The Signs of the Journeys

Chochmah uMussar (Rabbi Simchah Zissel Ziv)
19. The Signs of the Journeys
This week’s Torah portion - Matot-Masei - The journeys of B’nai Yisrael. Look in the Ramban. On this explanation where he brings the words of the Rambam on the small number of places where B’nai Yisrael encamped...
These journeys are a tremendous source of encouragement for emunah (faith/trust), and are in accordance with the words of the Rambam. We also see with our eyes, that the names of the encampments still exist, and this is a sign of the Exodus from Egypt - with our actual senses.
“They journeyed from Raamses, which is Egypt, etc.” And the aforementioned perceived matter verifies several things. Aside from the notion that “the well-known do not need to be seen,” the Holy Bountiful One wants then to be visible to all - the names of the encampments, according to the Rambam. The Ramban agrees with him in this, and I emphasize to you a great good from this, that you explained to me well. And without a doubt the Rambam saw with his own eyes all of the journey [locations], for that is why he wrote: “So that those who hear will not spread lies, because there it is visible to the eyes and made known to all that these are Israel’s journey locations when they left Egypt. The essence of the exodus from Egypt was made known to all, there is no room for lies, but the journeys in the wilderness lasted forty years, eating mannah, and the well traveling with them; lest you forget this, and thus the Holy Bountiful One commanded to the these places down.”
The mannah is clarified for us, the extra efforts to save more [had no effect], for “the one who gathered more did not gain, etc.”And I write to you what I think today about the fools who say, “my ability [koach] and strength of my hand did this mighty act for me…” Really? If a business manager is master over a huge number of people and more, and a small assistant serves him, and offers him the goods that he ordered him to offer, can one really say that he is the manager of the business? The human being - they do not do one thing to sustain their existence! They just move their mouth, and the limbs that God created, they do all the sustaining: the ability to draw near, the ability to grab, the ability to digest, the ability to circulate blood, and the veins that carry the blood to keep one alive - do they do one single step of this?
And how many workers does the soil have? And surely how many divine messengers to fix and prepare the food so that a human may live? And who protects the limbs that they labor with? And what portion does a human have in their sustenance? Just putting their hand to their mouth.
And if one says - the ability of the business manager is in their intelligence - who gave them this ability? Did they buy intelligence in a store? Or can they add more to their intelligence than was allotted to to them? Only the ones who have intelligence finds in themself the ability of intelligence, and they did not buy it and it was not bought in a store; it’s just exists in them, just as the supernal wisdom saw fit, whether it was a lot or a little, and there is no place for “my ability and the strength of my hand…”
We learned that the human who says this is crazy. We see this in human nature, as it is said, “Lest you eat and be satiated…” (Devarim 8:12-18) “And you say” meaning that it is human nature to say this, and the verse says, “And you will know…” meaning that a human being will naturally conduct themselves in an insane manner. And the reward - preventing madness. Is there anything sweeter in life than this?
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I will add a little here in the shade of the forest. Every time that I come to see you, I recall you fondly, and want to encourage you. And one time I thought, why do I not recognize the good in one who does good to another? Obviously, because of human love - one only feels their own goodness, and not the goodness of another. A wonderful ethical teaching comes from this: how far does the human feel from the love of God, may God have compassion on them!
And from now, if it is clear for a human with their senses, that everything - human life, human needs in all of its details - comes from God in every single moment, how much one should submit themselves and all that is theirs to God - their body, their life-force, and their physical resources - to do God’ will, and to keep the commandments and God’s Torah, to find favor in God’s eyes. And this is the level of the Generation of the Wilderness.
And one can see that the Rambam wants to bring God’s creation closer to a palpable feeling of God’s goodness, and bases this on the small number of journey locations. Because there is no difference between the mannah and food from the soil; only that the mannah comes from the Heavens, in order to let you know that “humans can live from what ever comes from God’s mouth.” This is what he is teaching us, and thus the Rambam wants us to recognize this with our senses all the time, and from this, one will come to love God and fulfill the commandment “to love God,” etc. And for the one who loves - they will put in effort to do what is pleasing in God’s presence. And this is what the Sages meant: Fortunate is the one who grows in Torah…and does what is pleasing to their Creator.” (Brachot 17a)…
May we merit this great matter…May the Compassionate One help us not be negligent in our thoughts, and may it be good for us.