Page 523 - 24107

24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 17 - B | 18-01-28 | 12:12:05 | SR:-- | Cyan
24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 17 - B | 18-01-28 | 12:12:05 | SR:-- | Black
#24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 17 - B | 18-01-28 | 12:12:05 | SR:-- | Yellow
24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 17 - B | 18-01-28 | 12:12:05 | SR:-- | Magenta
#
#24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 17 - B | 18-01-28 | 12:12:05 | SR:-- | Yellow 24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 17 - B | 18-01-28 | 12:12:05 | SR:-- | Magenta 24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 17 - B | 18-01-28 | 12:12:05 | SR:-- | Cyan 24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 17 - B | 18-01-28 | 12:12:05 | SR:-- | Black
#
Orchard of Delights
or perfunctory manner, they would not have accomplished their goal.
The people understood then, as we do now, that the messages Moses masei י ֵע ְס ַמ
wished to impart reflected his genuine concern for the nation. Since
the messages came from his heart, they entered the people’s hearts.

This insight draws our attention to one of the greatest mysteries
of this book: a style and syntax quite different than that of the first
££The Dynamics of the Journey
four books of the Torah. The first four books were dictated by God £The Dynamics of the JourneyThe Dynamics of the Journey
to Moses word for word, so they are written in the third person. The
uniqueness of this book is that it was spoken by Moses “from his own
mouth,” that is to say, in his own words in the first person (Megillah Masei, the last portion in the book of Numbers, marks the end
31b). Later God commanded him to write down the exact words he of Israel’s forty year sojourn in the desert. The entire book of
had uttered. In this way, Deuteronomy perfectly unifies the Oral Deuteronomy takes place during a brief thirty-seven day period.
and Written Torahs, fulfilling the dictum of making His will your Therefore, in Masei, the Torah summarizes the forty-two journeys
will, so that He will make His will your will (Pirkei Avot 2:4). Moses that occurred during Israel’s wanderings in the desert, from the time
had truly reached this level by the end of his life; therefore, his words the nation left Egypt to the current encampment in the plains of
simultaneously expressed his will as well as God’s. The expression Moab across the Jordan River from Jericho.
the Rabbis coined to express this exalted spiritual level is that the These journeys are introduced by a verse that creates a mirror
Shechinah, God’s Presence, spoke through the throat of Moses (see image: “And Moses wrote their going forth according to their journeys
Zohar 3:256).
at the command of God, and these were their journeys according
That Moses’ reached this level is all the more remarkable when to their going forth” (Numbers 33:2). The words “going forth” and
we remember that at the burning bush Moses argued that he was “journeys” found in the first half of the verse occur in the opposite
incapable of leading the people because he could not speak properly! order in the second half of the verse. The ArtScroll Chumash quotes
Even after returning to Egypt and despite God’s personal assurances Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch on the significance of this inversion.
that He would be with him, Moses complained that no one would The first half of the verse – “Their going forth according to their
listen to him as he was of “uncircumcised lips” (Exodus 6:12). His journeys” – is written from God’s perspective, as each time they went
ultimate ascension to the level where even those words that came forth their journey had a specific purpose, while the second half of the
from his heart were perfectly aligned with God’s will, (so that he verse is written from the people’s perspective. Since the people were
therefore merited transmitting God’s word to all future generations) often restless or dissatisfied, the journey itself is emphasized and not
should inspire us all. its purpose. As the verse makes clear, the journeys were more about
leaving than about going anywhere – “their journeys according to
their going forth.”

This point although subtle is so true. Oftentimes we have the
forethought to map out our next moves in life in keeping with our
long-term plans, with regard to a broader vision of where we are
going in life. Sometimes though we really do not know what should
come next but our intuition, at best, or our fears, at worst, compel

534 523