The Great Reversal (1)
INTRODUCTION TO PARASHAT HASHAVUA
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PARASHAT BEHAALOTKHA
Our
parasha presents us with many unusual phenomena which puzzle the reader and
leave him in a state of confusion, wondering how to solve the peculiarities of
the narrative. It is a complex parasha where each individual strand seems
connected to another strand elsewhere. Let us begin with some questions which
will give us a key to an understanding of the parasha as a whole.
First,
the unusual conduct of Moses. Chapter 11 describes a strange episode - a mass
craving for meat on the part of the Israelites. It is presented by the Torah as
something of an epidemic, described as a gluttonous craving (11:4) beginning
with a small group and rapidly spreading to the entire nation, the entire nation
proclaim their dislike of the Manna and demand meat. What we have here is simply
a complaint for food on the part of the people. Nothing more. They transgress no
law, no formal sin is committed. This is not a rerun of the Golden Calf. But the
reaction to this episode is severe, a plague ensues, the verse records how The
Lord was very angry. (v.10)
But there
is none more severe, more unexpected than Moses reaction to the entire episode.
The verses describe how Moses loses his nerve in the face of this crisis.
Totally uncharacteristic of Moses, he gives up! Moreover, he virtually hands in
his resignation to God.
Moses
said to the Lord, Why have you dealt ill with your servant and why have I not
enjoyed your favor that you have laid the burden of this people upon me? Did I
conceive all this people, did I bear them, that you should say to me, carry
them in your bosom as a nursing mother carries an infant to the land that you
promised...? Where am I to get meat to give to all this people ... ? I cannot
bear this people by myself. It is too much for me! ... kill me rather, I beg
you... (11:11-15)
Strong words. But completely out of
character for Moses. After all, the Moses that we know and love, is the heroic
defender of the Children of Israel. In every instance, Moses is prepared to
represent Israel as the defense attorney before God pleading their case
aggressively, even to the point of demanding their forgiveness from the
Almighty. Up to this point in the Bible, and subsequently, we will see Moses
boldly confront Gods anger; praying, requesting, arguing on behalf of that
stiff-necked nation that he leads so faithfully. But here it would seem, Moses
has a crisis. He does not fight for Israel. We look on as Moses, the great
leader, asks to be relieved of his position. His determination wavers and he
suffers - from exhaustion, from self-doubt, from desperation. He wishes to rid
himself of the crushing responsibility, and the seemingly impossible task that
he has been set.
Our first
question. What caused this crisis within Moses? What is so drastic about this
rebellion that it lead to a complete collapse of Mosess resolve? We have seen
the Israelites request food in the wilderness before (see Ex. Ch.15-17), we have
been through the great sin of the Golden Calf. Each time Moses stands firm. What
happened here?
PARASHA IN PARENTHESIS
But if we
look at the last two lines of Chapter 10, we will see a second issue which is
beckoning for our attention. It is two lines which seem to be in parenthesis. In
the Torah text, we see a paragraph of two verses surrounded by two upside down
letters. The letters are the parenthesis like letter - nun and in a most
unusual phenomenon, unique in the Torah, the letters are inverted. What does
this represent? What does it mean? Is this short passage actually being
marginalized or highlighted? - Or does this notation have another meaning within
the ancient symbolism of the Torah? The Rabbis of the Talmud note that these
markings denote that this parasha is somehow out of place, displaced,
dislocated. What does that mean?
Let us
move to some answers. In the course of our investigation of these issues, we
will uncover a hidden, rather unexpected drama unfolding within the very fabric
of our parasha.
THE PLAN
Let us
begin the story all the way back in Egypt. At Mosess very appointment to
leadership - the vision at the burning bush - God outlines the grand scope of
the mission:
I have
come down to rescue them from the Egyptians and to bring them out of that land
to a good and spacious land flowing with milk and honey, the land of the
Canaanites... (Exodus 3:8)
The immediate destination would seem to
be the Land of Canaan, fulfilling promises to the patriarchs that your seed
shall inherit this land." But God informs Moses that there is to be a stopping
off point on the way:
And when
you have freed the people from Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.
(Ex. 3:12)
On the way to the promised land, we were
to worship God at this mountain namely Mount Sinai. (It should be noted that
this conversation between Moses and God took place at Horeb, the mountain of
God (Ex. 3:1) - otherwise known as Mount Sinai -see Deut 1:6.) What is the
nature of this worship? Of what will it consist? Apparently, as we see
subsequently, it implies first, receiving the Torah, and afterwards, the
construction and consecration of the Mishkan - the Holy Tabernacle.
