Masei - 42 Stages of the Inner Journey

But here is the $64,000 question: Why do all these Biblical figures have to leave home in order to find a home, in order to leave again? More to the point, why do we?

- Rabbi Alan Lew: This Is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared

The forty-two “stations” [masei] from Egypt to the Promised Land are replayed in the life of every individual [Jew], as the soul journeys from its descent to earth at birth to its return to its Source.

- Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov, the holy Besht, on Numbers 33

The Alter Rebbe (the first Lubavitcher Rebbe), comments on the opening verse of parshat Massay,

"These are the journeys of the children of Israel going out of the land of Mitzrayim (Egypt)…" (Num 33:1):

It would seem that there was only one journey which took the Jewish people out of Egypt – their journey from Raamses to Sukkot. The other “journeys” listed in our Parshah were between points outside of the geographical borders of Egypt. So why does the Torah speak of “the journeys” — in the plural — “of the children of Israel going out of the land of Mitzrayim”?

Mitzrayim, the Hebrew word for “Egypt,” means “borders” and “narrows.” On the spiritual level, the journey from Egypt is a journey from the boundaries that limit us – an Exodus from the narrow straits of habit, convention and ego to the “good broad land” of the infinite potential of our Godly soul.

The journey from Mitzrayim is a perpetual one: what is expansive and uninhibited by yesterday's standards is narrow and confining in light of the added wisdom and new possibilities of today's station. Thus, each of life's “journeys” is an Exodus from the land of Mitzrayim: having transcended yesterday's limitations, we must again journey from the Mitzrayim that our present norm represents relative to our newly-uncovered potential.

- Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi

The forty-two journeys mentioned here symbolize forty-two worlds. Every time we "journey" away from the center, we tend to make a mess of whatever world we are in. Then we "encamp", coming back to our center, and fixing any messes that may have been made.

Every environment we encounter may be improved by our encampment there or contaminated by our journeying away from our true selves.

- Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk, the Noam Elimelech

THE BLESSING

Sometimes I think of my life as one long interesting journey. Massei reminds me that every journey takes place in stages and each stage carries its own distinct blessing to be unwrapped and savored, its own messages to be gleaned and digested…

We recount the itinerary of our wanderings in order to receive the lessons and blessings of each stage of our journey. As we become aware of the significance of each stage, we can receive its benefit. It is our awareness and appreciation that transform our story into a blessing.

THE SPIRITUAL CHALLENGE

It is important to remember at each stage of our journey that we will encounter some obstacle or resistance. However annoying, difficult or devastating that obstacle is, its presence can call forth a particular power that lies hidden within us. The way in which the obstacle compels us to transform demonstrates the exact transformation our soul needs for its growth. In fact, the potentials that lie buried within us often require an appropriate challenge in order to be released and manifested.

- Rabbi Shefa Gold: Torah Journeys - http://www.rabbishefagold.com/massei/

The separate mention of each of the camping stages illustrates the importance of each individual stage in the journey... In each place we learned something and grew. Our own lives, and the trials we face and grow from confirm this.

What is the difference between a material and a spiritual journey?
The former emphasizes results and efficiency; the latter focuses on process and effort. …
A spiritual journey is about effort, awareness and potential, and a meaning that often develops through suffering. The spiritual journey is not as interested in the goal, in completion; sometimes the goal gets in the way of the present and inhibits alertness and awareness of our reactions. The effect of intention alone is considerable, the sincere purposeful movement of spirit affects the inner life and the universe.

- Rabbi Aryae Coopersmith, Torahcircle.org

There were 42 encampments during the 40 years in the desert. The first 14 occurred before the mission of the spies. The last eight took place during the 40th year, after the death of Aaron the High Priest, brother of Moses. So, during the “40 years of wandering,” which actually were 38 years, there were 20 journeys, less than one per year.

There was also backtracking. The Israelites backtracked seven times to bury Aaron in the designated place. All told, then, there were 49 stopping points.

R Hillel Goldberg Copyright © 2014 by the Intermountain Jewish News

Hebrew is a deeply metaphorical language. Partly, metaphor is a practical necessity: we don’t have enough word-roots. So every root does at least double duty. The root meaning “camp” also means “grace.” “Face” shares a root with “inside.”

Place names grow out of these ordinary verbs and nouns. So they, too, have many meanings. “Plains” can be read as “blending” or “responsibility.” “Jericho” is the “fragrant” place of the “moon.”

With a different translation, the same words tell of a different journey. A mystical one, perhaps. A spiritual one.

- Rabbi Laura Duhan-Kaplan

The Ana B'Koach prayer, as a whole, represents a movement from one state to another. It is made up of seven verses corresponding to the seven days of the week. The initials of each of the seven verses form Divine names. This mystical and lofty prayer is attributed to the first-century sage Rabbi Nechunyah Ben HaKana. It is a prayer that consists of seven passages, each corresponding to the seven emotional sefiros through which the Divine energy sustains and nourishes our universe. ... Ana B’Koach represents the seven sefiros and, for this reason, is recited in prayers wherever there is a symbolic ascent of Divine energy from a lower plane to a higher one, or whenever there is any movement from one reality into the next.

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There can be no elevation without this name as it embodies the ultimate movement of elevation, the progression from slavery, constriction to freedom, expansion. This journey of 42 is reflected in the story of our exodus from Egypt, a place of constriction and limitation. The etymological root of the Hebrew word for Egypt, Metzrayim, is metzar /constriction. In Metzrayim, the Israelites were literally slaves who were then given freedom. Internally, they were enslaved to their lower selves; leaving Egypt represents a movement into genuine freedom. Before they were able to reach their full freedom, to enter the promised land, they were engaged in 42 journeys (elaborated in the portion of Maasei). These are known as the 42 journeys which, according to the Baal Shem Tov, represent 42 stages a person goes through in life.

- Rabbi DovBer Pinson: http://iyyun.com/teachings/ana-bkoach