THE RIFFRAFF IN THEIR MIDST FELT A GLUTTONOUS CRAVING; AND THEN THE ISRAELITES WEPT AND SAID, "IF ONLY WE HAD MEAT TO EAT!"... THE MEAT WAS STILL BETWEEN THEIR TEETH, NOT YET CHEWED, WHEN THE ANGER OF THE LORD BLAZED FORTH AGAINST THE PEOPLE AND THE LORD STUCK THE PEOPLE WITH A VERY SEVERE PLAGUE. THAT PLACE WAS NAMED KIBROTH-HATAAVAH [THE GRAVES OF DESIRE], BECAUSE THERE WERE BURIED THE PEOPLE WHO HAD THE CRAVING.

 (Bemidbar 11)

 

 

Envy, Lust, and Vainglory Shorten a Person's Life

"The Graves of Desire" - One might think that that this was its original name, but the Torah teaches that: "Because there were buried..." Because of that incident it was so called, but this was not its original name. But you do not know who were those who accustomed Israel to sin, therefore it says "The riffraff [lit. "those gathered"] in their midst" - these were the converts gathered from everywhere. Rabbi Shimon ben Menasya says: These are the elders among them, as is written "Gather me" - the elders, then, provided a kal vachomer by which to judge others [e.g., "if the leaders could behave so, then what can we expect of the masses?!"]. Similarly we say with regard to the passage "And the Sons of the Lord saw the daughters of man" - what did the sons of the judges (The term "Elohim" - a widespread appelation of God, also is a connotation for "judges".) do? They would grab women from the market place and rape them. If the judges' sons could so behave, then kal vachomer, so would the ordinary people.

(Yalkut Shimoni Behaalotcha, 247: 732)

 

"When the Lord enlarges your territory... and you say, "I shall eat some meat" - teaches us that great expansion causes man to follow his passions, "and the lion roars only over a pile of meat" (Berachot 32), There it is written "When the Lord enlarges your territory" - this leads to removal of the mask of shame from your face to the extent that you unabashedly say "I shall eat some meat". This is somewhat similar to the throwing off of the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven and to questioning the place of sacrifices; the reason for all this is "The place where the Lord has chosen to establish His name is too far from you" fear of the Kingdom of Heaven is proportionate to closeness to the temple, as is written, "and fear my temples", meaning that from the temple flows fear of the Kingdom of Heaven. But the fact that "The place where the Lord has chosen to establish His name is too far from you" results in the distancing of God from your thoughts, therefore you shall experience desire all the time, and you will not be ashamed to say "I will eat some meat". I therefore permit you to do so, and you shall offer up from you cattle, etc., as I have commanded you, but not at all times, but occasionally, when desire becomes overwhelming.

(Kli Yakar, Devarim 12:20)

 

 

 

"A few weeks after my liberation from the Auvinge concentration camp, a Jew approaches me on a street in Rome. He embraces me and kisses me and says: "You do not know me, but thanks to you I was able to survive in the camp, and thanks to you I am alive". Noticing my amazed look, he added and said, "In Aushweitz I always tried to keep as close to you as possible, because you never ceased encouraging everyone with your words "Yidden, halt zich" - ["Jews! Hold on"]

 (From the memoirs of my father, Shmuel Mordecai Rubenstein)

To our son Micah,

on the occasion of his going up to the Torah

as a Bar Mitzvah

 

BE OUR GUIDE

Zvi Rubenstein

Moshe pleads with his father-in-law, Yitro, not to return to his birthplace, but to accompany the Children of Israel to their new homeland:

"He said, "Please do not leave us, inasmuch as you know where we should camp in the wilderness and can be our guide [lit. "our eyes"]. So if you come with us, we will extend to you the same bounty that the Lord grants us." (Bemidbar 10:31-32)

Moshe attempts to convince Yitro to remain. His reason - Yitro knows our camping in the desert and will be our eyes. What is the meaning of these words? "Know" - a term for knowledge and intimacy, as in "And Adam knew Eve". "Our camping in the desert" - the place where we camped in the desert, the camp of Israel, the place where we became a nation. In other words: You, Yitro, were close to us, and you saw - you participated in the process of our transformation from tribes and clans into a nation, into a single camp. In this process "you were our eyes" Certainly Moshe is alluding to that described in Parashat Yitro:

"And Yitro, Moshe's father-in-law saw how much he had to do for the people, he said, "What is this thing that you're doing to the people? Why do you sit alone, while all the people stand about you from morning until evening... You shall look out from among all the people capable men who fear God, trustworthy men who spurn ill-gotten gain. Set these over them as chiefs of thousand, hundred, fifties, and tens, and let them judge the people at all times. Have them bring every major dispute to you, but let them decide every minor dispute themselves. Make it easier for yourself by letting them share the burden with you."