Events
begin smoothly. Only weeks after the Exodus, the people arrive at the mountain
and promptly begin the preparations for the revelation at Mt. Sinai. They accept
the terms of Gods covenant; they will obey Gods laws, and God will draw the
people closer to him giving them national identity and holiness (see 19:5-9).
The entire nation hear God speak to them from the Mountain, transmitting to
them, the Ten Commandments; a set of laws which will be but a beginning of the
comprehensive lifestyle that will become Judaism. And no sooner had they
received the Torah, God gives them the beginnings of the Tabernacle with the
command to build an altar of earth with which to perform the sacrifices
(20:21). So there we have the basic elements of the plan; Torah and sacrifice.
As soon as the Tabernacle is built, we can move to the next stage, namely, the
Land of Israel.
The
entire operation experiences a sever hiccup with the sin of the Golden Calf
which sets the timetable back somewhat. The nation needs time to recover, Moses
has to plead with God for forgiveness, there are a second set of tablets. But we
have read of the completion and ceremonial dedication of the Tabernacle; In the
first month of the second year (in the desert) on the first of the month, the
Tabernacle was set up. (Ex. 40:17)
LEAVING
Our
parasha describes the preparations for the journey to Israel in painstaking
detail.[2]
First is the description of the miraculous cloud which hovered above the
Tabernacle. The cloud acted as a Godly signal for the journeying and encampment
of the Israelites:
And
whenever the cloud lifted from the tent, the Israelites would set out
accordingly; and at the spot where the cloud settled, there the Israelites
encamped ... On a sign from the Lord they broke camp and on a sign from the Lord
they made camp. (9:17-23)
This camp travel with God at the helm.
The next
passage describes the complex public address system within the camp. The two
silver trumpets would sound long drawn notes or a short burst of notes.
Accordingly, the camp would be notified in the event of a national assembly,
war, celebration and all important national events. In the context of the
journeying of the camp, the trumpets would be used to organize the efficient
movement of the different sub-camps amongst the nation when they set out,
ensuring that each group would know their marching order and the precise moment
of departure.
Reading
these descriptions we gain a sense of the planning, the atmosphere of
mobilization which must have animated the camp. There are clear traces here, of
a massive sense of expectancy and anticipation.
In the
second year, on the twentieth day of the second month, the cloud lifted from the
Tabernacle
and the Israelites set out on their journey
(10:11)
What follows is the precise movement of
each division as they leave Mt. Sinai and march into the distance. In many
synagogues, this section is chanted to a special ceremonial tune. Why? Because
this is not just one of many journeys. The journey which the Children of Israel
are embarking upon is the final leg of their mission, it is the fulfillment of a
dream, of promises to ancient patriarchs. The Children of Israel set out on
their march to Eretz Yisrael - the promised land. All the ceremony in the world
cannot describe the feelings of this moment, the sense of anticipation and
historical potential.
INVITATION TO JETHRO
We have
described our parasha as telling the build-up to the great march - the march to
the fulfillment of the Jewish mission. It is at this juncture that the Torah
tells us of an invitation extended by Moses to his father-in-law.
We are
traveling to the place of which the Lord has said, I will give it to you. Come
with us and we will be good to you for the Lord has promised good for Israel.
(11:29)
What is this story telling us? Why
mention Mosess relationship with his father-in-law? What does it add to this
narrative? Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik zl explains that this invitation is a
symbolic invitation. It is not simply a personal invitation by a son-in-law to a
father-in law, by Moses to Jethro. No, this invitation is extended to the entire
Gentile world.
Let us
explain. The place that we are standing in Jewish History when we read Parashat
Behaalotekha is an auspicious one indeed. We are standing at the verge of
fulfillment, at the brink of realizing our national destiny. All the signs are
in place, the culmination of Jewish history could be so easily at hand. It is
this context that we invite the non-Jew, the entire world, to join us on our
march to the Holy Land. Moses tells Jethro, We are marching to our destiny.
Maybe it might become your destiny too.
