BeHa'aloscha 5631 Second Ma'amar

If a person wants to grow in his service to God, should he deliberately place himself into a situation in which he will be tested?  According to the Sfas Emes the answer to this question is in this week’s parsha. 

After the nation left Mount Sinai they complained that there was no meat to eat.  Rashi asks that in fact they did have plenty of meat.[1]  The pesukim relate that they left Egypt with cattle and sheep and they entered Israel with cattle and sheep.  Why did they complain?  Rashi answers that they were looking for an excuse.  The Sfas Emes asks that since they had meat this wasn’t even a lame excuse.  It was no excuse at all.  What, then, is the meaning of their complaint?

We find a clue at the beginning of the pasuk in which they complain.  The pasuk says, “... הִתְאַוּוּ תַּאֲוָה .../… they caused themselves to crave …” (Bamidbar 11:4)  We can infer that at first they had no desire yet they caused themselves to desire.  How is it that they had no desire initially?  Furthermore, since they had no desire, why did they deliberately bring it on?  The Sfas Emes explains that they were on a very high spiritual level.  They were on a level above nature, a level on which they were free from their evil inclination.  Remember, they had spent the previous year, following the receiving of the Torah, in a highly spiritual environment.  They were at the foot of Mount Sinai basking in God’s presence which was manifest in the Mishkan.  All their physical needs were provided for allowing them to focus completely on the spiritual.

They were above physical desire yet they caused themselves to crave meat.  Why?  The Sfas Emes explains that they wanted to reach an even higher spiritual level.  They wanted to merit giving God even more satisfaction by eating something as physical as meat in holiness.  Leading a very holy life while totally detached from the physical world is certainly a high level.  But leading a holy life within the physical world is certainly an even higher level.  

We find this concept in a Midrash on the pasuk, “... ולעבדו ... בְּכָל נַפְשְׁכֶם/… and to serve Him … with all your soul.” (Devarim 11:13)  The Midrash explains that the way to serve God “with all your soul” is by directing all the attributes and forces within the soul, including physical desires, towards serving God.  When the nation complained, “נַפְשֵׁנוּ יְבֵשָׁה/our soul is dry,” (Bamidbar 11:6) they were complaining that because they were living is such a highly spiritual environment, they did not have the opportunity to worship God with all the attributes of their souls.  Their souls were dry, so to speak.  They “rectified” the situation by causing themselves to crave meat.

God, though, did not agree with their approach.  A person should be more concerned with violating the will of God by deliberately placing himself into a risky situation even if by so doing he might reach a higher spiritual level.  In fact, the Sfas Emes explains that one who does this is demonstrating an element of selfishness.  Those who are truly concerned only about doing God’s will, will be content with a simpler approach and rely on God to provide tests.

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[1] Rashi on Bamidbar 11:4

BeHa'aloscha 5636 First Ma'amar

"דבר אל אהרן ואמרת אליו בהעלותך את הנרות את מול פני המנורה יאירו שבעת הנרות: ויעש כן אהרן .../Speak to Aharon and say to him, 'When you light the lamps, the seven lamps shall cast their light toward the face of the Menorah.  Aharon did so …" (Bamdibar 8:2,3)

·         How do the lamps cast their light toward the face of the Menorah?  If the Menorah is the central stem and the wicks of the protruding arms are placed so that they are facing the center of the Menorah in order to "cast their light towards the Menorah", then only six lamps are casting their light towards the center.  The seventh lamp is in the center.

·         Chazal[1] teach us that the Torah makes a point of telling us that Aharon did as instructed in order to praise him?  What sort of praise is this?  Would we have assumed otherwise?

In order to explain this pasuk the Midrash[2] relates an allegory of a king who asks his friend to prepare for him a meal.  The friend prepares the meal and lodging for the king using his own plain vessels.  When the king comes in all his majesty, the friend is embarrassed and hides his vessels.  The king, realizing his friend's plight, tells his entourage to hide his own kingly accoutrements and insists on being served with his friends simple vessels.

From the Midrash it is clear that ideally, the king's friend should not have been embarrassed and should not have put away what he had prepared.  Because of the friend's actions the king felt forced to play down his majesty to accommodate his friend.  Why should the king diminish his own honor because his friend is uncomfortable?

The Midrash is teaching us that God conceal Himself because if he were revealed, we would be embarrassed by the puniness of our efforts to do His will, to please Him.  However, the righteous understand that we cannot compete with God and that God wants our efforts however puny.  God reveals Himself to the righteous because He knows that this will not have a negative effect on their service to Him.

When Aharon lit the Menorah in the Mishkan, its seven lamps cast light upon the parallel spiritual Menorah which was revealed to Aharon in all its glory.  Aharon experienced a Godly revelation but in his righteousness was not deterred by the inadequacy of his own deed.  This truly is worthy of praise.  In fact, Chazal[3] explain the pasuk, "והתהלכתי בתוככם .../I will walk among you …" (VaYikra 26:12) as referring to the righteous walking with God in Gan Eden and not trembling.  The do not tremble not because the do not fear God.  Rather, they do not tremble because they understand that there is no need to be embarrassed and distance oneself from God.

In this way the righteous will be similar to the angels as we find, "... ונתתי לך מהלכים בין העומדים האלה/… then I will grant that you make strides among the angels who stand here." (Zecharia 3:7)  The angels are able to stand and serve God even though their service relating to God, from God's infinite perspective, is just as inadequate as ours and even though they have a much deeper understanding of God's greatness than we do.  May we merit it!

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[1] Sifri Beha'aloscha 9

[2] Bamidbar R. 15:8

[3] Sifra Bechukosai 1:3