No Such Thing as a Vacation

Rabbi Moshe Hecht, shliach to New Haven, Connecticut, once asked the Rebbe for a blessing before traveling on vacation to Israel. The Rebbe replied, “I understand that there is an old-age home in Hungary with some elderly Jews, and kosher meals there are not an option. Can you travel to Israel via Hungary and use your oratory skills to persuade the owner to offer a kosher option to the Jewish residents?”

R. Hecht would later quip, “It’s a bad idea to tell the Rebbe you’re going on vacation…”1

Behind R. Hecht’s tongue-in-cheek observation lies a profound insight into the Rebbe’s perspective on the Divine purpose and potential present within every step of life’s many journeys and destinations. In the previous chapter we learned that life’s many setbacks and detours are Divine orchestrations, arranged to help us discover hidden meaning and deeper purpose amid the circumstances of our lives.

And what is true for unexpected detours is equally true for all journeys—even those we may define as “time off.” From the Rebbe’s perspective, there is no such thing as a vacation from our purpose in life. Each and every one of our travels, whether for business or pleasure, carries a Divine invitation to elevate our journeys and destinations. Indeed, in one encounter after another, we find the Rebbe encouraging people to recognize the opportunity waiting at every station, and to follow the Divine gravity that gently pulls us to select locations for the sake of revealing G‑d’s presence and Providence.

The Law of Attraction

As elucidated by the fifth Lubavitcher Rebbe, R. Shalom DovBer, known as the Rebbe Rashab, a person may sometimes feel drawn toward a specific place. They may not know why they want to go there, but they feel drawn there, nonetheless. What is the source of this motivation? The Rebbe Rashab explains that the desire to go to that place is the result of a providential pull toward a mission they are destined to fulfill there.2

As the Rebbe once explained to a traveling businessman:

“The Baal Shem Tov taught that when a Jew travels to a given place, it is not of their own doing. Rather, G‑d, Who establishes the steps of man, has sent them there. If it were just about making a living, G‑d could have allowed them to do so without the need to travel elsewhere. But because He desires for you to illuminate that place, and to bring the recognition of G‑d’s name there, He sends you to accomplish it and guides your steps so that He can ‘delight in your way’ as you go on the path He desires.”3

The above teaching asks us to acknowledge and embrace this providential dynamic. Doing so empowers us to carry out our uncharted missions more effectively, and it opens us up to unforeseen moments of serendipity that enable us to accomplish more than we could possibly have imagined.

Much Needed Uptime

On the precipice of a well-earned sabbatical, R. Benjamin Blech, who was serving as the rabbi of Young Israel of Oceanside, was once redirected by the Rebbe toward the sacred, unanticipated opportunities that awaited him during his “time off.”

“At that time, I was taking a sabbatical from my pulpit and from my teaching responsibilities because there was a book that I wanted to write,” Blech recalled in an interview. “Before I could embark on that project, however, I got a call from the Rebbe’s secretary, R. Yehuda Leib Groner.”4

“I hear that you’re going on a sabbatical,” said R. Groner. “The Rebbe wants to see you.”

Having had no personal relationship with the Rebbe, R. Blech could not understand why this global Jewish leader would call on him for a meeting.

Upon meeting, the Rebbe explained that he wanted R. Blech and his wife to visit a number of locations across the Far East where Jews were in need of spiritual connection and nourishment.5 What had been scheduled to be a time of rest and rejuvenation from the strenuous demands of his communal role quickly transformed into a three-month mission to Jewish communities in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. R. Blech accepted the Rebbe’s mission, and he was astounded by the many acts of Divine Providence he encountered along the way, and the many Jews he inspired to turn or return to a life of Jewish engagement.

“After I came back from my trip…I met with the Rebbe again, and he congratulated me on what I had achieved,” R. Blech recalled. “He said, ‘I am very happy with what you have done, and I want to tell you something—whether you know it or not, you are a Chasid in camouflage.’”6

The unexpected opportunity and success found by R. Blech on his “sabbatical” reminds us of the supreme importance of infusing every step we take with Divine purpose and intention. Typically, we separate our lives into moments and endeavors that are sacred, meaningful, productive, and part of the purpose of our lives, and other moments and endeavors that are there to support those moments or provide respite from the sometimes heavy demands of everyday life. Operating from this perspective, we tend to compartmentalize our lives into different categories—leisurely vs. active, incidental vs. intentional, mundane vs. meaningful, secular vs. sacred, and so on.

