Translation by Yehoshua Siskin (http://inthelandoftheJews.
In our journey through life we have many goals: to finish our studies, to get married, to raise our children, to find work. There is no reason to minimize these goals and the journeys required to reach them. Yet there is another important aspect to our journeys as I heard at the Shabbat table of Rabbi Dudi and Chani Farkash in Monsey, New York.
The Torah portion of Masei that we read on Shabbat lists the legs of our journey and our encampments in the desert until our arrival in the Land of Israel. We do not only mark the end of the journey, the goal, but take note of the long and winding road we took to get there as well.
Moshe Rabbeinu educates us regarding a certain world view: Life is not only about the graduation party, but about all the years of study that preceded it. It's not just about the wedding, but about all the years of being single and the search for our spouse. Neither is it only about the joy of giving birth, but also about the nine months of pregnancy. In other words, there is awesome importance attached to the process and not only to the result. We should never think of the time it took to reach our destination as wasteful, but rather as a precious resource utilized in the best possible way.
The Kotzker Rebbe lived his life in a manner that illustrates this point: "I am never on the road to anywhere since I am always ther". In other words, in everything I do, little or big, I am fully present and completely there, even at this very moment.
Shavua tov.
