Appreciate
the Present
Parshas Behaaloscha
Posted on June 8, 2017 (5777) By Rabbi Berel Wein | Series: Rabbi Wein | Level: Beginner
The Torah reading of this week emphasizes to us
the rule in life of seizing the moment of opportunity. Moshe tells the Jewish
people that “we are traveling now to the place that the Lord has promised” to
give to us as our national homeland. But this proposed victorious march somehow
unravels. There is an incident with Yitro, the father-in-law of Moshe himself,
who does not agree to accompany his adopted nation to its destination, the Land
of Israel. Moshe’s entreaties to him are of no avail. He has what to him are
legitimate, if not even holy reasons to return to his home and abandon Israel.
His behavior makes an impression, albeit only subconsciously on the psyche of
the Jewish people in the desert. Their optimism and self-pride is weakened.
They begin to complain about their present conditions in the desert. Having
given up on their future, they can think only of their present.
One’s present is always frustrating and fraught
with problems. Now, the manna that fell from heaven daily is no longer an
acceptable menu. When one is in a bad mood no food can taste good in one’s
mouth. A wife may have prepared the tastiest gourmet meal for her husband’s
supper, but if he arrives in a foul mood carrying his work’s problems home with
him, then the meal will somehow be unsatisfying. The complaints regarding the
manna will lead directly to the disaster of the spies that will appear in next
week’s Torah reading. And the result of that debacle is that Moshe’s grand
march to the Land of Israel will never take place for the generation that
escaped Egyptian bondage and lived under miraculous conditions in a vast
wasteland.
Every human being, and nations as well, has
moments of opportunity that are present to be grasped. No opportunities in life
are permanent except for the ever present ability to repent and improve.
Opportunities that we allow to pass us by will, in the main, never return. This
is true in commerce, personal health, family relationships and all other areas
of life as well.
The rabbis in Avot taught us that every person has
“his hour” – his particular opportunity for advancement and accomplishment. The
wise and holy person recognizes such moments and opportunities and acts
immediately upon them. The fool and the lazy let these opportunities escape
them. Rabi Akiva said that one should never procrastinate or postpone Torah
learning for the opportunity may not arise again. Judaism is about action, optimism, and enthusiasm.
The national tragedies that
the Torah deals with in this week’s reading and in next week’s parsha as well
all stem from weakness of self and demoralization. If we do not believe in
ourselves then nothing can be good, even manna from heaven. A generation of complainers and naysayers
eventually becomes a generation of tragedy and doomed hopes. Our generation has
been blessed with many great opportunities, not the least of which is the
ability to study Torah and to live in the Land of Israel. These opportunities
should be grasped and treasured.
Shabat shalom.
Rabbi Berel Wein Rabbi Berel Wein- Jewish
historian, author and international lecturer offers a complete selection of CDs,
audio tapes, video tapes, DVDs, and books on Jewish history at www.rabbiwein.com
Text Copyright © 2007 by Rabbi Berel Wein and Torah.org
. They said, “Has HASHEM spoken only to Moshe?!
Hasn’t He spoken to us too?!” And HASHEM heard. Now this man Moshe was
exceedingly humble, more so than any person on the face of the earth. HASHEM
suddenly said to Moshe, Aaron and Miriam, “Go out, all three of you, to the
Tent of Meeting!” And all three went out. HASHEM descended in a pillar
of cloud and stood at the entrance of the Tent. He called to Aaron and Miriam,
and they both went out. He said, “Please listen to My words. If there be
prophets among you, [I] HASHEM will make Myself known to him in a vision; I
will speak to him in a dream. Not so is My servant Moshe; he is faithful
throughout My house. With him I speak mouth to mouth; in a vision and not in
riddles, and he beholds the image of HASHEM. So why were you not afraid to
speak against My servant Moshe? The anger of HASHEM flared against them and He
left. The cloud departed from above the Tent, and behold, Miriam was afflicted
with Tzaraas, as snow. Then Aaron turned to Miriam and behold, she was
afflicted with Tzaraas. (Bamidbar 12:1-10)
Like forensic scientists we are invited to this
subtle crime scene to figure out, after the fact, what had occurred. With help
from Rashi and the Sages we begin to unravel the facts of the case. Miriam and
Aaron assumed Moshe was on their level of prophecy. They expressed sincere
concern about his extra measure of piety that he had separated from his wife
Tzipora. What they failed to realize is that he was on call and needed to be
ready to receive a prophetic message 24/7.
