Travelling is a part of life. For some it is a pleasure, for others it is a bother. No matter the reason you travel it is best to arrange your itinerary in the most practical, efficient and convenient way.
For the first forty years of our nation’s existence, we were in constant travel mode. The Torah in this week’s parsha Beha’alosecha describes the procedure followed by the Israelites throughout their journey to the Promised Land. The divine cloud that hovered over the Tabernacle would ascend, indicating that it was time to travel forward to the next destination.
While the Israelites packed their tents, the Levites hurriedly dismantled the Tabernacle and loaded its various parts onto their designated wagons. A trumpet blast signaled the beginning of the journey and the entire camp of several million strong marched forward. When the cloud stopped, the Levites reconstructed the Tabernacle under it and the Israelites camped around it in the designated pattern.
There was no set schedule as to how long they would camp in a specific area. At times, they were stationary for years and sometimes the cloud signaled a new journey after only one night! Regardless, the Tabernacle was fully constructed at every single stop. As the Torah reiterates several times “At G-d’s bidding they encamped, at G-d’s bidding they travelled.”
Is it fair to demand such a labor-intensive activity as constructing the Tabernacle for a rest stop of several hours?
When you follow a map to get from point A to point B every stop on the way is a means to an end. But when you follow a divine GPS, every stop is a destination. G-d transcends time and fulfilling His will is enshrined in eternity. A stopover of several hours is as consequential and important as a 12-year encampment. Therefore, the Tabernacle was fully assembled every time.
Life is a divine journey. Wherever you may be there is a something special you need to accomplish. When you are travelling or moving around searching the right place to live, every stop is important no matter how long you are there.
View it as home. Find a synagogue and join them for services. Bring along your Tefillin and pray every day. Keep kosher as if you were in your kitchen and celebrate Shabbos just as you would at your dining room table.
Because wherever you may be, G-d has something special in mind for you.