don’t have the ability to envision the final product
based on raw plans. (I should add that I have gotten much better in the last
few years. Since the construction finished a few years ago, I have a perfect
vision of what it looks like.)
Success
in life is contingent on being able to see past immediate struggles and
challenges. One must have a vision of what reaching his goals will look like so
that he can chart his plan to get there.
Part of
the greatness of the Jewish people has been our ability to always see beyond
our immediate challenges and to always maintain hope for better times.
During
our trip up to the mountains last week we weren’t actually there yet until we
pulled into our destination. In life however, in a sense wherever we are, we
have arrived. We search for opportunities for growth in the moment, while at
the same time continuing to hope and dream of greater times that are coming.
Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos,
R’ Dani and Chani Staum