"The place the Lord, your God, will choose in which to establish His Name, there you shall bring all that I am commanding you." (Devarim 12:11)
The generation of the flood
One summer, while R' Dovid from Dinov, zt"l, was visiting Badan, which was a vacation destination known for its hot therapeutic springs, he was saddened to see that the Jews vacationing there were acting completely differently than they did at home. While on vacation, they abandoned their meticulous observance of Torah and mitzvos and, instead, were indulging in behaviors that were frivolous and depraved.
R' Dovid was greatly pained when he saw this, and he said:
"Chazal taught us (Sanhedrin 108a) that the hot waters of the flood still flow into the warm waters of Tiberias. Why do we need this as a reminder of the flood that took place during Noach's generation?
"Now, after seeing what is taking place here, I have the answer: Hashem was concerned that the future generations would question Hashem asking, 'Why was the generation of the flood punished so severely?' Therefore, Hashem left places in the world with hot springs, so that you can see there how that generation behaved. Then, you will see that Hashem was just in that punishment."
Today, this happens in many places. Vacationers become relaxed and lazy in their Torah and mitzvos. They claim that they do not have the comforts and resources that they have at home. Strictly kosher food with a quality certification is difficult to find. There may not be a minyan there and they don't have everything that they might need to learn and daven. It is also difficult to be different from everyone else around you. Therefore, these people allow themselves to become less observant while on vacation.
The cry of the Talis
There is a story told of the Great Maggid from Kelm, R' Moshe Yitzchak Darshan, zt"l:
One summer, the maggid vacationed in Roblin. Tens of thousands of Russians visited this town every summer, especially people from Riga which was nearby. When the maggid went to shul on Shabbos, he noticed that most of the men from Riga were davening without their talis because they did not bring it with them.
At the end of davening, the maggid ascended the bimah and said:
"Gentleman, let me share a story with you. I was once travelling in Riga and visited a particular man in his home. However, when I got there, the family members told me that he had travelled to Roblin. Suddenly, I heard a voice weeping from the other room. When I went into the room, no one was there except for a talis that was laying there crying. 'Talis, why are you crying,' I asked. The talis answered, "How could I not cry? My owner is travelling, and he took with him his money and some valuables and left me behind!" So, I comforted the talis and said, 'Don't cry. The day will inevitably come when your owner goes far away and leaves behind everything but you."
The words of the Maggid, which were spoken from the heart, entered the heart of all the listeners, and they immediately understood the lesson. When a person passes away, he leaves everything behind in this world, except for his talis that he used for the mitzvah, which someone is customarily buried with, symbolizing that the only things we can take from this world to the World to Come are the merits of our mitzvos.
This should inspire someone to realize, that if they make such an effort to enjoy the temporary pleasures of a vacation, they must try even more so to perform every mitzvah, even when it isn't easy. For, enjoyment in this world is temporary, while the pleasure in the World to Come earned through observing the mitzvos is eternal and everlasting.
Collecting sparks
However, the very idea of a vacation is not inherently wrong. On the contrary. There are many vacation destinations that serve a purpose in Avodas Hashem.
The Seforim HaKedoshim explain that there are sparks of kedusha spread throughout all the corners of the world. The purpose of galus, exile, is for the yidden to collect and elevate these sparks. Wherever a yid finds himself, if he is involved in holy matters - or even physical activities that are done for the sake of Heaven - then he draws the holy Shechina into that place, and those hidden sparks of holiness can be elevated and returned to their source.
Therefore, when a Jews is anywhere, especially a place where there are not a lot of other Jews there, he must realize that he is there with the purpose of elevating the sparks of kedusha that are concealed in that place.
R' Moishe of Sambor, zt"l, once asked his older brother, my holy ancestor R' Tzvi Hersh from Ziditchov, zt"l, why when he travels from town to town working all day with the non-Jews he can daven Minchah in the afternoon and feel a tremendous presence of kedusha in his davening, while when he works in the large cities he doesn't have that same experience.
R' Tzvi Hersh explained, that the sparks of kedusha that are trapped in these tiny non-Jewish villages, don't have anyone living there who can elevate them. When a Jew visits there, however, and is involved in something holy with pure thoughts, these sparks immediately connect to him and draw down a tremendous light.
Fulfil your purpose!
This concept can be taken one step further:
The Seforim HaKedoshim explain that each yid comes to this world with a unique, individual purpose of evaluating certain sparks of kedusha, that are bound to him, based on his soul's source in the heavens and a very specific Divine calculation. Hashem then orchestrates the events of one's life to ensure that each yid will find himself in every place he needs to be to elevate those specific sparks of kedusha that he was sent into the is world to rectify. As the pasuk says (Tehilim 37:23), From the Lord a mighty man's steps are established, for He delights in his way. Hashem "establishes" our steps; He sends us to places to ensure that we can fulfill our purpose of elevating those sparks of holiness that are unique to ourselves.
This is our pasuk's lesson:
"The place the Lord, your God, will choose" – where places Hashem chooses for you to be, the purpose is "to establish His Name there" by drawing down the Shechina and its glory into that place. However, to accomplish that, a yid must "bring all that I am commanding you". He must bring into that place all the mitzvos, and observe them with the same vigor and meticulousness that he would at home.
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