Each Torah portion shares lessons that are relevant to modern day. They provide insights that can help us to be moral and ethical both as individuals and in society as a whole. Below you will find a short synopsis of the Torah portion, followed by various lessons that can be extracted from it and applied to your own life. The portion can be found in its entirety here, Numbers 8:1 – 12:16.
Synopsis of Be-Haalotecha:
Aaron, the High Priest, is commanded to step up and light the Temple menorah for the first time. The Levites prepare for Temple service. G-d’s presence covers the Tabernacle in a cloud during the day and by fire at night. Each time the cloud lifts, the Israelites know it is time to take down the Tabernacle, break camp, and continue their journey through the desert. Each time the cloud settles, they set up camp and put up the Tabernacle. Two silver trumpets are made, for use in alerting the people to move on, and in times of war and festivals. Some of the Israelites start complaining about having only manna (miraculous wafers that form from dew each day) to eat in the wilderness, instead longing for meat, fish, and fruit. G-d sweeps in flocks of quail, and those who had grumbled are killed by a plague upon eating. Moses sister, Miriam, and Aaron speak against Moses, and Miriam is struck with leprosy as a result of lashon hara, or “evil speech”.
Parshah Thoughts:
Don’t complain about what you don’t have
The Israelites were blessed with manna daily in the desert. It tasted like cream, but could take on the flavor of whatever one wanted. It didn’t grow naturally in this hostile environment; G-d specifically provided it. But even so, a group of the people started complaining, and reminiscing about the food they ate back in Egypt. They stopped being thankful for the good food that was constantly and miraculously granted to them in such a desolate space. They even started glamorizing what life was like prior to being freed from slavery. It was almost as if they were forgetting to appreciate what G-d did for them in Egypt, in the Exodus.
It’s always wise to focus on your blessings rather than what you lack. You are always more likely to find something if you’re specifically searching for it. If you’re constantly thinking about what’s missing from your life, what you wish you had, what you had previously, or what someone else has, you’ll fixate on that. You’ll be more likely to notice more and more negatives in your situation, and you’ll become more and more unhappy. A focus on what you lack brings constant unhappiness. (In this instance in the Bible, it was actually punished with death.) If you specifically seek out the positives of what you do have, what’s been added to your life, what’s special and unique about you and your situation, you’ll find yourself counting more blessings than you could possibly imagine. Seek out those blessings, and you’ll find yourself showered in happiness.
A focus on what you lack brings constant unhappiness…if you seek out the positives in your life, you’ll find yourself counting more blessings than you could possibly imagine.
For related reading, check these out:
Lift up and inspire others with passion
Aaron and the Levites were not called to bring a gift to the Tabernacle dedication ceremony (see Naso). To prevent a feeling of being slighted, Aaron was commanded to step up and light the menorah lamps. This doesn’t just mean literally to light the candles, but rather to spread light, knowledge, and goodness and inspire others to do the same. When you light a candle, you can’t immediately remove the match from the wick; you must wait till the wick catches fire. Similarly, when teaching others about anything, it is critical not just to provide the knowledge, but to ensure it is remembered and kept.
We are often inspired by those who show passion for something; their “flame” is “catching.” So if we are passionate about doing good deeds and spreading goodness and joy, our light can ignite others’. We provide the kindling, and the flame “catches” within them. When the knowledge received is mixed with passion and inspiration, this flame will continue to burn, and the wisdom is retained.
In turn, when you teach someone how to do something, you become better at it yourself. So in teaching others how to be passionate about doing good, we reinforce this trait in ourselves as well. Additionally, when we see the results of our efforts, in that the student takes it upon him/herself to do good deeds, we know that we instilled that lesson. In so doing, we did a good deed ourselves.
For more on this, check out this article from Chabad: Raise the Flame
Blow the trumpets – find something that excites you
The trumpets were to be blown in times of war and also times of peace, to maintain a passionate spirit. It can sometimes be easier to become complacent than to remain enthusiastic and focused. This is especially true when life starts to become humdrum, same old, same old. We may find ourselves in a rut, or we just keep moving along on a plateau.
Maybe you have a goal, and you’ve been chugging along, but you’re not making as much progress recently. Maybe you’ve accomplished what you set out to do, and life’s fantastic, but you’re starting to get a little bored, searching for a new dream. As humans, we always obtain satisfaction from marking new achievements, new milestones. If life is seeming a bit monotonous and you feel you need a push, dig deep, find something that excites you, that spurs your passion again. Blow that trumpet, throw your head back, and give a rallying cry to give yourself a boost toward your dream.
If life seems a bit monotonous, find something…that spurs your passion again. Blow that trumpet, throw your head back, and give a rallying cry to give yourself a boost toward your dream.
For more on this, check out this article from Chabad: Trumpets of War and Trumpets of Peace
For related reading, check these out:
Sources studied:
JPS Hebrew-English Tanakh: The Traditional Hebrew Text and The New JPS Translation, Second Edition. The Jewish Publication Society. 1999.
chabad.org: a wealth of information regarding all things Jewish, with an Orthodox/modern Orthodox point of view.
Torah.org: an array of relevant study material for all parshahs.
Cover image photo credit: IStockPhoto.com/ollega
