Hashem said, “why do you cry out to me? Speak to the Children of Yisrael and continue traveling.” (Shemos 14:15)

The Jews’ backs are between a rock and a hard place. Behind them is the Egyptian military. In front of them are the roaring waves of the Sea of Reeds. Where are the Jews to go? Moshe starts davening but Hashem tells him to keep walking. Now is not a time to daven. There are numerous explanations why Hashem said this to Moshe, but one lesson we can learn from it is that we sometimes need to go the distance. We sometimes need to push ourselves a little further and then a miracle will happen for us. I heard this lesson a week before I went to visit Columbus, OH, for my first time.

When I lived in Boston, I had to go to Columbus for training for work for three days (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday). I decided I was going to fly home on Thursday night instead of Friday morning (I don’t like traveling on Fridays if I can avoid it). I was originally told the class would end at 4pm, so I made reservations for a flight that left at 6:30. It flew to Newark and then I would transfer to fly home to Boston. I would land around 10:30pm.

The teacher told me on Thursday morning that we were going to end early and would probably be done by 1pm. So, I called the airlines to see if I could get on an earlier flight (I had a ticket which did not cost anything extra to change flights). There was a direct flight from Columbus to Boston that left around 4:15pm and landed around 6:30. They weren’t able to change my flight over the phone… I would need to go to the airport to make the change.

Here was the problem. What should I do about Mincha? The Kollel’s Mincha was scheduled for 3pm. If I went to Mincha and then the airport, I would not make the earlier flight. But if I went to the airport and did not get on the earlier flight, I would not have a car anymore and would need to sit in the airport while being bored out of my mind for a few hours. There was a good chance I would get on the earlier flight, but I would need to daven Mincha on my own in the airport. In the end, I decided I would just keep my flight and go to the Kollel.

I arrived at the Kollel a little before 2pm and figured I would learn for an hour and then daven. I saw one of the Kollel Rabbis as I pulled up and he said that the time for Mincha on this day was changed because there was a funeral at 3pm. Davening was at 2pm. So, I davened Mincha with a minyan and rushed to the airport. At the airport, they were able to change my flight and I got home much earlier than expected. A miracle happened because I went the extra distance.

Don’t give up. Go the Distance! You never know what will happen.

Good Shabbos!
-y.e.s.
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