Many of us are afflicted by feelings of inadequacy. Why this is, I’ll have to leave to the psychologists among us. But what to do about it? Allow me to share some wisdom from this week’s Torah portion, Matot-Masei.
It’s actually a double portion; the second, Masei, outlines the journeys of the Jewish people from Egypt to the Promised Land. There were a total of 42 stations along the way, where they stopped for varying lengths of time, until they arrived on the border of the future Land of Israel.
In relating this account the Torah employs a peculiar choice of words, “These are the journeys of the children of Israel who left the land of Egypt,” implying that all the journeys are part of leaving Egypt. Yet in the most literal sense it was only one journey that took them past the borders of Egypt. While not yet in Israel, they had certainly left Egypt.
Why the implication, that obviously doesn’t reflect reality, that all the 42 steps of their journey were part of leaving Egypt? And most importantly, what’s the lesson for us? If it’s included in the Torah there must be a lesson. That’s what the Torah is - guidance for life.
The country Egypt is a specific geographic location; they physically left Egypt when they crossed the border. But Egypt also represents an attitude. The Hebrew word for Egypt, Mitzrayim-מצרים, also means limitations or boundaries. Our role is to leave “Mitzrayim,” to grow beyond the limitations and boundaries that confined and limited us until this point.
And this process is not a one time effort - it is ongoing. When we grow beyond a particular limitation, that soon becomes our new normal and it’s time once again to grow and develop - beyond our new reality.
And if you’re feeling inadequate? Looking at the next person’s accomplishments and realizing how distant you are from them? The fact that there are 42 stops along the way to the Holy Land is an important reminder. G-d never intended the route from Egypt to Israel to take one step; it’s a journey that is made of many small steps along the way.
Each person has their particular set of circumstances, their particular “Mitzrayim” personal limitations, to grow beyond. And each person has their own achievements to measure against. Have you taken a step forward? That’s what counts!
And truth be told, if you’ve perhaps taken a step backward, that is part of the journey too. Look in the Torah narrative of the 42 journeys and you will find some stops where rebellion and sin took place, yet they are counted among the steps leading to the Holy Land.
The main thing is to keep on going and keep on growing.
