The summer is quickly slipping by, and in a few short weeks the new school (and Jewish) year will be upon us. Many have taken some time off for a well-deserved vacation to recharge their “batteries”. For families traveling with younger (and perhaps even older) children, the most common – and probably most annoying – question inevitably heard is: ”Mommy, are we there yet?” No matter how short or long the trip truly is, this question always seems to come up more than once!
Really, we as adults are often guilty of asking the same question, but it’s expressed in different ways and surfaces in different circumstances and situations. Just think about any task or chore for which we are responsible. It’s often only a matter of time before we ask, “When will I be done?” (the adult version of ”are we there yet”). It’s human nature to eagerly anticipate getting to our ”destination”, whether it’s a vacation site, or completion of our tasks. And while still on the journey, we are naturally consumed by the ”are we there yet”syndrome.
In this week’s parsha, Re'eh, we find that the Torah addresses the issue of long-distance journeys. The Torah teaches us that farmers who were blessed with an abundant crop were permitted to “redeem” the value of the maaser sheni tithe (1/10th of their produce, which was to be taken to and eaten in Jerusalem) for money, and then take this money to Jerusalem to purchase food there. This would alleviate the burden of transporting tremendous amounts of food (by camel or donkey!) to Jerusalem.
Yet upon careful analysis of the verses, we find something very strange. The Torah states that the road is too long, because the farmers have too many crops, and thus are permitted to redeem their crops for money. A straightforward reading leaves us with the impression that the reason that the road is too long is because they had too many crops; however, in reality it’s exactly the opposite! It’s because of the very lengthy road that the farmer would not be able to transport his abundant crops. Seemingly, the verse should have been in the reverse order: you will not be able to carry the crops because the road is too long
From here we can glean a very important insight into human nature. Our ability to travel long distances is not so much dependent on the actual length of the road (or journey), but rather on our attitude. If we are happy and excited about the trip, then even a very long journey, where we must travel long distances, is not such a big deal. And if we aren't motivated about the trip, then even short distances become very long. The Torah is hinting to us that the reason the farmer can't transport his crops to Jerusalem is mostly a result of his attitude. The farmer is thinking how difficult it is to transport all of his abundance – thus the verse states that the road is too long because of the crops, not because of the actual distance.
As we journey through life, we all find that there are certain responsibilities which that we find difficult to fulfill. However, the more we keep a positive attitude, the easier it becomes to complete each task.
The same is true regarding mitzvos. If we see them as a bunch of meaningless do's and don'ts, then they may be difficult to keep. The road to observance will become very long. However, if we maintain a positive attitude and recognize that the mitzvos are a means for us to become more refined, spiritual human beings, than the road, no matter how long, will not be so difficult to travel. After all, this road is taking us to the world of ultimate reward.