Where Will Your Journey Take You?

Last weekend, over the Fourth of July holiday, I had the extraordinary privilege of witnessing my sister-in-law Marilyn become Bat Mitzvah at the age of seventy.

Marilyn had been married to my brother for twenty-nine years before she made the decision to convert to Judaism just over a year ago. Although she had long felt drawn to Jewish life, she assumed that her questions about God somehow disqualified her. When I shared that I was teaching a course called Open Judaism: A Guide for Believers, Atheists, and Agnostics, she realized there was room within Judaism not only for certainty, but also for curiosity, searching, and honest questions.

She began studying with my colleague, Rabbi Jason Rosenberg, a Reform rabbi in Tampa, FL, faithfully attending Shabbat worship services, participating in Talmud study, and immersing herself in Jewish learning. She joined her synagogue’s Social Action Committee and now sits on the Board of Directors. Following her conversion, she began studying Hebrew in preparation for becoming Bat Mitzvah.

In many ways, Marilyn had already been living a deeply Jewish life for decades. She has lovingly created magnificent ritual textiles, including chuppot, tallitot, wall hangings, Zeved HaBat certificates for their daughters upon their official adoptions, and other beautiful works of Jewish art. Every week she bakes challah. Every holiday she prepares kugels and festive meals. Judaism had long lived in her hands and in her heart. Becoming Bat Mitzvah simply gave voice to what had already become part of her soul.

The weekend itself was filled with love. Family traveled from near and far. Friends flew across the country to celebrate with her. During Erev Shabbat services and again on Shabbat morning, our hearts were full.

Marilyn chose this particular Shabbat because she was deeply moved by the story of the daughters of Tzelophehad, whose courage and determination changed Jewish law and expanded the possibilities for future generations. In her remarks, she reflected on her own Jewish journey and spoke movingly about the women who inspired her, including my late mother.

Then came the moment when she stood before the open Torah, recited the blessings, and read from our sacred scroll. My eyes filled with tears. I found myself thinking of my parents, hoping they were smiling with pride from whatever mystery lies beyond this life. I imagined how deeply they would have loved seeing the woman who had become their daughter so many years ago now fully embrace the faith and traditions they cherished.

Watching Marilyn become Bat Mitzvah at seventy reminded me that Judaism is not simply inherited. It is also discovered, embraced, and continually chosen. And perhaps that is true of life itself. Our stories are never finished. As long as we are alive, another chapter remains to be written.

Rabbi Alvin Fine captured this truth so beautifully: “Life is a journey from innocence to awareness, from strength to weakness, from health to sickness, from vigor to frailty, from possession to loss, from certainty to doubt, from self to community, from then to now, from now to tomorrow, from life to death.” (Rabbi Alvin I. Fine, Birthmarks: Understanding the Stages of Life).

None of us remains the same person throughout our lives. We are continually shaped by the experiences we encounter, the relationships we build, the losses we endure, and the blessings we celebrate. The goal is not simply to move through life, but to grow through it, allowing each chapter to deepen our wisdom, compassion, and sense of purpose.

This week’s Torah portion from the Book of Numbers, Mattot-Masei, reminds us that journeys are at the heart of our Jewish story. As the Book of Numbers comes to its conclusion, the Torah recounts all forty-two stages of the Israelites’ travels from Egypt to the edge of the Promised Land:

“These are the stages of the Israelites, by which they went forth out of the land of Egypt… And Moses recorded their starting points, stage by stage, at the commandment of the Eternal.” (Numbers 33:1-2)

At first glance, it reads like little more than an ancient itinerary. Yet our tradition understands these forty-two encampments as much more than a travel log. Each represented another opportunity for growth, another lesson learned, another challenge overcome. The wilderness was not simply the place the Israelites passed through. It was the place that transformed them. It was the place that turned them into Am Yisrael, the People of Israel, bound in an eternal covenant with God.

Rabbi Ovadia Sforno understood this list as a testament to the Israelites’ perseverance and spiritual growth. Maimonides likewise taught that the wilderness was the crucible through which a vulnerable band of former slaves was transformed into a covenantal people prepared to enter the Promised Land.

Like our ancestors, Mizpah Congregation is also on a journey.

Our congregation has been shaped not by one defining moment, but by countless sacred moments lived together. Some among us joined only recently. Others have walked these halls for decades. Together we have celebrated births and b’nai mitzvah, weddings and anniversaries. We have mourned losses, weathered challenges, and found strength in one another. Every chapter has helped shape the congregation we are today.

As we prepare over the coming year to welcome a new settled rabbi, we have an extraordinary opportunity to pause before taking our next steps. Together we will reflect on our shared story, celebrate the values that have guided us, and imagine the future we hope to create.

During the High Holy Days, we will announce the date of a congregation-wide afternoon retreat. Together we will remember our history, honor the legacies that have shaped us, discern what we wish to carry forward, and lovingly release what no longer serves our sacred community. Like the Israelites recording each stop along their wilderness journey, we will create our own Mizpah travelogue, remembering where we have been so that we may move thoughtfully toward where we are called to go.

Watching Marilyn stand before the Torah reminded me that it is never too late to begin a new chapter. Whether we are individuals or an entire congregation, we are always becoming. There is always another step to take, another blessing to discover, another opportunity to grow.

May we have the courage to embrace the journeys that lie before us. May each new stage along the way bring us closer to becoming the community, and the people, God calls us to be.

So I leave you with this question: What chapter of your own journey is waiting to be written?

Shabbat Shalom!