Rabbi’s Message July 22, 2025
Shalom,
Summer is often a time for travel, for adventure and journeys. The Great American Summer Road Trip is a regular fixture. Travel brings so many great opportunities and experiences. Some like to jet to far off places for a taste of different cultures, while others like experiences in their backyard. Still others look to guides and travel agents to show them great places and some enjoy the self-guided exploration. In our Torah story, our People’s story, we are often on the move. Whether it is Abraham and Sarah, Joseph followed by his brothers down to Egypt or the epic adventure of our forty year sojourn in the wilderness, our Jewish story is one of travel, of adventure, of suspense and promise. With the reality of our digital world and lifestyle, we often log our travels with pictures stored at our finger tips (or in our pocket) on our smart phones, but some of us go a step further and keep travel logs and journals reflecting on our time on the go.
On this coming Shabbat, we conclude the book of Numbers. We read about the sojourn of our ancestors during their wilderness journey in the double portion of Mattot-Masei - the Tribes and the Stages. While some of the text describes the role the different tribes will play as they settle the land, it still reflects the reality of being on a journey. Other sections of the parasha describe a travel log of sorts. And rather than recounting the experiences along the way, it describes all the places the Israelites camped. There is much to interpret and learn from this narrative. It provides us a way to recall all our time on the go.
This section of Torah helps us remember the milestones, the moments along the way; some of them were triumphant like leaving Ramses, and others less so like Rithmah the place we camped when the spies came back with their negative report. The task of peoplehood charges us to remember, to make memory. We often confuse this with history, yet memory and history are not always equal, rather they echo one another.
In this moment in Torah, even in the life of our Tahoe Jewish Community and our congregations, we are tasked with identifying those milestones and moments. How do we recall our story, crafting and curating it for perpetuity? That is our task as links in the chain of tradition. Mattot-Masei, our portion, reminds us how our ancestors engaged with this, and we must too.
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote, “Jews have not preserved the ancient monuments, they have retained the ancient moments. The light kindled in their history was never extinguished. With sustaining vitality the past survives in their thoughts, hearts, rituals. Recollection is a holy act: we sanctify the present by remembering the past.” (Man is Not Alone, p. 162)
As we embrace this Shabbat and consider the camp sites of our ancestors and how they tell one story, our Jewish story, let us also consider the choices on the path of building community and our nation. Let us always notice the opportunity to make memories!
Shavua Tov,
Rabbi Evon