The
feeling that permeates the pages of Behaalotekha is one of unmistakable
confidence, a serene atmosphere of total assurance. There is a strong feeling
that the historic realization of Gods vision for His nation will be only a few
days away. It comes through clearly in the way that Moses uses the grammatical
first person when he speaks with his father-in-law. He talks with such
assurance: We are traveling
.come with us and we will be good to you. It is
happening. Now. It is clear that Moses at this point thinks that he is going to
enter the land. The people too are looking forward to their first view of the
hills of Hebron, the valleys and fields that they have only been able to imagine
until now.
A
fascinating midrash expresses this sense of immediacy. The verse here tells us
about the first leg of the journey; And they set out from the mountain of God,
a three day journey and the ark ... traveled before them... (10:33). The
midrash is troubled by the fact that we can talk about a three day journey.
Obviously, they would have stopped for the night, and then, what is the issue of
three days? The answer of the midrash:
They
(miraculously) traveled a three day journey in a single day, because God desired
to have them enter the Land immediately. (see Rashi 10:33)
The midrash just emphasizes the sense of
excitement. It is as if even God Himself is caught up in the euphoria!
ENEMIES
On this
basis, when we reach the mysterious lines with the inverted nuns we must look
at this passage and ask ourselves - does it fit into the progression that we
have described? Is this section a continuation, a natural outgrowth, of the
narrative thus far, or are the Rabbis correct in seeing the nun letters as
parentheses and this section as really belonging elsewhere? Let us read the
content of this passage:
When the
ark set out, Moses would say:
Advance,
O Lord, may Your enemies be scattered, and may Your foes flee from before you!
And when
it rested, he would say:
Return,
O Lord, unto the ten thousands of the families of Israel.
Why does this passage appear in our
parasha? Who are the enemies that should flee from the encounter with God? It is
clear. We are setting out for the promised land. We shall surely be confronted
by one of the many local armies. Moses calls on God to protect Israel, who set
out and encamp by His very word, by scattering the enemies that we will
inevitably meet. (It is interesting how they are described as Gods enemies.
Apparently, any opponent of Israel is a protagonist towards God.)
There is
no doubt. This passage fits perfectly, this prayer is eminently suited to this
historic moment. The people are on their way to the fulfillment of the national
dream.
THE DESIRE FOR MEAT
But as we
continue through the parasha, we read of a surprising unexpected turn of events.
We hear about the desire of the people for meat, the gluttonous craving (11:4)
that possessed the nation. We know not from where this came, but in the text it
is portrayed as an immensely powerful urge, compulsive and unstoppable. This
extreme impression emerges from the description of the behavior of the nation
when they get their meat - a landing of quails all around the camp precinct.
They collect the meat in a crazed, obsessive manner, a frantic hysteria gripping
the Israelite camp:
The
people gathered quail all that day and night and all the next day - even he who
gathered least had ten mounds of quail. (11:32)
A non-stop thirty six hour single minded
operation driven by an insatiable desire for meat. We know the way that this
lusting was received by God, and by Moses
The Lord
was very angry, and in Moses eyes, it was evil. (11.10)
AN INDEFINITE POSTPONEMENT
What was
the effect of this lusting on the part of the people? What did it do to the
Great March? To the march towards Jewish destiny? It stopped the historic
journey dead in its tracks and the camp came to a complete standstill. Not one
day shall they eat nor two, not five days not ten and not even twenty. A month
of days (shall you eat meat) until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes
loathsome to you (11:19-20). With this epidemic (and the subsequent plague -
v.33-34), the camp is held up for an entire month, the Great March is suspended,
the excitement dissipates, the anticipation wanes.
The great
vision, the sense of immediacy and fulfillment which permeated the atmosphere
before this fiasco, is gone. And now the prospect of a smooth entry into The
land of Israel lies in question. Certainly, we may assert, after this episode,
that the passage describing Gods scattering of enemies, those majestic lines so
full of promise, seem out of place, tattered and torn. The journey, the Great
March, has been curtailed, postponed indefinitely. The section - of only two
lines - which spoke of God marching with Israel, boldly and triumphantly into
the promised land, is a distant vision. The passage is put in parenthesis
because after the episode of the gluttonous desire - the graves of the
voluptuous (v.34) - that vision is dislocated, suspended like a dream, but not
reality. The passage is out of place, because the journey, and the vision, has
been inverted, just like the letters nun which surround these lines.
