Or HaChaim treats the itinerary as spiritually charged and often reads each stop as part of Israel’s purification and growth in the desert.
אֵלֶּה מַסְעֵי וְגוֹ׳. רַזַ״ל (בראשית רבה יב,ג) אָמְרוּ: כָּל מָקוֹם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״אֵלֶּה״ פָּסַל הַקּוֹדְמִים, וּבְמַה שֶׁלְּפָנֵינוּ לֹא רָאִינוּ שֶׁקָּדְמוּ בַּמַּאֲמָר מַסָּעוֹת זוּלָתָם לוֹמַר שֶׁנִּתְכַּוֵּן הַכָּתוּב לְפָסְלָם. וְהָיָה נִרְאֶה כִּי נִתְכַּוֵּן לִפְסֹל כָּל מַסָּעוֹת זוּלָתָם שֶׁיֶּשְׁנָם בָּעוֹלָם, הֲגַם שֶׁלֹּא הֻזְכְּרוּ. אֶלָּא שֶׁרוֹאַנִי שֶׁלֹּא הָיוּ הַמַּסָּעוֹת לְשֶׁבַח, וּלְוַאי שֶׁלֹּא הָיוּ בָּעוֹלָם, כִּי רֻבָּם הָיוּ לְיִסּוּרִין שֶׁל עֲוֹן הַמְרַגְּלִים. גַּם הַקּוֹדְמִים הָיוּ דֶּרֶךְ רְחוֹקָה לְבַל יִתְּנוּ רֹאשׁ וְיָשׁוּבוּ, דִּכְתִיב (שמות י״ג:י״ז) ״וְלֹא נָחָם אֱלֹהִים דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ פְּלִשְׁתִּים״. הָא לָמַדְתָּ שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה לְרָצוֹן וּלְסֵדֶר הַנָּכוֹן לְמוֹעֲדֵי רָגֶל. גַּם אָמְרוּ רַזַ״ל (ילקוט יתרו רעג) וְזֶה לְשׁוֹנָם: ״וְכָל נְתִיבוֹתֶיהָ שָׁלוֹם״ – בִּקֵּשׁ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לִתֵּן הַתּוֹרָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל כְּשֶׁיָּצְאוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם, וְהָיוּ חוֹלְקִין אֵלּוּ עִם אֵלּוּ וְכוּ׳, מַה כְּתִיב ״וַיִּסְעוּ מִסֻּכּוֹת וַיַּחֲנוּ בְאֵיתָם״, הָיוּ נוֹסְעִים בִּמְרִיבָה וְחוֹנִים בִּמְרִיבָה וְכוּ׳, עַד כָּאן. וּכְפֵרוּשׁ זֶה אֵין בְּמַסָּעוֹת אֵלּוּ דָּבָר יְקַר הָעֵרֶךְ לִפְסֹל כָּל זוּלָתָם. וְאֶפְשָׁר כִּי לְפִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ בַּמַּסָּעוֹת אֵלֶּה הָאֲמוּרִים בַּפָּרָשָׁה שְׁתֵּי הַדְרָגוֹת: א׳ הֵם הַמַּסָּעוֹת שֶׁהָיוּ בְּשָׁנָה רִאשׁוֹנָה קוֹדֶם גְּזֵרַת מְרַגְּלִים, ב׳ הַמַּסָּעוֹת שֶׁעָשׂוּ בִּשְׁבִיל גְּזֵרַת הַמְּרַגְּלִים שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה בְּדַעַת ה׳ עֲשׂוֹת זוּלַת מַה שֶׁעָשׂוּ בִּשְׁתֵּי שָׁנִים, וּמַסָּעוֹת אֵלּוּ גְּרוּעִים הֵם מֵעֵרֶךְ שֶׁלְּאַחֲרֵיהֶם, וּכְנֶגְדָּן נִתְכַּוֵּן ה׳ בְּמַאֲמַר אֵלֶּה לְפָסְלָם. וְזֶה שִׁעוּר הַכָּתוּב אֵלֶּה מַסְעֵי וְגוֹ׳, פֵּרוּשׁ, הָאֲמוּרִים בְּסָמוּךְ הֵם הַמַּסָּעוֹת הָרְאוּיִים וְהַצְּרִיכִין, וְכָל זוּלָתָם פְּסוּלִין הֵם, שֶׁלֹּא הָיוּ אֶלָּא יִסּוּרִין לַהֲנִיעָם בַּמִּדְבָּר בְּתוֹכָחוֹת שֶׁל עֲוֹן הַמְרַגְּלִים. אָכֵן יִתְבָּאֵר עַל פִּי דִּבְרֵי אַנְשֵׁי אֱמֶת (זוהר חלק ב קנז.) שֶׁאָמְרוּ שֶׁהֲלִיכַת יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּמִּדְבָּר הָיְתָה לְבָרֵר נִיצוֹצֵי הַקְּדֻשָּׁה שֶׁאָנַס אִישׁ הַבְּלִיַּעַל הַחוֹנֶה בַּמִּדְבָּר הַשָּׁמֵם, שֶׁשָּׁם קָנָה מְקוֹמוֹ מְקוֹם נָחָשׁ שָׂרָף וְעַקְרָב, וְדָרְכוּ שָׁם עֲדַת ה׳ לְהוֹצִיא בָּלְעוֹ מִפִּיו. וְהוּא הַטַּעַם שֶׁהָיוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל חוֹנִים בְּמָקוֹם אֶחָד שָׁנָה וּבְמָקוֹם אַחֵר שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁעוֹת, שֶׁהוּא כְּפִי מַה שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לְבֵרוּר הַנִּיצוֹצוֹת שֶׁיֶּשְׁנָם בַּמָּקוֹם הַהוּא. וּבֵרוּר זֶה אֵין כֹּחַ בָּעוֹלָם שֶׁיָּכוֹל עֲשׂוֹתוֹ זוּלַת קְדֻשָּׁה הַשְּׁלֵמָה וּבְסוֹד שְׁלֵמוּת מַחְבֶּרֶת הַכְּלָלוּת וּמַחְבֶּרֶת הַפְּרָטוּת: קְדֻשָּׁה הַשְּׁלֵמָה הִיא הַשְּׁכִינָה וְיִשְׂרָאֵל וְהַתּוֹרָה, וּמַחְבֶּרֶת הַפְּרָטוּת הֵם שִׁשִּׁים רִבּוֹא נְשָׁמוֹת קְדוֹשׁוֹת, מַחְבֶּרֶת הַכְּלָלוּת הוּא מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ בְּסוֹד ״מֹשֶׁה עַמּוֹ״ (ישעיהו סג:יא), כִּי הוּא אִילָן שֶׁמִּמֶּנּוּ נוֹצְצוּ נִשְׁמוֹת שִׁשִּׁים רִבּוֹא שֶׁהָיוּ שָׁם, וְנִסְתַּיְּעוּ בְּעֵזֶר אֱלֹהִי בִּשְׁכוּנַת שׁוֹכֵן הַבִּירָה, וְשִׁבְּרוּ מַלְתְּעוֹת עַוָּל וּבֵרְרוּ בֵּרוּר עָצוּם.
