Traveling (With Family)

As Atonement For Sin

In Biblical times, making the trip to the Temple three times a year, for Passover, Sukkot, and Shavuot, were times of rejoicing.* So people have been traveling with family for a long time.

Back then, everyone was happy, because it was part of the commandment. If they had had Instagram, they would have been taking pictures with the cows and sheep and pigeons they were bringing as sacrifices, and posting them. All the animals would be blemish free, and all the people would be smiling. Then they could post the actual sacrifice onto TikTok.

Thankfully, they did not have social media, and of course they did not publicize their sins and sin offerings. In Judaism, there is a concept that after full repentance, a sacrifice of an animal could atone for a sin. In those times, it was an animal. But any kind of suffering can also atone for ones sins, erasing them from the heavenly record, so to speak.**

Despite appearances, I'm sure there were also stressful parts to traveling three times a year. This is an Isha Yiras Hashem opinion. Traveling with children, whether in on a horse or donkey or car or plane, is a form of suffering. Experiencing this suffering atones for my sins. And that is why I do it. If travel didn't atone for my sins, I would absolutely refuse to go on vacation, ever.

It's not like I live an easy life at home. But at home, even if I do not, usually, sit in a hammock all day, sipping pink lemonade, while my wonderful children try to think of ways to make me happy, at least I have my own kitchen and personal space. There is nothing enjoyable about waiting in line or figuring out food or finding bathrooms or trying to decide which random stranger to ask my urgent question. If we were on the way to the Temple, fulfilling a Biblical commandment, at least we would be doing something worthwhile.

Sadly, for some members of this family, it is not a real vacation unless we go somewhere that is not our normal place of residence, or a place where something is required of us. Preferably a forest. With lions and tigers and bears. Running water? Maybe. Never mind that most of this family still rides in strollers a lot of the time.

Please don't imagine I am against vacationing in nature. Regardless of vacation, we avoid going to places where people will be annoyed at us, which is basically anywhere with four walls and electricity. So we end up camping out for vacation. But not in Jerusalem, because we don't live close enough to get there easily.

Thankfully, we have a place to go that we really like. We pay a friend to camp out on her land. This friend sincerely enjoys our children, and has never once complained, even when someone chased her chickens around the barn and dug up rocks from her walkways. She is very kind, and I consider her farm the only place where I can truly relax with our children.

In order to get to this child-friendly paradise, we need to drive. In a car. With children. As I mentioned earlier, long drives with family are torturous, and I also think that they should be against the law. There is nothing like a family vacation to make a perfect backdrop for fighting. I feel tempted to do something that, in Biblical times, would have required a sin offering, like getting angry at people.

Next time you're on a long trip with family, chalk up the stress to atonement for your sins. Thank G-d for giving you a chance to suffer in this world, and not in the next.

Footnotes:

* https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/900235/jewish/Positive-Commandment-53.htm

Rejoicing and going to Temple for three festivals.

** https://torah.org/torah-portion/ravfrand-5773-vayikra/?print-posts=print

See also

Flying With Children