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Parshat Massei: Every Step Has a Purpose — Even Ones We Think Are Detours
One of the most fascinating figures in medieval history is Marco Polo. Born into a Venetian merchant family, in 1271 he set out with his father and uncle along the famous Silk Road to China — on what would become one of the most monumental journeys ever undertaken by a European.
The Polos were received at the royal court of Kublai Khan, the founder and first emperor of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The emperor was deeply impressed by Marco’s sharp intellect and respectful demeanor. He appointed him as his personal envoy, assigning him to diplomatic missions across the vast Mongol Empire and beyond, to places we now know as Myanmar, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.
In this extraordinary role, Marco traveled extensively throughout China, spending 17 years in the emperor’s service, and encountering lands, cultures, and marvels no European had seen or even imagined.
When he returned home after 24 years, no one recognized him, not even his own family. But what’s even more remarkable is that people dismissed his stories as fantasy. And though he recorded many of his experiences, he admitted: “I did not write half of what I saw, for I knew I would not be believed.”
Still, he didn’t seem to mind. Because for Marco Polo, the true reward wasn’t the fame or acclaim. It was the journey itself.
Medieval Jews had their own Marco Polo, a century before him. Benjamin of Tudela, a 12th-century Jewish merchant from Spain, embarked on a cross-continental journey that took him through France and Italy, down into Egypt and the Land of Israel, across the Levant to Mesopotamia, and back again via the Mediterranean.
Though only a layman, he was deeply literate — fluent in Hebrew, Arabic, and Spanish, and most probably French. He wore his religious piety lightly, but his love for the Jewish people and the Land of Israel, as well as his deep empathetic curiosity, radiate through every page of his remarkable diary.
What makes his written record so compelling isn’t only where he went, but also who he noticed. In Fustat, today Cairo, he found the Jewish community struggling to maintain its former prominence. Still, he noted a relatively new arrival by the name of Rabbi Moses ben Maimon — Maimonides — who was elevating the community, and whose fame had spread well beyond Egypt.
In Baghdad, he described the grandeur of the Jewish Exilarch, who rode in royal procession with armed escorts and a ceremonial canopy held over his head — an honored figure recognized by both Jews and Muslims alike. While in Babylonia, he visited the great yeshivot of Sura and Pumbedita, centers of Talmudic learning that have left their impression on Judaism to this day.
Benjamin also had a wry sense of humor and a sharp eye for sectarian nuance. As he traveled in Northern Israel, he observed dryly that “the closer I get to Jerusalem, the more Jews are heretics” — a reference to the many Karaites, Samaritans, and Khazars he encountered on his approach to the Holy City.
And though he loved the Land of Israel, he found himself breathing easier in the Muslim-ruled cities of the Levant, writing that “the air was heavy for me in Christian-controlled Jerusalem,” but “I feel more comfortable now that I am again in this lush and Muslim land.” Strange words to modern ears, perhaps, but a reminder of just how different the world once was.
Fast forward six centuries, and we have Rabbi Chaim Yosef David Azulai, better known acronymically as the “Chida,” an 18th-century rabbinic scholar, emissary, and bibliophile from Jerusalem. He spent decades traveling through Europe and North Africa as a shadar — a traveling fundraiser for the impoverished Jewish community in the Land of Israel.
But rather than just focusing on collecting money, the Chida also collected moments, books, and stories, which he recorded and later published.
In Livorno, a vibrant hub of Sephardic Jewry, he once found himself caught up in a spontaneous halachic debate — right in the middle of the street. A local rabbi posed a sharp question, and the Chida responded, using his boundless Torah knowledge and brilliant intellect. Within minutes, a crowd had gathered. According to his travel diaries, there was even a fishmonger who chimed in with a source, which the Chida acknowledged as “an unexpected but not incorrect point.”
On another occasion, in Amsterdam, the Chida was invited to visit a private library filled with rare manuscripts. He spent hours poring over ancient texts, taking meticulous notes. But the experience was somewhat tarnished by the custodian’s persistent attempts to serve him a local fish delicacy, which the Chida politely declined — not once, not twice, but four times.
