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Weekly Reading Insights:
Beha'alotcha 5780
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To be read on Shabbat Beha'alotcha (in Israel- outside of Israel
Naso) -14 Sivan 5780/June 6, 2020
Torah: Numbers 8:1-12:16
Haftorah: Zachariah 2:14-4:7 (The vision of the Menorah)
Pirkei Avot: Chapter
1
Beha'alotcha is the 3rd Reading out of 10 in Numbers and
it contains 7055 letters, in 1840 words, in 136 verses
Overview: Beha’alotecha opens with
the command to Aharon to light the menorah, followed by the inauguration and
qualifications of the Levites’ Divine service. Then, G-d’s command to the Jews
to observe Passover. Those who were impure through contact with a dead body
(and therefore forbidden to offer the Passover sacrifice) were granted another
chance to offer the Pascal lamb exactly one month after Passover. This day is
known as ‘Pesach Sheni’—second Passover. The next section describes how a cloud
resided above the Tabernacle and signaled when the Jews were to journey and
when to encamp. The marching order of the tribes in the Jews’ desert journeys
is described. At this point, Chovev (a.k.a. Yisro, Moshe’s father-in-law) leaves
the Jews and goes back to his homeland to bring his relatives to Judaism. Next,
we encounter the famous verse we recite each time we take out the Torah from
the ark, about how the ark with tablets would go forth before the Jews during
their desert travels. Then, the Jews began complaining about G-d. The first
time, G-d punishes them with a fire which consumes many Jews until Moshe prays
for the fire to stop. Then, the Jews complain that they miss foods they had
in Egypt and about the mannah. To this, G-d promises an over-abundance of meat,
but when it comes and the camp is covered with quail, those who complained were
punished and died whilst consuming their improper desire. The parsha ends with
Miriam speaking slightly negatively of Moshe to their brother, Aharon. Subsequently,
they were rebuked by G-d, and Miriam was stricken with tzara’as (“leprosy”).
The Jews wait for her to heal and only then journey forward.
 An
Essay from
Rabbi Shaul Yosef Leiter, Director of Ascent
(for a free weekly email subscription, click
here)
Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz (the Shelah)* in his work, Shenei Luchot
HaBrit (Torah Sh'bktav, parshat Behaalotcha), taught that before every major
activity and even a simple action that a person wants to do, he should say,
"If G-d wills", or "With G-d's help". Why? During the forty
years after leaving Egypt, in the desert on their way to the promised land,
the Jewish people's movements were decreed by G-d, as the verse says, (Bamidbar/Numbers
9:18) "According to G-d the Jewish people traveled and according to G-d
they camped." This period of time in the desert was the archetype for the
future to teach us that every single occurrence in the entire world in all the
days since creation and till the end of time - it is all according to G-d's
will. So when a person says, "With G-d's help" or "If G-d wills
it" it should never be said casually . It should be said with full intention,
meditating on the truth that everything, really everything, is fully under G-d's
auspices. Not only does this imbue a person with faith in G-d's providence,
it also brings a concrete Divine blessing for everything they do.
The Midrash** tells a story of a wealthy man who, while being very generous
in helping others, still, in his heart, did not fully accept that everything
was from G-d. Rather, he believed intellectually that all of his wealth was
from his own efforts alone.
Once he went to the market to buy oxen. On his way, he was met by Eliyahu HaNavi
(the prophet Elijah) who appeared to him disguised as another trader. Eliyahu
asked him, "Where are you off to?" The man answered, "I am on
my way to the market to buy oxen". Eliyahu said to him, "You should
say, 'With G-d's help' or 'May it be G-d's decree"' The man answered, "Excuse
me. The money is in my pocket and what will happen is according to my desires."
Eliyahu answered him, "If that is how you speak, you will not succeed!"
And so it was. The man continued on his way and, without realizing it, his money
pouch slipped out from his pack. Eliyahu saw it and put it on a rock in the
forest where no one would see it.
Meanwhile, the man reached his destination, found the livestock he was interested
in and bargained to get the right price. But when it came time to pay he discovered
that his funds were missing. Dejected and broken he returned home.
