There’s a funny Israeli commercial that shows Moses and the Israelites lost in the desert. Then behold! A miracle! A great ball of fire descends earthward, and when the ashes disappear, Moses cradles a Manna-like gift from G-d: it’s a GPS with an arrow pointing to the Promised Land.

Humor aside, the video raises a serious question. If the path from Egypt to Israel was straightforward, why did they opt for the long road through the Sinai Desert instead of the direct path?

The Parsha tells us that G-d sent them on the long path “because [the shorter path] was near…Perhaps the people will reconsider when they see war and return to Egypt” (Ex. 13:17). In other words, if the Israelites were so quick to reach Israel, they might be as quick to leave Israel. In the short term, this took longer. But in the long term, it was a worthwhile investment of time.

This connects to one of my favorite stories in the Talmud (Eruvin 53b). Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Hananyah was traveling and met a child at an intersection. He asked the kid for directions to the city. The boy answered, “This way is short but long, while that way is long but short.” The rabbi started on the ‘short but long’ way but hit a dead end with gardens and orchards. Forced to turn around, he asked the boy, “Didn’t you tell me this was the short way?” The boy answered, “Didn’t I say it was also long?”

This story teaches us that sometimes shortcuts end up taking longer. And that sometimes the long path is better. One example – ironic because it deals with roads – is that the nearest DMV location is so backed up with lines that it’s faster if you shlep out to a farther one that’s less crowded. That’s why I went to Oakland instead of Lodi when I moved to New Jersey.

But this advice is sage when it comes to life journeys as well.

One of the best decisions I ever made was taking a gap year after high school. I spent the year in Israel on a program called Nativ, the Conservative Movement’s gap year program. When I got to college I was a year older than everyone…but also a year more mature. I was more sure of who I was and what I wanted to study. I made better use of my time in college because of that year in Israel. The longer path was better for me.

I think the Torah and the Talmud are reminding us of something we know in our heads but is difficult to do with our hands: focus on the long term instead of the short term. For the Israelites, they had to make sure the Exodus was permanent, not temporary. For the rabbi in the Talmud, he learned that shortcuts often present obstacles. For my college self, I learned that living independently in Israel wasn’t just fun but a foundation for my future.

Maybe that’s why people have two eyes: one to focus on today, the other for the future.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Alex Freedman

(You can watch the clip here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzQwAny3kLA)