Are You A Traveler? Spiritual Frequent Flyers
103 views · Published 15 November 2011 · 0:03 · Indexed 24 September 2026
Channel: Rabbi Simon Jacobson at Meaningful Life Center · 2011 · Education
Massei: 07/27/11 Are You A Traveler? Spiritual Frequent Flyers Dedicated in honor and memory of Sydelle Tova, whose birthday is today By her beloved children: Ari, Dov and Goldee Are you on the move? Most people today would unhesitatingly answer yes. We are, after all, living in the super-supersonic age of travel and mobility -- people fly like never before; unprecedented breakthroughs in technology and communications allow us to go anywhere, anytime -- at least in virtual reality. You can surf the net and google your way to literally any place, any dream, any fantasy. These advanced tools create the illusion of tremendous movement and growth. But are we actually traveling anywhere? Is your heart, mind and soul moving and growing? Are you leaving your comfort zone? When a couch potato is captivated by an action film, one that makes you feel like you are the superhero with unlimited powers, is that true movement? Does that bring any movement at all, or does the escapism feed your lethargy? On the other hand, look at a young child, with no access to all our man-made travel machines, incessantly moving about, animated, alive, electric, exploring its surroundings with unwavering enchantment. Observe a chassid who sits for hours under a tallit praying, without budging from his place. Witness the open-eyed wonder of someone glued to the sight of natural beauty, or one frozen in his spot pondering the mysteries of existence. Who is the true traveler -- we who use sophosticated vehicles to move about, or the child, the chassid, the wonderer and the ponderer? You can travel everywhere in the world, visting the greatest vacation spots, and your heart may not be moved out of your comfort zone in the slightest. Compare that to a simple mother cradling her child, laughing and crying all at once, without the means to leave her humble home. And what damage is done to our psyches by amassing millions of frequent flyer miles without ever moving (emotionally, spiritually) an inch? Is our movmement today -- running from one place to the next -- a sign of healthy searching, or a symptom of insecurity and fear of getting stuck? Please join Rabbi Jacobson's class as he discusses the distortions and dissonance in our times between true and imagined movement. Discover how to become a real traveler -- one who can remain in one spot, or for that matter travel many miles, and reach the heavens and beyond. One who can peer into the eyes of a beloved, not moving at all, and travel farther than anyone has ever traveled. By deciphering the deeper meaning of this week's Torah portion, Massei, Journeys, learn the secret of the greatest journey of all: The one into your own heart and soul, and by extension, into the hearts and souls of those around you. Learn to travel to places you could never have imagined...