Only after the matter is spelled out to Aaron and
Miriam is the punishment meted out. We have an open window into and a model of
“the ways of HASHEM”. Rashi tells us, “After He had informed them of their
transgression, He issued a decree of excommunication against them. All the more
so, should a mortal not become angry with his friend before he informs him of
his offense.” — Rashi
Why should a person explain
the nature of the violation before expressing anger and carrying out a
punishment? Maybe the answer is too obvious already. 1) Firstly, it slows down
the action reaction of response. 2) A punishment is not an act of vengeance for
the past, but rather it is an educational tool for the future. If someone does
not have clarity on what they did wrong, correcting behavior becomes a mission
impossible. 3) If the recipient of the penalty does not understand the nature
of his crime not only will he not learn a lesson but he will feel resentment,
assuming the chastisement was arbitrary or an abuse of power. They will begin
to doubt the judgment of the authority or worse their own perception of
reality. 4) Wrongly assuming one understands the reason for your upset can lead
to a total breakdown in the relationship. This happens all the time!
Norman Raymond Frederick Maier was an American experimental psychologist who was famous for inducing neurosis
in rats by switching the reward and punishment trigger. Every time the creature
figured out which door would deliver a prize the next time that door gave a
shock. The door that had been booby-trapped to deliver a shock was then
converted into the door that delivered a treat.
In search of food, the rat
approaches each door cautiously not knowing whether it will receive a jolt or a
goody. Professor Maier describes how the rat eventually sits equidistant from
the two doors and resigns to starve rather than risk getting zapped. At this
point even I begin to feel sorry for the poor rat.
Life is filled with teachable
moments. Everyone has a need to know “why” so they can make sense out of a
situation and figure out a better “how”. Then even an affliction can be filled
with meaning and feel like a hug. Kids who come to my office know already that
they are not in trouble- that is if they learn a lesson and improve. If HASHEM,
the ultimate authority, truly deserving of absolute trust spells out the
reasons first, then we mere mortals must
not bust the trust.
The
Repetitive Trap
Parshas Behaaloscha
Aaron felt slighted. The princes of the tribes
had all brought offerings in honor of the dedication of the Mishkan, while he
had been omitted from participation in the event. The Almighty, however,
reassured him that “yours is greater than theirs.” Aaron would be given the
high honor and privilege of performing a duty of transcendent importance, not
only during the dedication but for always. He and his descendants after him
would kindle the seven lamps of the golden Menorah every single day.
Lighting the Menorah was far more than the simple
act of illuminating the physical space of the Sanctuary in which it stood.
Every morning, when Aaron ignited the seven holy flames, he also sparked a new
outflow of incandescent spiritual illumination that lit up the world. The
Menorah was the prism through which the divine light concealed in the physical
world shone forth into the open, where it could be perceived by people of high
spiritual achievement and sensitivity.
The Torah then proceeds to make a very strange
comment (8:3), “And Aaron did it . . . as Hashem had commanded Moses.” What is
the point of this statement? Our Sages explain that the Torah is praising Aaron
“shelo shinah,” that he did not alter the nature of the service. But why would
we have thought that Aaron would disobey Hashem’s command and alter the
service? And why does he deserve praise for not doing so?
Some commentators resolve this problem by an
alternate reading of the word shinah, which can also mean repetition. According
to this interpretation, the Sages were praising Aaron for not being repetitive.
The physical aspect of the kindling of the Menorah did not vary in the
slightest from day to day, and Aaron could easily have fallen into a mechanical
routine, performing the service by rote. But he did not.
Every single day, Aaron brought a freshness to the
kindling service. He always found new insights into the divine light concealed
in creation, an endless flow of new aspects and nuances of the manifestation of
the divine in the world around us, and he gave them expression through his act
of kindling the Menorah. For this he deserved immense praise.
A great rabbi passed away, and the congregation
invited his son to take his place. The deceased rabbi was famous for his sharp
insight and wisdom. He initiated many innovations into the synagogue practices.
He revamped the system of adult education, introducing refinements in the
educational philosophy and the nature of his sermons and lectures. He also
upgraded the community’s benevolent and charitable programs.
The congregation assumed that the new rabbi would
be delighted with what his father had accomplished, especially since it would
make life much easier for him. But to their dismay, as soon as he was installed
as the new rabbi, he began making drastic changes. He reevaluated and
restructured the educational system again and made numerous modifications in
all the synagogue programs.
“Why are you doing this?” one of the congregants
asked him. “Your father was highly successful. Why change so many things? Why
don’t you follow in your father’s footsteps?”
“Oh, but I am following in my father’s footsteps,”
said the new rabbi. “My father never imitated other people. He always insisted
on thinking for himself. I am exactly the same. I will also not step in and do
what has already been done without expressing my own insights and originality.”
In our own lives, we cannot allow ourselves to
fall into the trap of becoming repetitive in our religious practices. Life is
full of mystery, surprises and unprecedented opportunities for finding the
divine light in the world around us and giving it expression through our own
deeds. No two people are alike, no two days, no two moments. If we seek out
their special qualities and address them with spirituality, we can find
inspiration and closeness to Hashem every day that we live upon this earth.
Text Copyright © 2010 by Rabbi Naftali Reich
and Torah.org.
Rabbi Reich is on the faculty of the Ohr Somayach
Tanenbaum Education Center
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