* Translation by Yehoshua Siskin
The 42 encampments of the nation of Israel in the desert are detailed in this week’s Torah potion. They are recounted one after the next, yet what is the reason for revisiting 42 places that we passed through?
The Kotzker Rebbe explains that these are not just points on the map where we stopped “along the way . . .” Wherever we stop on our journey through life has its significance, whether that stop is marked by success or failure. Wherever or whatever we pass through teaches us something.
The Kotzker Rebbe summed up his thoughts on this matter in these words:
“I am never on the road to anywhere, since I am always there.”
In other words, in everything I do, little or big, I am fully present and completely there.
Every episode in life is significant as, based on what we learn from it, we move forward with greater goodness, kindness, and appreciation for God’s blessings.
