Often, it’s not the destination that’s key, but the detour itself

“It came to pass when Pharaoh sent the people, that Hashem did not lead them [by] way of the land of the Plishtim which was near, because Hashem said, ‘Maybe the people will reconsider when they see war and return to Mitzrayim.’ ” (Shemos 13:17)

The Jewish People have finally been granted permission to leave Mitzrayim, after ten powerful plagues. There’s a short cut to the Promised Land, yet they take a detour that leads them into a trap at the Red Sea and a circuitous route through the desert. Why?

Bnei Yisrael were not ready to summon the warrior resistance required to enter Eretz Yisrael. As a nation they needed to go through some enormous training sessions that would fully install the lessons of emunah and bitachon. They needed to experience the splitting of the sea, a war with Amalek, and the daily gift of bread from Heaven before they could begin to face the real challenges of life in Eretz Yisrael. (Rabbi Label Lam)

I

’m a big chassid of Waze. I follow it almost blindly; you never know when traffic is going to rear its ugly head.

Recently I was traveling into Yerushalayim, a trip that can take 25 minutes without traffic. The highway was open and traffic was moving swiftly. I was hoping to reach my destination soon. Suddenly without much warning, Waze signaled me to get off the highway. I was pretty skeptical. The new route was through a series of narrow back streets and red lights (the kind that never turn green).

Here we’re granted a window into one of the ways of Hashem. It applies often to the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people? Why is there suffering and disappointment in this world?”

There are a few approaches that can be rattled off for this question. But the one that applies to our parshah is that there’s the possibility that someone is currently not ready for the size of the final challenge. They have to have a detour with challenges to strengthen themselves before they can arrive at their destination.

Often, it’s not the destination that’s key, but the detour itself.

I was tempted to ignore this new development and continue along my way. But I’ve learned the hard way that Waze is generally right. So I drove to the exit and made my backward way to my destination.

I was right about the streets. They were two-lane streets that were barely wide enough for one car, and I had to squeeze by parked cars as I inched my way along. Why on earth was this faster than the highway? I grumbled. But I was stuck with it.

A family in Bnei Brak was granted a much-needed free vacation in Tzfas. Yet when they arrived, they were shocked to discover that the rental had been double-booked and someone was already there. Deeply disappointed, the father and his son stopped to daven Minchah before heading back home, and the son channeled his frustration into his prayers. Impressed by his devotion, the rabbi of the shul thought he might be a good match for his daughter. He pursued the idea, and they were introduced and later wed. It was certainly worthwhile to take that detour.

Eventually, I arrived at my destination: a government office where I had to take care of something. Anywhere you go in Israel, you’re going to be exposed to the daily news and the speaker’s opinion of that news. No less than three people at the office asked me how traffic was and how I’d gotten there. It turned out one of the infamous full-blown protests was going on in the heart of the city. People were staging a sit-down on the highway, and traffic was closed in all directions. If I’d continued along the highway, I would have been stuck for hours in the road shutdown with nowhere to turn around.

Thank You, Hashem, for always directing my “waze.”

(Originally featured in Family First, Issue 979)