June 13: Beha’alocha – Numbers 8:1-12:16
Summary: The Jews continue to wander through the desert. God tells Moses to speak to Aaron to light the menorah and keep it constantly alight. We find a discussion of the 2nd Passover and its sacrifices. We also learn that the Tabernacle is covered with a cloud during the day and fire at night, and in a repetitive theme, the people complain and rebel! At the end of the portion 70 elders are chosen to assist Moses because the burden of leadership is too much for one person.
Lesson: The people of Israel truly have Chutzpah. They truly have nerve. It wasn’t long ago in the Torah that the people witnessed God in action when the 10 plagues were unleashed in Egypt. And then, the same people stood at the shores of the Red Sea and witnessed the splitting of the sea. Upon entering the Sinai desert they complained they were hungry and God responded by providing Manna and fresh water for them, including a double portion on Shabbat! A bit later the people stood at the foot of Mt Sinai and received God’s greatest gift – the Torah. And now, as they continue to wander in the Sinai desert, they complain once more. “It was better in Egypt. We remember the meat. The free fish. The cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions and the garlic. Now our stomachs are shrivelled. There is nothing at all. Nothing but this manna.” Wow! What Chutzpah – what nerve. What an ungrateful people!
If you were Moses, how would you respond to the complainers? I think my mother might have said: “you can go straight to your room without dinner!”
Rashi, the great rabbinic commentator, defends the people. He suggests that they are exhausted from the heat and from their journey. Moses is pushing them too hard. They are simply cranky and tired and complain like children. Another commentator, Nachmanides, agrees with Rashi. He believes the people “react like others under duress and compulsion.” However in the end he is not so forgiving. He sees the self-centered demands of the people as a lack of faith. He condemns the people for their refusal to trust in God.
A contemporary commentator, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch responds in manner quite different from Rashi and Nachmanides. He suggests that the complaints of the Israelites come about as a result of boredom, of entitlement. Life in the desert is too easy. God provides the manna and the water. Moses leads them upon their path. The tabernacle is complete. Nothing is lacking. Life is simply too easy. They want a bit of excitement and stimulation, along with a variety of food! Frustrated at having no goals or challenges, they begin to murmur against Moses and God.
Too often we are like the Israelites in the desert. It's easy to complain. Yes, our world is filled with pain, with illness, even with despair. Over recent months and in recent days we have experienced challenges beyond our imagination. Yes, like the Israelites in our Torah portion this week, it’s easy to complain. What isn’t easy is, in moments of hopelessness, to have faith. Our faith need not be blind. As Jews we must remember. We cannot gloss over the pain. Yet to be Jews is to have hope. Our challenge is to remember the goodness in our world, in our lives, in humanity. Like the Israelites we must continue to march forward toward the promised land. With our tradition offering guidance, with our past teaching us important lessons of life, we can look to the future and know that a better day is ahead.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Don Goor