Kavanah for the Week of July 16 by Rabbi Yael Levy

The fourth book of the Torah, B’midbar (Numbers), ends with an accounting of the Israelite journey out of Egypt and through the twists, turns and expanse of the wilderness.  The retelling reminds us that the path forward is unpredictable and often unimaginable.  And as much as we would like to know where we are going it is difficult to see too far ahead. 

We live with the sense that we choose our paths, we determine our destinies. As the book of B’midbar closes, it suggests that often our paths choose us. Our task is to do our best to respond to the twists and turns of our lives with kindness, awareness, grace, compassion and integrity. 

Click here to find an interpretive translation of the traditional t’fillat ha derechk—the prayer for the journey. It is traditional to say this prayer while standing after we have taken a few steps on the path.