Parshat Masei: Why the Journey Is Just as Important as the Destination

Parshat Masei recounts the journeys of the Jewish people through the wilderness. It is always read during the Three Weeks, the period of mourning between the Seventeenth of Tammuz and Tisha B'Av. These days remind us that, because of our sins, the Jewish people are still wandering in exile, searching for the peace and permanence that have yet to be fully restored.

Just as Abraham's journey into exile served a lofty purpose — the birth and development of the Jewish nation, our own exile is not merely a punishment. It is also an opportunity to examine ourselves, grow spiritually, and prepare for redemption.

The Torah introduces the account of the wilderness journeys with an intriguing verse: "Moses recorded their departures according to their journeys, by the command of the Lord; and these were their journeys according to their departures" (Numbers 33:2).

At first glance, the verse seems repetitive. Yet a closer look reveals two significant changes.

The opening phrase reads, "their departures according to their journeys," while the second half reverses the order and says, "their journeys according to their departures." In addition, the first half concludes with the words "by the command of the Lord," while the second half omits this expression entirely.

The Torah never changes its wording without purpose. Every variation contains layers of meaning. What is the Torah teaching us?

Moving Forward — or Backward

The Kli Yakar offers several explanations, two of which answer both questions simultaneously.

In Hebrew grammar, the letter mem (מ) at the beginning of a word indicates the point of origin — from where something begins. By contrast, the letter lamed (ל) points toward a destination, indicating where something is headed.

The Israelites' journey through the wilderness was anything but straightforward. At times they moved steadily toward their goal of the Promised Land. At other times, because of their spiritual failures, they were forced to retrace their steps and move back toward the place from which they had come.

When the nation lived in accordance with God's will, they advanced. Their journey was truly"from their departure toward their destination." This is why the Torah adds the words "by the command of the Lord."God Himself was leading them forward.

However, when the people sinned, complained, rebelled, and tested God, their progress came to a halt. Instead of moving closer to their destination, they were sent backward. Their journey became "their journeys according to their departures" — a journey leading back toward where they had started. At that point, the Torah no longer says "by the command of the Lord," because the delay was not God's ideal plan. It resulted from the people's refusal to follow His guidance.

Two Different Visions

The Kli Yakar offers another fascinating interpretation.

Alongside the Israelites traveled the Erev Rav, the "mixed multitude" — those from other nations who joined Israel after the Exodus. Time and again, they influenced the Jewish people negatively, encouraging rebellion and discouraging entry into the Land of Israel.

According to this explanation, "their departures according to their journeys" describes the Jewish people themselves, whose aspiration was to leave Egypt behind forever and reach the Promised Land.

By contrast, "their journeys according to their departures" refers to the Erev Rav. Their hearts never truly left Egypt. Deep down, they longed to return to the place they had left behind.

Though they traveled alongside Israel, they were journeying in the opposite direction spiritually.

The Journey Itself Has Purpose

A third explanation is offered by the Tzafnat Paneach.

Every journey has both a point of departure and a destination. Generally, people travel for one of two reasons.

Sometimes they simply need to leave where they are. They may be escaping danger or an unpleasant situation. In that case, the important part is getting away, but the destination is secondary.

At other times, the destination itself is the goal. A person has business to conduct, family to visit, or somewhere important to be.

Very few people view the journey itself as meaningful. Yet this is precisely what the Torah teaches about Israel's travels through the wilderness.

God did not merely want His people to leave one campsite and arrive at another. The journey itself was part of His plan.

As the Tzafnat Paneach explains, every stop along the way, every stage of the journey, and every mile traveled carried its own Divine purpose. What appeared to be an unavoidable process was, in reality, an essential part of God's design.

When God instructed the Israelites to break camp, He intended for them to grow through the journey itself before reaching the next destination.

This is the meaning of the phrase "their departures according to their journeys." The journey was not merely the means, but rather, it was part of the destination.

The Israelites, however, often viewed things differently. They became frustrated by the wilderness. They complained constantly. They wanted only to leave wherever they happened to be. For them, every campsite became something to escape rather than a place to grow.

Their mindset became "their journeys according to their departures." Leaving was the goal. They failed to recognize that every stage of the journey had been carefully chosen by God.

Moses recorded their journeys as "their departures according to their journeys," but the people often experienced them as "their journeys according to their departures."

Every Life Has Forty-Two Journeys

The Degel Machaneh Ephraim offers a beautiful insight.

He writes that every soul experiences forty-two journeys during its lifetime. These are not necessarily physical journeys. Rather, they are the spiritual stages each person passes through over the course of life.

Every location mentioned in Parshat Masei represents, in some way, a station that every individual encounters on the journey of the soul.

If someone were asked to review every chapter of his or her life, many would likely point to certain periods and say, "I wish I could erase that."

But the Torah tells us otherwise.

"Moses recorded them... by the command of the Lord."

Every stage of life — from the moment we enter this world until the day we leave it, is known to God. Every stop has meaning. Every challenge, every delay, every unexpected detour, every triumph, and every setback forms part of the journey He has carefully designed.

Walking Through Life with Faith

This is one of the foundational principles of Jewish faith.

Every journey has purpose.

This is true of the Jewish people's long exile, and it is equally true of every individual's personal journey.

We often assume that the road is merely an unavoidable inconvenience separating us from where we want to be. If only we could skip the difficult chapters and arrive immediately at the destination.

The Torah teaches otherwise.

Every step matters, every station matters, every experience is significant, and everything unfolds by the command of the Lord.

Some people in the wilderness focused only on escaping Egypt. Others focused only on reaching the Land of Israel. But God wanted them to recognize that the wilderness itself was part of His plan.

The same is true for us.

Every season of our lives — even those we would never have chosen, contains opportunities for growth that exist nowhere else.

The question, then, is not whether we will have a journey. The question is how we will choose to walk it.