Dear Friends;
I hope that you’ll enjoy the following Parasha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;
” Parsha in a Nutshell “
Aaron is commanded to raise light in the lamps of the menorah, and the tribe of Levi is initiated into the service in the Sanctuary.
A “Second Passover” is instituted in response to the petition “Why should we be deprived?” by a group of Jews who were unable to bring the Passover offering in its appointed time because they were ritually impure. G-d instructs Moshe on the procedures for Israel’s journeys and encampments in the desert.
The people are dissatisfied with their “Heavenly Bread” (the manna) and demand that Moses supply them with meat. Moshe appoints 70 elders, by divine order, to assist him in the burden of governing the people.
Miriam speaks negatively of Moshe and is punished with “Tzaraat”; Moshe prays for her healing with the famous expression: “El Na Refa Na Lah”, which means:”Please G-d, heal her now.” The entire community waits seven days for her recovery.
“ Dvar Torah “
Moses! The greatest prophet of all times. The man who performed miracles left and right, who was the voice of the Divine word, who was not afraid to confront Pharaoh nor his own people, the man who shattered the tablets engraved by G-d himself and who challenged Him to forgive His people, “and if not, remove me from the book You have written”! The man who led a nation known as “stiff-necked people” for more than 40 years. Moses was a figure of strength, yet compassionate at the same time.
But in this week’s Parsha, we see a different side of Moses. A man who does not have the strength to carry on and wants to give up. This is how the story goes: The people are complaining again about the food. They have manna but no meat. They falsely fantasize about: “How we remember the fish that we used to eat in Egypt for free! And the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic!” This was one act of complaint too many for Moses which broke him down. He in turn says to G-d: “Why did You bring all this trouble to your servant? Why haven’t I found favor in your eyes, that You are placing the burden of this entire people on me! Did I conceive this people or give birth to them, that You tell me to carry them in my lap the way a nurse carries a baby… I cannot carry this whole nation! The burden is too heavy for me! If this is how you are going to treat me, please kill me now, if I have found favor in your eyes, because I cannot bear seeing all this misery!”
Wow! The same man who wanted to give up his life for the sake of his nation, now he wants to die because he can’t stand this nation! The man of strength became weak! It’s not the first time that the Benei Israel complained and it won’t be the last. So, what happened to Moses this time? Why the change of heart? What made him break down?!
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks gives the following interesting interpretation. He says that Moses greatest characteristic was his humbleness. That’s what made him the great prophet that he was. But in this week’s episode, we see Moses losing this great characteristic, even though, it was just for a short period of time. Listen again to what he says: “Why have you brought all this trouble upon ME? … Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? … Where can I get meat for all these people? … I cannot carry all these people by MYSELF; the burden is too heavy for ME.” In every sentence he used, you find the words “I,” “me” or “myself.” He sees the Israelites’ behaviour as a challenge to himself, not G-d. Moses lost his temper, because he started to think about himself; something which opposes humility! Moses’s secret weapon to enable him to carry this nation was his humility, but once this characteristic went away, he didn’t have the desire to carry on. Rabbi Sacks says that humility is not thinking less of yourself; It is thinking of yourself — less. True humility means silencing the “I.” For genuinely humble people, it is G-d, and other people and principle that matter, not me. This was Moses trademark up to now — not to think about himself, but unfortunately, he lost it for a while!
But it was only for a short while. He regains his humble character after Hashem shares his spirit with seventy elders to help him out, which brings an end to his depression. Towards the end of the Parsha we see a fine demonstration of Moses humbleness. Moses’ own brother and sister, Aaron and Miriam, started slandering about him. The cause of their complaint was the “Kushit” woman he had taken as wife which is beyond the topic of our discussion. The point, though, is that Moses was betrayed, or at least slandered, by those closest to him. Yet Moses is unaffected and is undisturbed by the complaint of his own brother and sister. He wasn’t thinking about himself, instead, he prayed to G-d on Miriam’s behalf to heal her when she was punished with leprosy. It is here that the Torah makes its great statement: “Now the man Moses was very humble, more so than any other man on the face of the earth”. He had recovered his humility.
Yes my friends, humility is one of the greatest characteristics anyone can possess. It makes you realize that life is not just about you, but it’s about others too. It helps you to be more caring. It makes you to be calm and not get angry. It is also the greatest single source of strength, for if we do not think about the “I,” we cannot be injured by those who criticise us.
It’s amazing how different we are with the other nations. Other nations’ leaders are proud, magnificent, distinguished by their dress and appearance. They built temples in their own honor. Their role is not to serve but to be served. Everyone else is expected to be humble, but not they. Humility and majesty do not coexist in their cultures. But our greatest leader was the most humble person on the face of the earth! Moses title was not king, lord or your majesty, but rather, he was called “Eved Hashem”, G-d’s servant! And that’s his greatest title that we all respect him for……
Shabbat Shalom & Regards;
Martin