Parashas Maasei begins with a brief introduction:
“These are the journeys of Bnei Yisrael who went out of Egypt in organized groups under the leadership of Moshe and Aharon. Moshe recorded their departures for their journeys according to Hashem’s command.”1
The parashah then proceeds to list all 42 encampments by name.
Several questions arise:
Why was it necessary to document the journeys and stops through the desert?
What exactly does the Torah intend to teach us with this pasuk? It seems redundant to mention that Moshe recorded this, as he recorded the entire Torah, and these journeys are part of it.
The Daas Sofrim explains that the Torah as a whole was primarily written for the generation that received it. However, Parashas Maasei was specifically written for all future generations to understand where we came from and what we went through.
Rashi explains, based on the Midrash Tanchuma, that the recounting of Bnei Yisrael's journeys can be compared to a king whose son was ill. The king too…
