Vacation Lights

Last week we traveled to Acadia National Park, in Maine. After marveling at the breathtaking sights we searched for a picnic table for dinner and found one in a mobile home park. In the spirit of our little game, I knocked on the door of the nearest mobile home to strike up a schmooze. Answering the door was a burly, white haired, ponytailed and bearded individual who was quite surprised to find a smiling rabbi greeting him.

The conversation went splendidly and included a brief tour of his domicile. In no time I discovered that I was talking to a best-selling writer who authored the classic Labrador for Dummies – a must read for every Labrador owner, which I admittedly am not.

Our little exchange highlighted several spiritual benefits afforded by the bein hazemanim vacation period.

During the year our schedule limits us. We awake at a fixed time, we commute at a fixed time, and we’re at our desks at a fixed time. The routine takes hostage not only of our time but also our perspective. We live a certain way and think a certain way. Vacationing gets us un-stuck. By exposing us to novel environments, it refreshes our perspective.