But from the Rebbe’s point of view, there is no such thing as “downtime.” Rather, we should strive to see every moment of our lives as “uptime,” dedicated to the elevation of creation.

At the Gates

Having survived the horrors of Nazi concentration camps and immigrating to Montreal, Canada, R. Nissen Mangel enrolled in the local Lubavitch yeshivah, where he studied diligently while applying for citizenship. When his citizenship was finally granted, freeing him to travel abroad, he quickly made plans to travel to Chabad headquarters in Brooklyn, where he hoped to meet the Rebbe. After his first farbrengen at 770, R. Mangel was invited to a private audience with the Rebbe, who inquired about his studies and aspirations before the discussion shifted to his return trip.

Mangel mentioned that because he could not afford to travel by any other means, he would be returning home by bus along a circuitous, meandering route.

Hearing of his protracted itinerary, the Rebbe proceeded to name several cities in Upstate New York that were along the young man’s bus route and then suggested, “Wherever the bus stops, go to the local community. Speak there and relay some Chasidic teachings.”

The nineteen-year-old yeshivah student wondered how he could accomplish a mission with such daunting logistics.

“Don’t worry,” the Rebbe assured him, as if reading his mind. “The Lubavitch Youth Organization will arrange it for you. Somebody will pick you up at the bus stations; you just need to speak.”

Indeed, the Rebbe saw to it that a number of talks were arranged at several synagogues in Upstate New York, which were all enthusiastically received.7

Where the young man saw a long, inconvenient detour based on lack of funds, the Rebbe saw a providential opportunity arranged for the sake of ministering to outlying communities near stops along his wayward route. Far from an inconvenience, his journey and mode of travel were all Divinely orchestrated to place him exactly where he needed to be.

As the Rebbe taught8 :

“If [G‑d] guides your footsteps somewhere, at a specific time, to a specific place, in a specific manner, it is so you can accomplish something there.”

This perspective reveals the subtle depth of Jacob’s famous statement, uttered when he awoke one morning amid his sudden flight from the Holy Land, driven by the murderous machinations of his brother, Esau. Having dreamed of a supernal ladder with angels ascending and descending to and from heaven, he proclaimed: “Indeed, the L‑rd is in this place, and I did not know [it]…How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of G‑d, and this is the gate of heaven.”9

Jacob’s surprised reaction reflects his realization of a profound spiritual truth: There is no place and no journey—even one hastily undertaken in reaction to sudden, terrible circumstances—that does not have a deeper spiritual purpose. Behind the veil of everyday reality, there is a providential drama unfolding, waiting for us to recognize and reveal how every moment, encounter, route, and destination can become a “gate to heaven.”

Every Step You Take

A beautiful example of this perspective was shared by the Rebbe in 1954 with R. Yochanan Twersky, who had traveled from his home in Israel to New York to attend the wedding of his son. Taking advantage of his time in Brooklyn, R. Twersky hoped to renew his connection with the Rebbe, whom he had known during his youth.

During yechidut, the Rebbe asked R. Twersky whether he remembered a particular student in the underground Jewish school they had organized together in Nikolayev, Ukraine.10 When the rabbi replied that he did, the Rebbe explained that the student had immigrated from the Soviet Union to the United States, where, over time, he had lapsed in his religious observance. The Rebbe said that Lubavitcher Chasidim had done their best to help him reengage with Judaism, but sadly, to no avail.

“Perhaps you will have an influence on him,” the Rebbe suggested, and he asked R. Twersky if he could spend some time visiting with the young man. Saddened to hear of his former student’s divergence, he promised to do what he could.

Seizing the opportunity, the Rebbe immediately picked up the phone and dialed the man’s number.

