Parashat Mas'ei
Numbers 33:1-36:13
This is the final Torah portion in the Book of Numbers. Numbers is essentially a chronicle of the Israelites' 40 years of wandering in the desert between the Exodus from Egypt and the conquest of Canaan. At the beginning of the book, the Israelites had essentially just escaped from Egypt; here, at the end, they are about to enter Canaan.
And so it is that Mas'ei begins with a summary of all the Israelites' stops along the way: Rameses, Succoth, Etham, Pi-Ha'hiroth, Marah, Elim, the shores of the Red Sea, the wilderness of Sin, Dophkah, Alush, Rephidim, the Sinai Desert, Kibroth-Ha'ta'a'vah, Hatzeroth, Rithmah, Rimmon-Peretz, Libnah, Rissah, Kehelath, Mount Shepher, Haradah, Makheloth, Tahath, Terah, Mithkah, Hashmonah, Moseroth, Bene-Ja'akan, Hor Ha-Gidgad, Jotbath, Abronah, Etzion-Gever, Kadesh, Mount Hor, Tzalmonah, Punon, Oboth, Iyim, Divon-Gad, Almon-Divlotayim, the hills of Avarim, and the steppes of Moab at the Jordan River from Beit HaYeshimoth to Avel-Shittim. Forty-two stations in all.
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