MOSES IN CRISIS
It is
this which leads Moses to such crisis and despondence. The vision which he saw
so clearly, within reach, is now a distant dream once more. The nation has shown
that a desire for flesh can obscure a vision of supreme spiritual and historic
import. This is a tragic story, and Moses feels it to the core of his being. He
wants to give up. If the nation can be so fickle, at the moment of their
greatest potential, then is there any hope at all?
But there
is something else about the nature of this lusting which is antithetical to
Judaism on the most fundamental level. After all, we must understand what was so
objectionable about the simple desire for meat; after we are not talking about
murder, sexual license, a rejection of God. This is just a desire for meat!
Rav
Soloveitchik compares this episode with another similar story about Manna. Here
is a story about desire, primitive hedonistic desire. In this story we read of
the pagan world-view of drinking the cup to the dregs, motivated by a desire for
sensual indulgence, boundless desire, a craving for the variety which excites
and stimulates the senses. It was on this basis that the nation gathered meat,
more and more of it, until it was piled up. It was more than they could eat, but
that did not matter, they were led by their impulses and their eyes, and the
desire for boundless pleasure.
The food
that they rejected was the Manna. This was also food provided by God, however we
read about the gathering of the Manna how God commands;
Gather
as much of it as each of you requires to eat, an omer measure per person ....
The Israelites did so, some gathering much, some little, but when they measured
it by the omer, he who had gathered more had no excess and he who had gathered
little had no deficiency: they had gathered as much as they needed to eat (Ex.
16:16-18)
The Manna is the expression of the Jewish
value system of limited-ness. The desire for meat is an expression of the pagan
in man. With the Manna, everyone gathered only what they needed, not what they
desired. And it was always enough. With the meat, nothing was enough, for they
were propelled by an insatiable lusting.
Confronted by all this, Moses is overwhelmed by a feeling of loss and despair.
Can this people who crave the pagan way of life really enter into the promised
land? A people who can be so suddenly distracted, like a small child, from the
noble vision the Jewish future, to a pagan lusting, can this people ever
consummate the Godly plan?
THE NURSING FATHER
Moses
learns something else about himself in the course of this episode. Until this
point Moses perceived himself as a teacher, a figurehead, a judge, a prophet.
All of these functions were part of Moses self-perception. But now, Moses finds
himself taking on a new role, a role that demands ultimate commitment.
Moses
compares himself here to a nursing mother.
Did I
conceive all this people, did I bear them, that you should say to me, carry
them in your bosom as a nursing mother carries an infant to the land that you
promised...? (11:13)
The nursing mother is inseparable to her
baby. She is tied to her child in every way. When the baby is awake, she must be
awake, when the baby is happy, she is happy and when the baby cries, she feels
it through her entire being. It is a relationship of total commitment. Moses
complains here as he realizes the extent to which his own personal fate is tied
to that of the Children of Israel. He realizes that even when the vision
collapses, when there is regression and failure, even then he carries this
people, and this even at great personal cost. Let us not forget, that Moses too
does not enter the land. Moses more than anyone was excited, ecstatic, about the
prospect of Gods kingdom in the land of promise. But here, he breaks with the
full weight of the realization that his life is tied to the life of his nation
as a mother is tied to her infant.
So
Parashat Behaalotekha describes a tragic reality. The failure of the dream to be
realized, the failure of the Great March to the Promised Land. Had that march
been realized, Jewish History would have looked entirely different. We might say
that we still struggle, as a nation and as individuals, to put the spirit over
the meat, and we are still engaged in a fight to reach the Promised Land.
Shabbat shalom.
[1] This shiur is
based on a lecture of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zl -from June 10th 1974 - as
heard on an audio tape of the lecture. For further reading on this topic, see
Teaching with clarity and empathy - Chapter 14 from Reflections of the Rav -
Lessons in Jewish Thought adapted from the lectures of Rabbi Soloveitchik - by
Rabbi Abraham Besdin.
[2] The narrative
between Ch.7 and 9 describe certain other hold-ups in the departure from Sinai,
just emphasizing the centrality of this theme. First there is the gifts of the
Prices which begin on the day of the completion of the Mishkan (Num. 7:1) and
continue for the next twelve days (7:11). This takes us to the 13th of Nissan -
on the verge of Passover. Thus in Ch.9 we describe the second celebration of
Passover. This leads to problems with those who were impure at the appropriate
time (9:9-13) allowing them a second opportunity a month later. Thus we find
ourselves on the eve of departure.