Once upon a time when you were going somewhere you needed to call someone who knew the way so they can give you directions. You usually knew some people who were good with roads, knew traffic patterns, and which was the best route to take. Then, a few years ago, MapQuest, followed by Google Maps, came into vogue which would map out your route for you. All you had to do was print it out and take it along.
And then came the GPS! No longer does anyone need to know anything more than the destination address. Just plug it in and voila! Follow the little car on the screen. In the words of Rus, “Where you go, I will go.” It not only tells you how to get there, it tells you how long it should take, how fast you are going, and what the approaching roads look like.
Much has been written about the GPS and the many lessons to be derived from it. But I wish to speak about a seemingly insignificant accessory to the GPS, the holder upon which the GPS is mounted. I have recently learned that without that accessory the GPS is not only very difficult to use, relying on it can be dangerous.
Indeed, the holster which secured our GPS to our dashboard broke. Now whenever we need to use our GPS (like to drive down the block, since no one knows how to get anywhere anymore without a GPS…) it becomes an arduous process of trying to balance it in a way that it won’t fall. But invariably within a short time it falls off the dashboard, leaving me at a total loss of where to go next. So here is this amazing piece of technology invested with all the information I need to get to where I am going and then some, and I can’t access any of it, because it has fallen out of view.
Chazal actually taught this lesson when they said that without a vessel to contain blessing. What are blessings worth? The gemara teaches that that vessel is peace, for without peace – between others, peace of mind, etc. one has no sense of meaning, satisfaction, or sanity.
In our advanced society we have also been blessed with so many resources to help us learn Torah with such convenience and ease. But the drawback is that oftentimes when it’s too accessible and available we don’t feel the pressing need to invest the effort to internalize that wisdom and knowledge. After all, it’s right there whenever I want it. It’s like having a GPS, albeit that is not fastened to the windshield. All of its knowledge will do nothing for you if you don’t have it on display where you constantly refer to its messages.
By Rabbi Dani Staum
Rabbi Dani Staum LMSW is the Rabbi of Kehillat New Hempstead, as well as a rebbe and Guidance Counselor at Heichal HaTorah in Teaneck, NJ, Principal at Mesivta Ohr Naftoli of New Windsor, and a Division Head at Camp Dora Golding. He can be reached at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Looking for “Instant Inspiration” on the parsha in under 5 minutes? Follow him on Torahanytime.com.
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