As a kid, whenever I saw my father poring over a map, I just dismissed it as some adult activity or skill beyond my reach, like swallowing aspirin or making a roast. Truth be told, I haven’t seen a proper map in years, and I don’t mean Google or Waze; but the paper kind you unfold as you try to navigate your way to the Finger Lakes, with print so tiny it makes Tosfos looks large.
And I wonder about the Avot and Imahot and the shvatim, how they got around Israel with no maps at all – if anyone here knows of a Biblical map, please alert the media. My guess is, before maps, travelers looked to the sun and stars. Thank G-d, those are still around. And speaking of G-d, when the Israelites wandered in the desert, I guess HaKadosh Baruch Hu was their GPS – G-d’s Precision Satellite.
On a random note, the opposite of Maps is Spam, which misdirects you, misguides you. Or as a wise person once said, if you don’t know where you are, a map won’t help.