What unites Marco Polo, Benjamin of Tudela, and the Chida is not just their many distant travels. It’s that they understood something we often forget in our destination-obsessed world: the journey is usually the point. None of them rushed to the finish line. They lingered. They noticed. And they were transformed.
Which brings us to Parshat Massei — the parsha with the longest travel itinerary in the Torah. Parshat Massei opens with what looks — at first glance — like a giant waste of ink (Num. 33:1-2): “These are the journeys of the Children of Israel… and Moshe wrote down the starting points of their journeys.”
This introduction is followed by 42 place names, one after the other. Some you can recognize — Marah, Refidim, Mount Hor. Other places are only ever mentioned in this list, such as Keheilata, Har Shefer, and Yotvatah.
But if you take a step back, something remarkable emerges. The Torah is obviously not just concerned with the Israelites’ departure from Egypt and arrival in the Promised Land. It also cares where the Israelites camped along the way. Because each stage in the journey mattered, every pause was purposeful, and every detour was a divine appointment.
The same is true for us. We may live in a culture obsessed with results — final grades, promotions, goals achieved — but Judaism reminds us: growth isn’t about the end goal, it’s about how you got there.
The 42 stops, and the journeys that brought them to each place, weren’t always glorious — but the Torah lists them all anyway, because real life isn’t a highlight reel. It’s a series of imperfect steps, tough lessons, and unexpected blessings. The meandering journey through the Sinai wilderness didn’t just take the Israelites to the Land of Israel; it made them ready for it.
Marco Polo crossed half the world and returned a stranger even to his own family. Benjamin of Tudela journeyed across continents and chronicled rising rabbinic stars in Egypt and royal Jewish leadership in Baghdad. The Chida debated halacha in the streets of Livorno and politely dodged fish pastries in Amsterdam.
What is clear is that none of them were racing toward a finish line. They were gathering stories, meaning, and identity, one stop at a time.
Parshat Massei, in its quiet, repetitive way, teaches us the same thing. You are not the sum of your big-ticket achievements. You are the story of your many stops and pauses — the moments you failed, the times you tried again, the challenges that taught you patience, the delays that built your resilience, and the people you met along the way who added some element to your experience.
So take your time. Notice the view. Write it down. One day you’ll look back and realize — just like the Israelites in the desert — every step had a purpose. Even the ones you thought were detours.
The author is a rabbi in Beverly Hills, California.
The post Parshat Massei: Every Step Has a Purpose — Even Ones We Think Are Detours first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Some 800,000 Palestinians Evacuate from Gaza City as Israeli Defense Minister Says Operation to Ramp Up

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz looks on, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Jerusalem, Nov. 7, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
i24 News – Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday that more than 750,000 Palestinian residents of Gaza City have fled to safe areas as the IDF ramps up its operation against one of the last major Hamas strongholds in the enclave. The military subsequently revised the figure up to 800,000.
Katz said Israel ramped up the attacks, proceeding to what he called the “decisive” phase of its operation.
“Autonomous explosive-laden military vehicles are being deployed in advance of the troops to defuse explosives, and the fire cover to protect the troops from the air and ground is heavy and strong,” he posted to his account on the X platform.
“Gaza City is emptying because its residents realize the military operation is escalating and move south for their own safety,” said Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman.
The Israeli military was in control of over half of Gaza City, sources familiar with the matter told Israeli media on Saturday.
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Trump Says ‘We Will Get It Done’ in the Middle East

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to the press on Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
US President Donald Trump expressed optimism on Sunday about reaching a deal to end the war in Gaza, saying there is “a real chance for greatness in the Middle East,” ahead of talks on Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Trump did not provide specific details of a prospective ceasefire-for-hostages agreement in Gaza, but Vice President JD Vance told “Fox News Sunday” that top US officials are immersed in “very complicated” negotiations with Israeli and Arab leaders.
“We have a real chance for Greatness in the Middle East. All are on board for something special, first time ever. We will get it done,” Trump said in a Truth Social post that was issued as he rode in his motorcade to his suburban Virginia golf club.
Trump will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday at the White House with the aim of reaching a framework for a deal, according to administration officials.
