Parshat Masei is written like a traveler’s diary, journaling all of the places that B’nai Yisrael visited.
The “journal” begins with the following words (Bamidbar 33:1):
These are the journeys of B’nai Yisrael who went out of Egypt in organized groups under the leadership of Moshe and Aharon.
Rashi brings Rabbi Moshe HaDarshan’s commentary:
Why were these journeys recorded? To make God’s benevolence known. For although he decreed to move them about and cause them to wander in the wilderness, do not say that they wandered and were moved about from journey to journey for all 40 years and had no rest- for there are only 42 journeys here. Subtract 14, all of which took place before the decree and exclude 8 journeys that happened after Aharon’s death, during the 40th year and you will find that throughout the 38 years, they only moved 20 times.
Rabbi Tanchuma (3) explains it differently:
This can be compared to a king whose son was ill so he brought him to a distant place for treatment. When they returned, the father began enumerating all the journeys. He said to his son, “Here we slept; here, we were chilled; here your head ached…”
Gur Aryeh comments that the father does this to show his son how much he loves and cares for him. The Torah as well indicates God’s great love and care for Israel, to inspire them to serve Him wholeheartedly.
According to Tzror HaMor, written by the Spanish Kabbalist Rabbi Avraham Sabba in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, these journeys were recorded by God’s command in order to instill within us a fundamental and profound sense of trust in the future redemption and in the hardships that befall us. Their purpose is to strengthen weary hands and encourage those who falter. For God sees and observes until the end of all generations, and He foresaw the exiles that Israel would endure, particularly the fourth and most difficult exile. Therefore, God recorded these journeys to provide us with a strong and enduring assurance: that although we may pass through many troubles and afflictions, God will preserve us, revive us, and ultimately bring us out of our exile, just as He did at the time of the Exodus from Egypt.
We have been through many trials and tribulations along the way and unfortunately anti-Semitism seems to be everywhere. However, Parshat Masei reminds us that we should take a step back and appreciate the fact that we have the Modern State of Israel. We made it to the Promised Land! Now, we need to work on not taking it for granted.
