Beautiful Traveling Weather

“Today you are going out, in the month of spring.” (Shemos 13:4)

Of the four parshiyos contained in tefillin, two are in parshas Bo. In the first of these parshiyos, the above pasuk appears to be an unnecessary statement.

We all know Pesach is in the spring, so why must the Torah point this out to us — especially to the generation that actually left Mitzrayim?

Rashi explains that the Torah is highlighting an extra dimension of kindness Hashem did for us. Hashem knew the Jews would be traveling through the desert, so He planned Yetzias Mitzrayim at a time that is comfortable and convenient to travel. (Rabbi Dov Shapiro, Torah Insights)

Flying internationally during Covid isn’t a pleasant experience. When I attempted it last spring, I was swamped with paperwork I needed to prepare. Furthermore, there had been some high-profile situations of Orthodox Jews being singled out on flights for supposedly not complying with Covid regulations. I was really worried about flying, without even adding the possible risk of catching Covid on the plane.

But I wanted to see my mother, so despite my reservations, I packed my bags, added some extra masks for the flight, and boarded the plane with a lot of hesitation.

So far, so good. No one was pointing fingers at me as a pandemic spreader. No one was staring to make sure my mask was properly in place. But still, I was self-conscious and slipped quickly into my assigned seat, trying not to take up any extra space or time.

We all understand the importance of hakaras hatov, but most people leaving Mitzrayim probably weren’t focused on the weather. If you had asked the Jews suffering in Mitzrayim in which season they’d prefer the geulah, they’d probably have responded: “We don’t care when we leave, just get us out of here!”

“Hello, madam, and how are you this fine evening?” I looked up to find a flight attendant, eyes twinkling broadly behind her face mask as she approached my seat. “You okay? Need anything? Just ask me, I’m Donna.”