Yitro is the adviser in matters of administration and justice. "And Yitro saw", "You shall look" finds echo in our parasha in the phrase "You will be our eyes". Moshe recognizes and appreciates the power of natural leadership, the sort which endows people with power; he knows that his leadership is not in doubt, but he is aware of its limits. Moshe seeks - and is in need of - human support, and he gathers around him advisers and assistants. Aharon helps and participates in the centralization and administration of religious ritual; Yehoshua is Moshe's personal aide, and in his singular contribution in the spy narrative, he seems to be "the administrator". Yitro, as we have pointed out, helps Moshe establish leadership - "heads of the thousands, heads of the hundreds, heads of the fifties, heads of the tens." A complete organization of government which will assist the leader in leading the people.

The commentators differ in their understanding of Moshe's words: "And you shall be our eyes." What do the eyes symbolize, and to whom do the eyes belong? Is Yitro, who is well acquainted with the region, the "master of the eyes"? Or perhaps the phrase means in the eyes of the people who see and identify Yitro's positive image in the public eye: "You shall be dear to us like the iris of our eyes" (Sifri, Behaalotcha)? Is Moshe recalling Yitro's past actions, or perhaps he is referring to his future doings? Rashi presents both possibilities: "You shall be our eyes" - in the past tense, as per the Targum translation. An alternative explanation: In the future tense - "whenever something in concealed from us, you shall enlighten our eyes." Onkylos translates: "You saw with your eyes the great things done on our behalf", whereas the Targum Yehonatan translates: "You instructed us in matters of law and you were dear to us like the iris of our eyes." Ibn Ezra, on the other hand, understands the passage as referring to the future: "And you shall be our eyes" - to show us the way." Figuratively - a guide to lead us in the ways of the world, as the Yalkut Shimoni writes: "You will sit with us in the Sanhedrin and will guide us in the words of Torah." Or perhaps a guide in the literal sense, as proposed by the Ramban: "Then Moshe said to him, Do not leave us, for with your knowledge of the desert, you shall serve as our eyes in our conquest of the nations, and you will show us the way to go up."

It seems that the term for "eyes" can be given even deeper significance. Moshe divides his request into two major components. In the first, Moshe describes Yitro's attributes, in the second he expresses his gratitude.

Moshe's leadership which suffered deep and difficult crises during the first two years out of Egypt, faces a major and different kind of crisis - different in its cause, different in Moshe's reaction. "And the people were like those who grieve..." Rashi explains that "wicked people played the role of complainers - they sought a pretext for breaking away from the Omnipresent." This time there was grumbling and provocation for their own sake. The reaction of Moshe, the leader connected to his people, the just and merciful advocate, is one of despair: "Did I myself conceive this entire people... If thus you deal with me, kill me, yes, kill me."

Moshe and his leadership are in need of the human support and the value support which Yitro offers, the added value of "and you will be our eyes". The religious, governmental, and juridical system had crystallized during the preceding year; it functions - despite minor bugs common to new government of a people in the making. The Holy One, Blessed Be He, reacts to Moshe's despair with a suggestion to take on assistants, to delegate authority, and to chose the 70 elders who will help by spreading leadership authority and prophecy. Moshe, in his own way, demands and seeks the supporting human viewpoint, the unspoken good word, the human embrace of flesh and blood. That ability to "connect" which overcomes the loneliness of leadership, that unique "partnership" of leadership which accompanies Moshe's leadership.

The eyes are our most powerful sense, supreme among all other senses. Connections are established with the help of sight. "Man sees with his eyes, but God sees into the heart." Contact is established through sight. "Man sees that which is visible to the eyes, but the Lord sees into the heart." (I Samuel 16:7) One who can see into the far distance, a prophet, is called a seer. In our parasha, God describes the relationship between Himself and Moshe: "Mouth to mouth I speak with him, in plain sight, not in riddles, and the form of God he beholds." The connection between leader and follower is through eye contact. Without words, without touch. A look. "The form of God he beholds."

Moshe sees and illuminates his "Leadership doctrine" based - in a nutshell - on the word "partnership", on the total dependence of leader upon the people and the people upon the leader; one without the other is non-existent. Moshe hopes to see a nation of prophets, a diversity of voices, interdependent and mutually reinforcing. A people able to "look each other in the eye", to accept the reinforcements and the human embrace from shared basics, from "inherent" mutual responsibility, to reject envy and "lashon hara" - slander and gossip - to accept with those "connected" eyes the different voice of prophecy from the multi-faceted Torah which we were privileged to receive.