After some time, he again took money and set out for the market. Again Eliyahu
met him, this time disguised as an elderly person. Eliyahu repeated his question
as before. When the man gave the same reply and Eliyahu realized that he had
not learned his lesson (he did not say, "With G-d's help."), Eliyahu
again told him - "You should say, 'With G-d's help' or 'So should G-d decree'.
When the man did not heed Eliyahu's advice this second time, Eliyahu put him
to sleep, took the second bag of money and put it with the first one in the
forest. When the man woke up, he saw that the money was stolen and again went
home sad and dejected.
When the merchant took the time to think about the two events he understood
that it must be G-d's hand behind them both and that he was being punished for
not listening to the man who was trying to teach him to have faith in the Almighty.
He immediately resolved that from that day onward, he would always say, "With
G-d's help" and "If G-d so decrees" when talking about anything
he intends to do.
When he went a third time to the market, this time Eliyahu met him as a poor
street urchin looking for work. Again Eliyahu asked him where he was going.
This time the man answered, "I am going to the market to buy oxen, with
G-d's help." Eliyahu blessing him with success and said if he needs help
with the oxen he should ask for him. The man answered "If, with G-d's help,
I succeed in purchasing the oxen, I will most certainly hire you to help me."
The man was successful, found excellent oxen for a cheap price and hired the
young person to take them home for him. On the way, one of the oxen started
to run into the forest. The man ran after the ox until it stopped at a certain
rock. The man was amazed to see both of his money pouches that he had lost.
Overjoyed, the man thanked G-d and continued on his way with the young person
and the oxen. When he arrived home, suddenly the boy disappeared. Then the man
clearly understood that everything that happened to him was according to Divine
providence.
It was the Levites who were entrusted with not only carrying, but erecting and
dismantling the Tabernacle, the portable temple that we used in the desert.
How many Levites were there? 8,580! Why so many? Because there was a lot of
work! The Tabernacle included 48 beams, each one 5 meters long, hundreds of
bases, each one weighing 165 pounds, carpets, curtains, other beams and much
more.
Each and every time the camp would move, they would dismantle the Tabernacle.
And each time they would camp they would build it in full again.
How much time would they be in each place? The verse says, "When the clouds
would rest on the Tabernacle for many days." (The longest encampment was
nineteen years). And sometimes it would be only from night to morning! Even
for one night it was necessary to go through this enormous procedure? We learn
a lesson from this that is applicable to everything in our lives; It is not
about length or quantity. Life is about the quality of what we have accomplished.
* Rabbi Isaiah HaLevi Horowitz. 1560 - 1630. Served for many years as chief
rabbi in Frankfurt and then Prague, his birthplace. In 1621 he moved to Israel
and became the chief rabbi of Jerusalem. He is best known as the author of Shenei
Luchot HaBrit, a work of Scripture commentary and Jewish Law, and is usually
referred to as "the SHeLaH", the acronym of its title. He lived the
last years of his life in Tsfat although his burial place is in Tiberias, only
a few meters from the tomb of the Rambam. It is a popular pilgrimage site, especially
on erev (the eve of) RoshChodesh (the new month of) Sivan, which he himself
recommended as a propitious time for reciting the special prayer he composed
for success in educating one's children.
**Part of Jewish oral tradition. The classical collection of the sages' homiletic
teachings on the Torah, on the non-literal level of derash (to interpret)
- the allegorical, metaphorical or symbolic meaning of the text.
Shabbat Shalom, Shaul
________________________________________
(for a free weekly email subscription, click
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For last year's essay by Rabbi Leiter on this week's Reading,
see the archive.
FROM
THE SAGES OF KABBALAH ON KabbalaOnline.org
Specifically, for an overview
of the recommended articles in the columns:
Holy Zohar, Holy Ari, Mystic Classics, Chasidic Masters, Contemporary Kabbalists,
and more,
click to Beha'alotcha
one sample:
Mystical Classics
 Preparing
for Perfect Prophecy
From the Ohr HaChaim commentary by Rabbi Chaim (ben Moshe) ibn Attar
Only Moses was able to maintain his regular posture when G-d communicated with
him; he did not prostrate himself or go into convulsions, as did other prophets.
Neither did he receive such communications in the form of a riddle or parable.
Every communication Moses received from G-d was crystal clear, requiring no
further elaboration
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