“These are the journeys.” The last Parashah of the Book of Numbers, Masei, enumerates 42 stations in the desert where the Israelites stopped along the way. Rashi asks the obvious question, why? Aren’t these superfluous details? The answer he provides, derived from the Midrash, is that it was a sign of God’s compassion. No one should say that God decreed the Israelites wander for 40 years without rest. This week’s tie shows travel around the world in slightly more luxurious environs than those experienced by our ancestors in the desert. Summer is a time many people travel. If you are, enjoy the oases God has provided wherever you go.
Rabbi Ed Bernstein 
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