Parshas Maasei -- 28 Tammuz 5771 / July 30, 2011 -- Vol. 2, Issue 20
Ever get the sentiment of déjà vu? You know, the feeling as though you’re reliving an event or revisiting a place that you’ve been once before? I find that one of the greatest impetus for creating that ‘reliving the experience’ effect is through storytelling, and let’s face it, everyone likes to hear a good story. What is it about listening to stories that is so exciting, enthralling, and interesting that it captivates our minds and ears and has us sitting on the edge of our seats? Which part of the story is what keeps us so mesmerized?
Imagine you book a babysitter, buy a pair of admission tickets to a lecture, and drive to hear a speaker which everyone tells you is absolutely fantastic. You arrive at the auditorium, purchase a soft drink, find your seats, and with great anticipation wait for the stories to start. The M.C. for the night introduces the speaker with an elaborate introduction. He welcomes the speaker on stage and the speaker begins. “So, there was once a man who decided to leave Russia. So one afternoon he left. A week later he came to America. The end.”
If you’re like me, you’d be left with hundreds of questions, one of them being if there was still time to get a refund? The story wouldn’t be stimulating because it only included where the person had come from, and where he was going, but had neglected to include how he had got there.
It is most important where we start and where we end up. We must always make sure that we are moving in a positive direction with our goal being to fulfill Hashem’s commandments and use our potential to make the world a better place. However, just as important is the route in which we take to achieve our goal.
In this week’s Parsha, Massei, Moshe recounts the journey which the Jewish people had taken from the time they left Egypt until they stood ready to cross the Jordan and enter the holy land of Israel. This teaches us a powerful lesson. When we stand at the brink of achieving our objectives we must recount our journey, for the growth we experience during our voyage propels us to strive for even greater aspirations.
Imagine you book a babysitter, buy a pair of admission tickets to a lecture, and drive to hear a speaker which everyone tells you is absolutely fantastic. You arrive at the auditorium, purchase a soft drink, find your seats, and with great anticipation wait for the stories to start. The M.C. for the night introduces the speaker with an elaborate introduction. He welcomes the speaker on stage and the speaker begins. “So, there was once a man who decided to leave Russia. So one afternoon he left. A week later he came to America. The end.”
If you’re like me, you’d be left with hundreds of questions, one of them being if there was still time to get a refund? The story wouldn’t be stimulating because it only included where the person had come from, and where he was going, but had neglected to include how he had got there.
It is most important where we start and where we end up. We must always make sure that we are moving in a positive direction with our goal being to fulfill Hashem’s commandments and use our potential to make the world a better place. However, just as important is the route in which we take to achieve our goal.
In this week’s Parsha, Massei, Moshe recounts the journey which the Jewish people had taken from the time they left Egypt until they stood ready to cross the Jordan and enter the holy land of Israel. This teaches us a powerful lesson. When we stand at the brink of achieving our objectives we must recount our journey, for the growth we experience during our voyage propels us to strive for even greater aspirations.