“I have R. Yochanan Twersky sitting here. Do you remember him?” the Rebbe asked. The man indeed remembered his former teacher and agreed to meet with R. Twersky.

The former student traveled to Williamsburg to meet with the rabbi, and they shared a heartfelt reunion after thirty years apart, reminiscing about people from their past.

When the man asked the rabbi why he had come to New York, he replied that he had come for his son’s wedding. The former student, assuming this was the reason for their meeting, took out a checkbook, wrote a generous check, and presented it to R. Twersky.

To his surprise, R. Twersky refused to accept the contribution.

“I won’t take a check until I finish our conversation,” he said firmly. “I want to discuss your Jewish observance.”

The man replied that he was a respected member of his community and even went to his local temple on occasion.

“What about Shabbat observance?” asked the rabbi.

The man replied that although Shabbat was very important, he couldn’t close his store while all his competitors were open on this busiest day of the week. When asked if he kept kosher, he said that it was hard to shop for kosher products where he lived, so he did not. When asked if he put on tefillin, he admitted that he frequently didn’t have the time.

The rabbi’s eyes filled with tears, and he cried bitterly.

“Was it for a ‘Judaism’ like this that we invested so much effort into you in the underground schools in Nikolayev? Each of your teachers put his life in danger so that you might grow up to be a committed Jew.”

The man was touched by the rabbi’s words and himself began to cry. “You are absolutely right! I promise that from now on I will endeavor to do teshuvah and keep the mitzvot as I learned them.”

The rabbi was heartened by his student’s promise and blessed him with success before they parted.

Several weeks later, while still in New York, the phone rang at his host’s house, and R. Twersky picked up to discover the Rebbe on the line. The Rebbe reported to his delight that their former student had indeed returned to his roots.

“R. Yochanan,” the Rebbe concluded poignantly, “do you think your trip from Israel to the United States was merely to marry off your son? You came here to help a Jew return to his heritage and roots.”11 12

Know Your Place

The Rebbe’s penetrating observation about the Divine orchestrations drawing us to each destination is rooted in a Chasidic principle, beautifully elucidated by R. Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev:

“Each person must clearly recognize that man’s travels from place to place are not random, G‑d forbid. Rather, they are directed by G‑d with precision; this person has a specific portion to rectify in this place...

“As the Baal Shem Tov explained the verse, The L‑rd establishes the steps of man—G‑d gives man the desire to travel to a specific place, His intention being…that the person should engage in a particular Divine service, thereby rectifying what he must rectify.

“Therefore, when a person comes to a particular place, he must take this to heart and ask himself: ‘Why am I here? For what purpose did G‑d bring me here? Surely it is not in vain.’”13

Many of us go through life subscribing to an exclusively “human narrative”—i.e., interpreting reality based solely on our understanding of how the world works. We rigidly define our various travels and destinations in the narrow context of our quotidian reality. Vacations are for resting and recuperating. Business trips are for conducting business. Travel is for getting from point A to point B. We arrive at our destinations to fulfill whatever purpose we envisioned when we set out. But as the Rebbe reminds us, there is always a higher, Divine narrative behind every step we take. From this vantage point, the art of spiritual living begins by asking ourselves at every opportunity: What is the higher purpose behind this journey, detour, or destination?14

No matter where life’s journey takes you, know that Divine opportunities await you there. There is no place, no time, no path that isn’t brimming with immense, sacred possibility. Rather than looking at life as a diverse array of distinct, disconnected, segmented chapters, encounters, and journeys, the Rebbe taught that every route and destination should be viewed through a purpose-driven lens. Through this lens, every detour and destination in life becomes a piece of an integrated whole, infusing every step with Divine intention. There is no journey or destination that isn’t holy. It is up to you, however, to recognize and reveal the light waiting to be revealed wherever you are sent.

Quiz Yourself

Do the Thought Exercise

Identify a time you felt strongly drawn to a particular place without knowing why. How would what you’ve learned in this chapter change your perspective on that experience?

Take the Challenge

Next time you go on a business trip, vacation, or simply a day-long excursion, challenge yourself to identify: What is the higher purpose behind this journey? What concrete steps can you take towards fulfilling that purpose?