QUESTIONS AND COMMENTARY ON PARASHAT BEHA‘ALOTEKHA
1. Why does the lighting of the Menora
and its service occur again here in Parashat
Beha‘alotekha (Numbers 8:1-4) after the dedication of the altar by the
heads of each tribe?
Jason
Midrash Rabba answers this
question as follows:
"WHEN YOU LIGHT THE LAMPS" (Numbers 8:2). You find that twelve tribes
presented offerings at the dedication of the altar, while the tribe of Levi did
not offer anything. They were very grieved and said: ‘Why were we prevented from
bringing an offering for the dedication of the altar?' This may be compared to
the case of a king who made a feast and invited the various craftsmen. There
was a certain friend whom he loved exceedingly, yet he did not invite him with
the others. The man was distressed, thinking, ‘Perhaps the king harbors some
grievance in his heart against me, seeing that he has not invited me to any of
these feasts.' When the days of feasting were over the king called that friend
and spoke to him as follows, ‘I made a feast for all the citizens of the
province. For you, however, I shall make a feast just for you. The reason is
that you are my friend.'
So it was with the Supreme King of kings, the blessed Holy One. You find
that twelve tribes brought offerings for the dedication of the altar and that
the blessed Holy One, accepted them; for it says, "Take it of them" (Numbers
7:5). The tribe of Levi, however, did not bring any offering. When the
dedication ceremony of the altar was over, the blessed Holy One said to Aaron
and his sons: ‘All the tribes have celebrated the dedication and your tribe has
not. Accordingly, ‘SPEAK UNTO AARON, AND SAY UNTO HIM: WHEN YOU LIGHT' (Numbers
8:1-2), and after that, ‘Take the Levites' (Numbers 8:6).
Bammidbar
Rabba 25:3
Based on this midrash, the
reason for recounting the lighting the Menora
at this point was to comfort and honor Aaron and the tribe of Levy.
There however is also a
deeper spiritual answer to this question according to Jewish mysticism and
Chassidic thought.
In the Zohar, Rabbi Eleazer
also asks why the details of the Menora
and its lighting are mentioned here after it was already mentioned in greater
detail in Exodus. He goes on to explain that it is mentioned here in order to
underscore the point that it was Aaron who helped bring forth the spiritual
light of God to Israel.
But how did Aaron go about
doing this? Pirke Avot sheds light on this question:
Hillel used to say: Be disciples of Aaron loving peace, pursuing peace,
loving all people (literally all creatures) and bringing them close to the
Torah
Pirke
Avot 1:12
Based on this mishna, the primary means through which
Aaron brought the light of God to Israel was through facilitating
reconciliation between individuals and between God and Israel and by drawing
them near to the Torah which is the foundation of shalom. Thus Aaron is portrayed as a kiruv-expert (outreach/inreach) who performs these duties out of a
deep love for God and every Jew.
Commenting on Hillel's
statement above, Rabbi Schneur Zalman makes the following application:
Those who are far from God's Torah and service . . . one must draw close
with strong cords of love-perhaps one might succeed in bringing them to the
Torah and the service of God. And even if one fails, one has still fulfilled
the precept "Love your neighbor as yourself."
Tanya,
chapter 32
Thus according to Chabad
Chassidut, the lighting of the Menora
refers to outreach.
Proverbs teaches us that "The
soul of a person is the lamp of the LORD" (Proverbs 20:27), the soul being that
immaterial part of a person that is connected to the Divine. But in order for
the light to shine it must be kindled. Thus Aaron's lighting of the Menora, at the beginning of this parasha, is meant to teach that we are
meant to help ignite the spiritual spark within every soul.
This can be compared to a gas
fire place, whose pilot light is always lit, but which does not become a fire
till the gas is turned on. Like Aaron our job is to kindle the lamp of people's
souls through the light of Torah and Messiah.
Both of which are referred to as lights:
For the commandment is a lamp, and the Torah is a light.
Proverbs
6:23
When Yeshua spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the
world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light
of life."
John
8:12
The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the
glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.
Revelation
21:23
Though the task of kindling
the Menora was usually conducted
daily by the High Priest, we must not think that outreach is only the
responsibility of religious professionals and the spiritual elite. This is made
clear by the Talmud which teaches that it is permissible for a non-priest to
kindle the fire of the Menorah (b. Yoma
24b). Although the non-priest could not enter into the Holy Place, they could
conceivably use a long pole to reach behind the curtain, in order to light the Menora. As far-fetched as this might
sound, this imagery is a beautiful example of the great lengths we should go to
engage in outreach.
Like Aaron and Messiah
Yeshua, we must become masters of outreach motivated by a genuine love for the
physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of all people, who can only be
made whole and find lasting shalom through faith in Messiah and faithfulness to
his teaching which includes fidelity to Torah for Jews.
2. At the end of Parashat
Beha‘alotekha, Miriam is stricken with "snow-white scales" as punishment for
her (and Aaron's) protest against Moses' marriage to a Cushite woman (Number
12:1-15). At the end of this section, we read, "And Miriam was shut out of the
camp seven days and the people did not depart until Miriam was readmitted." Why
did the people wait to continue on their journey again until Miriam was
readmitted?
Jonathan
Mekhilta' deRabbi Yishmael
helps us address this question with the follow midrash:
This is to teach you that with the measure with which a human measures,
with it they will measure the person . . . Miriam waited for Moses a while, as
it is said, "And his sister positioned herself from afar . . ." (Exodus
2:4). In the wilderness, God [Hammāqôm] caused the Ark, the Divine
Presence, the Priests, all Israel, and the Seven Clouds of Glory to wait for
her. As it is said, "And the people did
not journey until Miriam was brought in again . . ." (Numbers 12:15).
Mekhilta de'Rabbi Ishmael, Parashta Beshallach 1
The first thing which this
midrash reminds us is that it is God and not the people who delayed the
departure of the camp on their journey. As it says in Exodus 40:36-37,
When the Cloud lifted from above the Tabernacle, the children of Israel
would depart on their journeys. But if the Cloud did not lift up, they would
not depart until it lifted up.
But why did God delay "the
Ark, the Divine Presence, the Priests, all Israel, and the Seven Clouds of
Glory" for her account? The midrashist links Numbers 12:15 with Exodus 2:4
where a young Miriam stationed herself from afar to ensure that the infant
Moses would reach safe harbor. According to the darshan, God rewards Miriam's fidelity by judging her with the same
standard which she regard Moses. When Miriam is in a risky place of peril on
the edge of civilization, God stands far off, delaying the whole entourage of
Israel, to sure that she returns safely.
The darshan uses the example of Miriam from Exodus and our parasha to illustrate the value concept
of ‘measure for measure.' According to this principle, the way we treat others
has consequences for the way we will be treated in the future by God or by
other people. As Yeshua reminds us in the Sermon on the Mount,
For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the
measure you use, it will be measured to you. . . So in everything, do to others
what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
Matthew 7:2, 12 (NIV)
According to Yeshua, our regard
for others not only has consequences for how others will treat us, but also
embodies our obedience to Torah. As he reminds us later in the book, love of
our neighbors is the second greatest commandment behind love of God (Matthew
22:33-40). May we go and do likewise.
Learning 
