Are We There Yet?

RABBI JUDAH Mashpiah, OU-NCSY MISCHEL Executive Director, Camp HASC disappointment of impatient talmidim. Dedicated L'Iluy Nishmas HaChaver Said Rav Shlomo Heiman, “Where is Shlomo Michael ben Meir z'l it written in the Torah that one must provide a teretz, an answer, for every question? This question itself is so good. Are We Why ruin it with an answer? There Yet? THEY WOULD ENCAMP n 1935, Rav Shlomo Heiman zt’l, Rosh Parshas B’haalosecha describes the Yeshiva of Remailles Yeshiva in Vilna, continuous building and dismantling of Iwas tapped by Reb Shraga Feivel the Mishkan throughout our decades of Mendelowitz zy’a to assume leadership wandering in the Desert, and the Ananei of the struggling Mesivta Torah VoDaas. haKavod, the wondrous Clouds of Glory A close student of Reb Baruch Ber of that surrounded and accompanied us, Kamenetz, and previously having taught steering our journey and indicating with Rav Elchonon Wasserman, hy”d, in when and in what direction to go: Baranovitch, Rav Shlomo Heiman was “...According to the cloud’s departure renowned as a clear and deep thinker, a from over the Tent, and afterwards, master teacher. Bnei Yisrael would travel, and in the One of Rav Shlomo’s prized place where the cloud settled, there they talmidim at Torah VoDaas, Reb Shlomo would encamp. Carlebach zy’a, spoke of his Rebbi’s Al pi Hashem yachanu… v’al pi Hashem unique educational approaches. When yisa’u — at the bidding of the Hashem, someone in shiur would pose a kushya, they traveled, and at the bidding of a strong question, the Rosh Yeshiva Hashem, they encamped. As long as the would not always answer, often to the cloud hovered above the Mishkan, they encamped (9:17-18). Our history of complaining aside, it is not hard to imagine how frustrating and exhausting a national road trip through the desert, with hundreds of thousands 30 TORAH TIDBITS / B’HAALOT’CHA 5780 of children, might be: ‘Are we there can be stressful. yet? How long are we staying here? Months of ‘forced encampment’ What’s for dinner? Are we leaving here during the lock-down days of Covid19 tomorrow? The next day? How long have given us a collective glimpse into until we get to where we’re going?’ living with severely limited freedom of For forty years and forty two stops movement and ability to plan ahead. along the way, Bnei Yisrael did not While staying at home, it has been a know the answer; “Sometimes, the time of ‘wandering in the Desert’: Al pi cloud remained for several days above Hashem yachanu, v’al pi Hashem yisa’u the Mishkan; al pi Hashem yachanu, v’al — at Hashem’s bidding they would pi Hashem yisa’u — at Hashem’s bidding encamp, and at Hashem’s bidding they they would encamp, and at the Hashem’s would travel” (Bamidbar, 9:23). bidding they would travel. Sometimes Wherever we are ‘encamped’, and the cloud remained from evening until however long we may be waiting to morning, and still, when the cloud rose, move, may we sense Divine protection they travelled…. Whether it was for two and ‘Clouds of Glory’ surrounding and days, a month or a year that the cloud accompanying us. May we learn to lingered to hover over the Mishkan, the embrace the unknown, and actually children of Israel would encamp and enjoy surrendering to Hashem’s not travel, and when it departed, they ‘bidding’, Hashem’s limitless will. Then, traveled” (9:20-22). at last, our movement will no longer be Uncertainty and doubt can be very ‘limited’. uncomfortable. We are so accustomed to being results and goal oriented, May we always be confident in the fact striving for clarity and a ‘bottom line’, that we are all just on our way to Eretz and feel the need to always be informed. Yisrael, and yet, may we let this “good It is hard for us to not have the answers. question” remain open: Ad Mosai? — Lacking a definitive schedule or plan ‘How long, Ribbono Shel Olam?!’ OU ISRAEL CENTER 31.

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