אלה מסעי בני ישראל, These are the journeys of the children of Israel, etc. We have been told in Bereshit Rabbah 12,3 that the expression אלה is used to separate what follows from something negative which had preceded it, [such as the Tohu Vavohu prior to the story of creation, and Genesis 2,4. Ed.] whereas the expression ואלה establishes a link with what preceded it. It is difficult to see in which way the journeys the Torah tells us about here are supposed to separate from a negative experience which has been described previously. Perhaps the Torah meant to draw a line of distinction between all journeys which occurred in human history, even those which have not been recorded on the one hand, and those of the Jewish people in their Exodus from Egypt on their way to the Holy Land on the other hand. This would be an acceptable reason for writing אלה if these journeys had all been a record of positive achievements. Alas, they were not, far from it! After all, most of these journeys were caused by the sins of the spies! Even a number of the journeys which occurred before the sin of the spies were due to negative rather than positive considerations such as G'd leading the Israelites on detours skirting the land of the Philistines in order to prevent a premature confrontation with the Philistines and possible tragic results (compare Exodus 13,17). G'd had been afraid that the Israelites might appoint an alternate leader and head back to Egypt rather than face the hostile Philistines. Clearly then "journeys" had been related to potentially negative experiences long before the incident with the spies. We also have the following comment in Yalkut Shimoni Yitro item 273: "Proverbs 3,17 describing Torah as כל נתיבותיה שלום, 'all her paths are peace,' is a reference to the time of the Exodus when G'd wanted to give the Torah to the Jewish people immediately." This proved impossible as the people were constantly divided, a section wanting to return to Egypt. The Midrash lists the various places where the Israelites rested on their way to the desert of Sinai as constant sources of strife and discontent. All of this is proof that the journeys of the Jewish people were nothing to be proud of and why would the Torah review them here by introducing them with the word אלה? Perhaps we have to divide these various journeys into two groups. 1) The journeys during the first year plus, prior to the decree that the people over twenty would die in the desert as a result of their supporting the majority report of the spies, and 2) the journeys undertaken as a result of that decree. G'd had never meant for the people to undertake these latter journeys at all had they not proven so quarrelsome during the journeys of the first year plus. These earlier journeys were far worse than the ones who served a positive purpose after the decree due to the debacle with the spies. The word אלה in our verse is meant to draw a dividing line between the negative aspects of the unnecessary journeys and the positive aspects of the necessary journeys. The journeys the Torah is about to list are all those that were of a necessary kind, i.e. that had positive elements to them as distinct from others which were mere tedium devoid of redeeming qualities. Our verse may be understood when we consider what the Zohar volume 2 page 157 has to say about the purpose of the Israelites' trek through the desert. It was meant to enable the Israelites to seek out isolated sparks of sanctity and to release them from captivity. These "sparks" had been taken captive by the spiritually negative forces who have their home in the desert. G'd made the Israelites travel through such places in order that their sanctity would act as a magnet and attract such "lost" sparks of sanctity. The only way this could be accomplished was by means of total sanctity, i.e. a combination of the sanctity of Israel, the Presence of G'd, שכינה and the holy Torah. It required the presence of 600,000 souls which originated in holy domains. Moses matched these 600,000 individually holy souls, as he is perceived of as the tree from which all these souls are branches (compare Isaiah 63,11). In a combined effort these forces of sanctity were able to overcome the forces of impurity which kept many of these lost sparks of sanctity captive. According to the Zohar then these "sparks" could be captured while the Israelites were actively journeying not while they were passsively encamped, and it is this the Torah has in mind when writing "these are the journeys." The word אלה is indeed in sharp contrast to any other journeys ever described anywhere as never before had there been a journey which was accompanied by so many elements of sanctity.