Masei

The Magic Number Forty-Two

Rabbi Laura Duhan Kaplan

At the end of Sefer Bamidbar, the Book of Numbers, the Torah lists 42 places the Israelites camped en route from the narrow place (Mitzrayim) to the promised land.

What's special about 42? Talmud teaches that 42 letters make up God's secret name. When used by the pure of heart, this name unlocks the lower and upper worlds. The Siddur shows that 42 words make up the V'ahavtah prayer, exhorting us to love God whether we are home, out traveling, or resting.

Why recount all 42 stops by name? To highlight God's lovingkindness in allowing the Israelites to rest even though they were condemned to wander (says Rashi). To give future people a chance to retrace the route where miracles happened (says Ramban). To recount significant historical events in the lives of the early Israelites (says Ba'al HaTurim). To show the detailed steps in the spiritual development of the people (say my friends at Havurat Tikvah). Rabbi David Wolfe Blank sums up these answers, saying that "the purpose of recounting the 42 stopping places was to bring into the awareness of people the full range of their development" morally, historically, and spiritually.

Perhaps the one who truly knows the name of God is the one who loves God in every place, i.e., the one who seeks the spiritual message in every challenge along life's way.

Return to Reb Laura's "Taste of Torah" list.

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