Sci-fi author Douglas Adams—who made the number 42 famous for entirely different reasons—probably didn’t know about the 42 places the children of Israel stopped during their 40-year trek through the desert.

And let’s be honest: most of us haven’t mapped that meandering route. If we did, we’d see that it didn’t make much sense. Then again, neither did Adams’ use of the number.

In The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, 42 is the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything. The catch? No one knows what the actual question is. Which, of course, makes the answer meaningless.

No one really knows why God led the Israelites on such a strange and circuitous journey. But Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz offered a compelling idea. He wrote:

The 42 journeys of Israel in the wilderness reveal a profound truth about the nature of existence itself: life does not follow a straight path… This wandering pattern reflects the deeper reality that neither individual lives nor Jewish history unfold according to human logic or expectation.

Anyone who has lived long enough understands this truth. Sooner or later, something knocks us off the path we’ve carefully planned—sometimes a nudge, sometimes a push. And just because it’s happened once (or twice, or more) doesn’t mean it won’t happen again.

Like the Israelites’ journey, our lives are filled with detours, delays, and destinations we never anticipated. How we respond depends on what we carry inside, on the persons we have created for ourselves. Do we face the world with fear, anger, and despair? Or do we employ resilience, empathy, and humility?

Rabbi Steinsaltz urged us to ask ourselves:

“How do I cope with the inherent uncertainty of existence?”

“Can I find peace in knowing that even if I don’t understand my current route, there is purpose and meaning to my journey?”

Douglas Adams used science fiction to explore life’s absurdities, but we don’t need to travel to outer space to encounter them. Life here on earth is messy, unpredictable, and often heartbreaking. But it is also strangely beautiful and enticing, and even funny.

If we walk on our path with contentment, accepting that it will never be perfect, we can greet the twists and turns with an open heart. We can find meaning in even the most mundane days. We can find God both in the quiet moments and in times of turmoil.

May we be so blessed.