Parshat Behaalotcha begins with the command for Aharon and his descendents to light the Menorah. In last week’s parsha, we read about the various gifts that the tribes, other than the Leviim, brought in the inauguration of the Mishkan. Rashi explains that Aharon felt distressed in not being able to serve Hashem in the way that the other tribes had—for this reason Hashem commanded Aharon and his descendents with the ability to serve Hashem eternally with the lighting of the Menorah.
This beautiful insight into the connection between the two topics leaves us wondering why the section of the Menorah was not included in last week’s parsha? An understanding of the rest of the parsha reveals that there is an underlying theme of Parshat Behaalotcha in which Aharon’s command is included. This parsha that begins with the lighting of the eternal light of the Menorah is about opening our eyes to the goodness and the opportunities that we all too often fail to notice.
After Hashem describes Aharon’s duties, the Torah tells us: vayaas kein Aharon – and Aharon did as he was commanded (8:3). Rashi suggests that this is a praise of Aharon shelo shina – that he did not diverge. Rav Zeven explains further that what was praiseworthy about Aharon was not simply that he heeded to G-d’s command (after all, we would expect nothing less of such a righteous man). What was noteworthy about his actions was that each time he went to light the Menorah, he did it with the same passion, zeal and love that he did the very first time.
Rashi’s commentary is especially interesting in light of the fact that the actual job of Aharon to clean out the lamps and remove the old wicks from the Menorah each day was quite menial. And yet, Aharon felt honor and glory that he was privileged to perform such a task. Aharon chose to see the beauty and sanctity of fulfilling this Temple service and felt privileged to do so.
The next episode we read about also highlights an eagerness to serve Hashem. The people who had been ritually impure and unable to participate in the Korban Pesach are given a second chance the following month. Even though they were technically excused from offering the Korban Pesach and they were not to blame for having been ritually impure at the time, they still sought out a way to serve Hashem in this way. Like Aharon, they viewed the service of Hashem as a privilege, not a burden. As the parsha goes on, we continue to learn about the importance of literally opening eyes to the opportunities to serve Hashem and feeling the pleasure and privilege of being able to do so.
In our parsha we find Moshe pleading with Yitro, Please don’t leave us…for you with be our eyes (10:31)? Moshe asks that Yitro be their guide through the desert, for he has lived in the desert land all his life, and he will know all of the potential dangers that lie ahead. But, it is difficult to understand Moshe’s request, given that the Torah has just described to us that Hashem guided the Jewish people with a cloud by day and a fire by night. We also know that Hashem preformed great miracles to protect the Jews from scorpions and all other dangerous creatures. Why, then, do they need a tour guide or a body-guard, so to speak, when Hashem was guiding them with the clouds and protecting them with the fire at all times?
Rav Schlesinger so beautifully explains that it was precisely because the Jewish people were being protected from all these dangers that they needed Yitro to be present to “open their eyes to the blessing bestowed upon them each and every day.” Yitro would be present to remind the Jewish nation of all the dangers that the Jews could have encountered in the desert, but were protected by the hand of Hashem. Yitro’s expertise served to remind them of the Divine protection they had and the kindness Hashem performed for them at any moment of any day.
The Jewish people needed Yitro to open their eyes to see beyond the scope of their daily lives – to see all the good in our life that that we so easily take for granted.
If we have learned the importance of seeing the good in our opportunities to serve Hashem and to open our eyes to the blessings in our life, then the final section of our parsha teaches us to see the good in the people around us. In the final portion of the parsha, the Torah records the incident in which Miriam speaks Loshon Hara about Moshe. Chazal explain that when Miriam spoke negatively about Moshe’s decision to separate from his wife, she did not realize that Moshe had to do so because of the extremely high level of prophecy that he had reached. Unlike the other prophets who saw Hashem only at nighttime, Hashem spoke to Moshe at all hours of the day. For this reason, Moshe could not be with his wife for he had to always be in a state of readiness for prophecy and communication with Hashem.
In essence, Miriam did not take into account all the factors that might have contributed to his ultimate decision. She chose to see Moshe’s actions in a negative light, she did not open her eyes and heart to the possibility that Moshe had done this for a positive reason. Ultimately, Miriam learns the lesson that she teaches to all of us – to resist our human instinct to assume the worst, and instead not only assume the best of others – but perhaps to go even further to find the good that we know lies within each of us.
And so, we learn from the various episodes that are so poignantly linked in this week’s parsha the importance of opening our eyes to see the goodness around us—in the kindness that Hashem grants us in allowing us to serve Him and get closer to Him through the mitzvot, in the blessings that He bestows upon us on a constant basis, and in each other. Chazal often refer to the Torah as Torah Or –the Torah of Light – because if we can truly internalize these messages we will be able live with a lighter and brighter life outlook that is illuminated in our parsha. Shabbat Shalom, Taly