Trump said on Friday talks on Gaza with Middle Eastern nations were intense and that Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants were aware of the discussions, which he said would continue as long as required.
Vance described himself as “cautiously hopeful” about reaching a deal.
“I feel more optimistic about where we are right now than where we have been at any point in the last few months, but let’s be realistic, these things can get derailed at the very last minute,” he said.
He said the plan has three main components: Returning all hostages, ending the Hamas threat to Israel, and escalating humanitarian aid in Gaza.
“So I think we’re close to accomplishing all three of those objectives,” Vance said.
When international leaders gathered at the United Nations in New York this week, the US unveiled a 21-point Middle East peace plan to end the nearly two-year-long war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.
That plan calls for the return of all hostages, living and dead, no further Israeli attacks on Qatar and a new dialogue between Israel and Palestinians for “peaceful coexistence,” a White House official said.
Israel angered Qataris by launching an airstrike against Hamas targets in their capital Doha on September 9.
A Hamas representative said on Saturday that the group had not seen the US plan.
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Hamas Says It Lost Contact with Two Hostages as Tanks Thrust Deeper into Gaza City

A mobile artillery unit fires towards Gaza near the border, in Israel, September 28, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen
Hamas said on Sunday it had lost contact with two Israeli hostages held in Gaza City, and called on Israel to pull troops back and suspend air strikes for 24 hours so fighters could retrieve the captives.
The fate of the two hostages, which has strong domestic resonance in Israel, could cast a shadow over a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump on Monday.
Israel has launched a massive ground assault on Gaza City, flattening whole districts and ordering hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to flee to tented camps, in what Netanyahu says is a bid to destroy Hamas once and for all in its final bastion.
Nevertheless, the past few days have seen increasing talk of steps towards a diplomatic resolution to the nearly two-year-old war. Trump said on Friday that a deal on Gaza seemed likely.
HAMAS SAYS IT HAS NOT RECEIVED NEW PEACE PROPOSAL
Hamas said earlier on Sunday that it had not yet received a new proposal to end the war. Netanyahu says Hamas must lay down its arms or be defeated. The militant group has so far said it will never give up its weapons as long as Palestinians are struggling for a state.
The Hamas military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, called on the Israeli military to pull troops back from the Sabra and Tel Al-Hawa districts southeast of Gaza City’s center, and suspend flights over the area for 24 hours from 1500 GMT so it could reach the two trapped hostages.
The Israeli military did not directly comment on the request but made clear it had no plans to halt its advances, issuing a statement ordering all residents of parts of Gaza City including the Sabra district to leave. It said it was about to attack Hamas targets and raze buildings in the area.
Gaza residents and medics said Israeli tanks pushed deeper into Sabra, Tel Al-Hawa and nearby Sheikh Radwan and Al-Naser neighbourhoods, closing in on the heart of the city and western areas where hundreds of thousands of people are sheltering.
RESCUERS UNABLE TO REACH TRAPPED RESIDENTS
Local health authorities said they had been unable to respond to dozens of desperate calls from trapped residents.
Gaza’s Civil Emergency Service said late on Saturday that Israel had denied 73 requests, sent via international organizations, to let it rescue injured Palestinians in Gaza City. The Israeli military had no immediate comment.
The families of the two hostages identified by Hamas have requested that their names not be published by the media.
Hamas precipitated the war when it attacked Israeli territory in October, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages. Forty-eight hostages are still in Gaza, of whom Netanyahu says 20 are believed still alive.
The Israeli military says that Hamas, which ruled Gaza for nearly two decades, no longer has governing capacity and that its military force has been reduced to a guerrilla movement.
The Israeli military launched its long-threatened ground offensive on Gaza City on September 16 after weeks of intensifying strikes on the urban center.
Over the past 24 hours, the air force had struck 140 military targets across Gaza, including militants and what it described as military infrastructure, the military said.
The World Food Program estimates that between 350,000 and 400,000 Palestinians have fled Gaza City since last month, although hundreds of thousands remain. The Israeli military estimates that around a million Palestinians were in Gaza City in August.