The emotional tie to the leader gives power to the people by his very presence and by the trust which he radiates. This visual tie is two-directional. Through his eyes, his look, his appearance, the leader gives strength to the nation. The nation grants the eyes of the leader the power to lead. Strength drawn from the eyes of the masses who look at him. The magic which the leader extends over the nation is also that magic laid upon the leader by virtue of his being the first among the many, who senses the deep and powerful wave which surges after him. The giving is mutual. The eyes are the wisdom which sees beyond the horizon. The eyes of the people depend upon the eyes of the leader who "sees" the goal which others still do not see. The leader learns his task. Yitro serves as his eyes during this period of learning. Yitro provides Moshe with information he lacked; Moshe, in his great humility, does not take the credit for this knowledge but ascribes it to his mentor, Yitro. Yitro wants to return to the place he recognizes, to the old knowledge, to the home environment, to his birthplace; Moshe, who already sees the goal, the new land beyond the horizon, tries to convince Yitro to continue with him, arguing that only with the help of Yitro's "eyes" can he see into the distance.

Those eyes of the Jew which walks beside and behind my father, of blessed memory, those eyes which meet my father's back but which receive from him the strength and the will because of the presence of his positive image.

"For you are always my lamp" (Psalms). Said The Holy One, Blessed Be He, to them: I do not know your light, but [I command you] to raise light for me as I did for you [the cloud of fire in the desert], in order to raise [your honor] among the nations who said "See how Israel raises light for He who gives light to all the world." What does this resemble? One who can see and a blind man travel together. Said the seeing person to the blind one upon entering the house: Go and light the lamp and illuminate for me." Replied the blind man: "[Explain how is it that ] when we were on the road, you supported me; until we entered the house you accompanied me [because I needed your assistance]. Yet now you say to me ‘Light the lamp and illuminate for me?!" Answered the seeing one: "[I really do not need your help, but it is for you're your own good and your honor that I tell you do so] so that that you not remain indebted to me for having accompanied you on the road, therefore I said to you: "Light for me".

Zvi Rubenstein is an architect

 

 

LOVE DISREGARDS THE RULES

"And so did Aharon do" - this is said in praise of Aharon, for not deviating [from the Lord's instructions].

(Rashi Bemidbar 8:3)

 

Rabbi Baruch of Mezhibozh (a Chassidic master, grandson of the Besht) was asked:

When God told Aharon through Moshe how to light up the lamps, the Torah says "And so did Aharon do." Rashi explains that this is said in praise of Aharon, for his not having deviating from His instructions. What does this come to teach us? Can we even imagine for a moment that Aharon - sanctified of the Lord - would deviate from His command!? Why, then, the special commendation for faithful execution?

Replied the Rebbi:... It is told of a holy person who served in the synagogue, that when he set up the lamps and poured in the oil, because of his great enthusiasm he was unable to fulfill his task properly, and some of the oil was poured outside the lamp. Therefore was it said in praise of Aharon, that with all his devotion to the Creator, with all his heart he arranged the lamps and lit them as prescribed.

 (Ohr Haganuz, Mordecai Buber).

 

In order to properly execute a certain work, enthusiasm and good will are not enough. There is also need for patience and exactness.

 (From Abraham Stahl: Shabbat BeShabbato, Vol. II, p. 183)

 

...This is to say that Aharon did all that he was commanded not as one who acts with enthusiasm and wonder, but as one who directs his consciousness and awareness to the daily service of God. The great significance of the service of God lies not in man's giving release to his religious enthusiasm - indeed it is doubtful whether such behavior is pure, uninterested, service of God. Perhaps it is but satisfaction of man's psychological needs.

                                 (Y. Leibowitz: Seven Years of Discussion on the Weekly Parasha, p. 648)

 

"Take the Levites... and cleanse them" - Senior Officials Require Purification

The high standing of Man uplifts his heart in the ways of God - but one must be careful that this merit add no obstacles, such as pride and desecration of the Name; whoever is greater than his fellow, his inclination is also greater - and so the closeness to holiness can lead to impurity, just as in the case of Korach and his Levite followers - their greatness led to their downfall. Those who rise up to the holy service are in need extra caution lest they stumble. . . therefore the admonishment that after their service in the Tent of Appointment, they must be scrupulous in preserving their purity - each according to his value. And so we have already learned that all this holds true for the study of Torah. One who accepts upon himself the yoke of Torah lifts his heart up to the paths of the Lord, but he must be careful that this not become a impediment. When he has merited success with Torah, and has studied with the necessary caution, this is reason for elevation of intelligence to the love of God. But all this is accomplished only if he consciously intends by this to attain love of God. Without such awareness, this benefit will be lost, leaving only the mitzvah of Torah study. Torah, too, is a high and exalted matter, but only if it has not turned into an obstacle, as Chazal pointed out (Yoma 65): "If he has not merited, it [the Torah] becomes potion of death."

 (Haamek Davar, Bemidbar 8:15)

 

...We must remember that the above was written by the head of the Volozhin Yeshiva, who knew intimately the world of those who devote their lives exclusively to the study of Torah, and he was well aware of the danger facing them and all generations, lest they dare perceive themselves as "Gedolei Torah" - Torah giants.

(Leibowitz: Seven Years of Discussion on the Weekly Parasha, p. 649)

 

 

 

 

 

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