Beha'olotecha
Aaron prepares the lamps for the menorah. The observance of Passover is recounted. The people complain about their situation and Moses feels unable to cope. Miriam is stricken with leprosy.
Beha'olotecha – Michelle Barnett
Michelle Barnett is Director of GIFT – a London-based charity facilitating and educating young people to get involved in social action. She has degrees in psychology, social work, psychotherapy and counseling and was a probation officer for 11 years. She is married to Danny Shine (degrees came in useful!) with whom she has 3 gorgeous but challenging kids. She is enjoying the challenge.
Often, the more we have, the less we are spiritually satisfied.
With summer approaching, the queues at the amusement parks are getting longer, the prices higher, and the roller coasters taller. I know this because of my kids - who, every year look forward to the latest thrilling rides: How high, how fast; will it go upside down and backwards? I always wonder: when is enough, enough? They wonder if it is possible to have too much of a good thing. Our ancestors would answer "yes." At least that appears to be the case in Behaa'alotcha.
In what could be termed a spiritual roller coaster ride, the parsha begins after the high of revelation at Sinai and quickly heads towards the low of the people’'s constant complaining. As with much in Jewish life, it's all about the food. It seems that God's cooking isn't good enough for us!
The riffraff in their midst felt a gluttonous craving; and then the Israelites cried out and said, "If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish that we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. Now our gullets are shriveled. There is nothing at all! Nothing but this manna to look to!" (Numbers 11:4-6).
Okay, it was the same food day in and day out, but this was really not a case of "pasta, again!" With G-d doing the cooking, we know this was gourmet-quality food, (just like at Limmud!). Yet the Torah still finds it necessary to point this out. Why did the people complain about the manna, when the Torah makes a point of telling us how delicious it was?
"To feel prosperous, it is not enough for a person to have everything that is needed. One must have more than one's neighbors have. The manna was psychologically unsatisfying because everyone had it in abundance." (Jonathan Eybeschutz , Number 11:6, as quoted in Etz Hayim p. 828)
"Abundance detracts from value. If this is an emotional version of economic supply and demand, we are still having trouble dealing with it. The classified sections of newspapers and Web sites such as eBay are full of adverts posted by sellers trying to unload almost-new items. For the most part, these are not impulse buys but the fulfillment of a recurring itch or lifelong dream. The buyers have done their homework, they've shopped around. So what went wrong? Was the only-worn-once mink coat not warm enough? Was the driven-less-than-30-hours Jet-Ski not a smooth ride? The item just didn't do what they thought it would do: It didn't change their life. When will we learn that more stuff won't fix a hole in our souls?" Rebecca Field Jager, National Post, May 24, 2008
The great Mussar (ethics) teacher, Rabbi Israel Salanter, made a similar observation when he said: "The luxuries we indulge in eventually come to seem to be necessities, as if we could not live without them." (as quoted in Everyday Holiness by Alan Morinis, p. 183) Just when we think we're at the top, the roller coaster starts barreling down. The more we have at our disposal, the less we are spiritually satisfied. So what are we to do? We've got a greater problem than using material items to plug up the holes in our spiritual dams.
While we can't seem to get enough material goods, we have built up a tolerance to other aspects of life. Cyclones, earthquakes and the suffering they bring hold our attention for a few short moments. How long has it been since the Tsunami or the Chinese earthquake? We made a donation. Move on to the next item. Too often, that pressing item that holds our attention is the latest gizmo that we think will make our lives better, more comfortable and more satisfactory. Given a choice of keeping up with the Joneses or improving the lives of the Smiths, we opt for the former. Judaism does not preach asceticism, but it does encourage moderation.
GIFT is a charity that, in addition to its many other activities, worries about the material needs of others. With the help of hundreds of active volunteers, each week, GIFT "rescues" a lot of bread and food that would have been disposed of, as well as food generously donated through the GIFT BOXES. This is packed up and delivered to over 1000 people in need on a weekly basis. GIFT also sends volunteers to help families with their kids after school and helps with young and elderly who are house-bound, cheering them up and shopping for and with them.
"Who is wealthy, the one who is happy with his lot" (Mishna Avot 4:1) As Rabbi Israel Salanter noted, "worrying about the material needs of another is my spirituality". While our tradition teaches that we must take care of ourselves, it also demands that we be engaged with the needs of others.
Another Voice - Steve Kessler
Steve Kessler is the 2010 Limmud Colorado Marketing Chair and website developer, a religious school teacher, and the owner of Denver DataMan, a computer training and web development company.
Right now many people around the world live in very challenging times. New economic realities and changes in the global economic infrastructure have stunned many who grew complacent with years of economic success. Many are left with fear and uncertainty and a longing for things to be the way they used to be. There are few changes more jarring than moving from slavery to freedom or moving from prosperity to economic hardship. This may appear to be an obvious statement at face value but, in this week's Torah portion, the people pine for that food they had when they were slaves in Egypt rather than the manna that miraculously appeared next to their tents. The people say: "If only we had meat to eat! We remember the free fish we used to eat in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. Now our stomachs are shriveled. There is nothing at all! Nothing but this manna to look to." (Numbers 11:4-6).
Perhaps, the Israelites felt like too much was being handed to them by G-d. The Israelites, in their pining, say "There is nothing at all! Nothing but this manna to look to." The people were saying help us find something to do rather than stay here under the clouds. Having completed the construction of the Tabernacle maybe the Israelites yearned to do more. Meat is a symbol of success and the people longed to put their creative energies to use again and to continue to create. In tough times, it is important that we remember that we must continue to partner with G-d and create rather than let ourselves be buried by fear or boredom. Creation can come in our businesses, jobs, volunteering for Limmud and any time we try to make the world a better place. We can be more certain by knowing that G-d is with us in our creations and find comfort in G-d’s ability to provide when we need that help the most.