Beha'alotekha (Numbers 8:1-12:16)
OVERVIEW
The Israelites have been out of Egypt for two years now and are well into their now daily experience of wandering in the Wilderness. This week's parashah gives an interesting blend of the ritual and personal concerns of the people. First, we read that Aaron is instructed to light the Menorah, and its construction is reviewed. The portion then continues with a description of the dedication of the Levites as assistants to the priests. The celebration of the second Pesach (Passover) is recounted, but with an interesting twist: some people can't bring the required sacrificial offering, due to ritual impurity. So God gives them a second chance a month later, with the introduction of Pesach Sheini. Then, the movements of the Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night are explained, indicating God's presence among the people and the nature of divine leadership in the wilderness. Then, as the central story of this portion, the Israelites take to complaining about the lack of variety in their diet. They are provided with Manna from heaven, but this is not enough - they want meat! Even though God is angered by the people's impudence, God agrees to satisfy the people's craving for meat and sends flocks of quail. To make a graphic point, God sends so much meat that it comes out the people's nostrils! Next, Moses expresses frustration as the leader of a difficult people. To help, Moses is instructed by God to appoint 70 Elders to help him govern and judge the nation. The Elders are divinely confirmed and given the gift of prophesy. In a final episode of dissension, Moses's own brother Aaron and sister Miriam speak slander against Moses. As a result, Miriam is stricken with Tzara'at, a scaly skin affliction, and is sent out of the camp. Moses pleads with God to heal her.
IN FOCUS
The people took to complaining bitterly before the Eternal. (Numbers 11:1)
PSHAT
We begin to read a series of complaints and rebellions that characterize the Book of Numbers, or, as I affectionately like to call it, Sefer Kvetch. This passage serves almost as a preamble to the many episodes of dissent between the people and Moses and the people and God. These episodes of dissent seem to be a regular occurrence because they were compressed into one book. However, these episodes were spread over the 38 years that are covered in the Book of Numbers so they were not as frequent as they might appear.
In this first incident, the people complain bitterly about an unidentified concern, and God becomes angry (again) about their lack of faith. A fire, apparently sent by God, breaks out at the edge of the Israelite's camp, frightening the people. They approach Moses (again), who intervenes with God on the people's behalf, and the fire abates. The place is then named Taberah, from the root meaning "to burn". But the people really don't learn their lesson, as this story is followed immediately by more complaining.
DRASH
This short text warrants a close reading. Without telling us at all what the people were complaining about, we see God responding angrily. When you have a large number of people wandering aimlessly for forty years in the wilderness, you can imagine a little bit of short tempered behaviour and dissent. Given the circumstances, God, of all "people," should expect a little bit of weakness and dissatisfaction. So what is really going on here that caused God to become so angry?
This is where it helps to look at the Hebrew. Most translations (as above, the new JPS version) give a translation that simply indicates that the people complained before God. But, as Pinchas Peli (z"l) points our, the Hebrew phrase Vayehi ha-am k'mitonenim literally translated means "and the people were like complainers." The Hebrew word mitonenim is a wonderful example of Biblical onomatopoeia (a word that sounds like it means). It describes people who murmur or mumble below their breath, complaining for the sake of it, without really having cause for their complaints. As Rashi points out, "the term mitonenim denotes people who seek a pretext - in this case, a pretext to separate themselves from the Eternal."
And that's the point. These people are like complainers, in that they murmured under their breath and sought a pretext to oppose God without anything about which to complain. This explains why the complaints were not defined and why God got angry. As Nachmanides points out in his commentary on the Torah, the people spoke "in the bitterness of the soul as do people who suffer pain, and this was evil in the sight of the Eternal, since they should have followed Him with joyfullness, and with gladness of heart by reason of the abundance of all good things (Deuteronomy 28:47) which He gave them, but they behave like people acting under duress and compulsion, murmuring and complaining about their condition."
God's anger was ignited at this time NOT because the people were simply complaining, but because they were complaining without reason. God is compassionate towards people who complain with good reason, and we have many instances where God responds to the people's legitimate needs. When the people complained about lack of food, they were given bread. When they complained about the lack of potable water, the water was made sweet and drinkable. And complaints about leadership were likewise met with a solution which met the people's needs. But here at the place which will come to be called Tabera, the people become complainers because they complained without good reason . And this is exactly the kind of behaviour that elicits a negative response from God, especially since God was so intimate with the Israelites in the wilderness and had done so much for them. In response, a bush fire on the outskirts of the camp was a pretty restrained response. Unfortunately, the people really don't learn from this experience, and so there is lots more in store. Hopefully, we do learn from such experiences.
DAVAR AHER
Evil in God's ears (Numbers 11:1).
Rashi writes that the people spoke ill of God, hoping that God would hear them, for they wanted to disturb God. "We have not rested for three days," they said, although this haste was for their benefit, so that they should arrive in the Land of Israel as soon as possible. (Tz'enah Ur'enah)
