I know that I'm a tad early, but I was looking over Parshas Ma'asei today, and I was reminded of something someone once told me: The Torah is a law book. Of course, that's exactly what it is.

I was also reminded that I had heard it from somewhere that not one speck of ink is wasted in the Torah, let alone a word, let alone an entire aliyoh.

What intrigued me was why all of the journeyings of the Children of Israelare mentioned in such detail. Why not simply say, "They went from A to B," rather than the concatenation of "vayisu mi-x, vayachanu be-y, vayisu mi-y, vayachanu be-z."

I hope I have made my question intelligible.

Leiser

The question of apparently unnecessary detail in the torah has engaged our commentators since the time of the Talmud. In the talmud, one rav challenged anyone to show him an extraneous reference and he answers the question brought up (the sister of Navot). However this left a lot for future commentators to comment on. So the answer to your question is that what is the purpose of why the torah give little detail in some places and apparently too much in others is a work in progress.

On a mystical level, as the talmud says the torah existed thousands of years before the creation. The words and letters existed but they were formed by the events of history. The words we have are just the dress over the true body and we should discover the real meaning of the words. My understand this is the reason why the Kabbalists are so interested in a "useless" chapter like Bereshit 36 listing the kings descended from Esau.


Your specific question is dealt with by Rashi, the Rambam and the Malbim.


Aryeh Shore

your not alone for it also intrigue Rashi and it bothers him a great deal. so he makes his comment to relate to us that they jourey and their setting forth to teach us they didn't wonder aimless in the dersart one moment. Even when they were told they were not to enter the Holy Land,as much most of their traveling was in the first year.

the Baal HaTurim agrees with rashi in saying that they didn't just travel aimlessly not one moment for each step of the way set forth or they joury soley by the mouth of G-d and were direct where to go and where to stop.

as to your first question Laurence shore answered it and there was nothing for me to add to it.