Rigidity and Flexibility in the Service of God: Beha’alotecha
By Rabbi Boaz D. Heilman
June 7, 2023
In this week’s Torah portion, Beha’alotecha (“When you kindle,” Numbers 8:1—12:16), the Israelites continue their wanderings through the wilderness. But despite Moses’s best efforts to bring harmony and order to the new nation, human emotions create havoc time and again. Underneath Moses’s vision of perfection, even with every tribe in place and every individual accounted for, dissatisfaction and frustration appear and grow into schisms and even open rebellion.
Sick of manna—the perfect food that miraculously appears for them every morning—the Israelites develop a craving for meat, whining (yet again) that things were better in Egypt. Burdened to exhaustion by their impossible demands, Moses complains to God, who tells him to gather seventy elders to help him in his tasks. “Bring them to the Tent of Meeting… and I shall draw upon the spirit that is on you and put it upon them” (Num 11:17 NIV). Despite Moses’s instructions, two of the seventy remain in their tents, but God’s spirit finds them even there and they, like the other chosen elders, begin to prophesy.
Moses’s attendant, thinking that a rebellion is brewing, urges Moses to arrest the two. But Moses responds with one of the most exalted visions he has for the newborn nation: “Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that Lord would put His Spirit upon them!” (Num. 11:29, NKJV).
Nonetheless, a devastating fire breaks out as the result of the people complaining.
Later that night, however, a huge flock of quail descends on the campsite, and the people’s demands are finally met. Yet even then, their lust overcomes them, and they resort to devouring the meat even before it is cooked. Again God’s punishment is quick to follow.
Even Miriam, Moses’s sister, suffers a moral downfall, chastising Moses “because of his Cushite wife,” Num. 12:1). This disgraceful display of racism results in Miriam being afflicted with skin disease, from which she is cured only after Moses pleads with God to restore her health.
There are many lessons to be drawn from these disturbing incidents. Both God and the Israelites need to work on their relationship! God’s famous anger tends to erupt too quickly, but then so do the Israelites’ passions. With this as an emerging pattern, the path to the Promised Land is going to be a long road!
Yet even God and Moses learn to yield every once in a while. In the section where the strict Passover rules are reiterated, a question arises: What if a person is incapable of following the rules precisely as dictated? What if someone is sick, or on a lengthy journey? Must they be “cut off” from their people? Is there no flexibility?
The answer that Moses gives sets a precedent: in some cases, the rules may be eased. A late celebration is permitted. Rules are important, yet in order to work best, they also need to be flexible.
That will be the task that Moses will set before the 70 chosen elders: setting the rules and yet making them flexible enough to meet the needs of as many people as possible.
It’s a pattern that still holds to this day.
© 2023 by Boaz D. Heilman
No comments:
Post a Comment