Parsha for Kids: Behaaloscha 2023
Below is the transcript for the past week’s episode of Parsha for Kids, Behaaloscha 2023.
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Season 4 Episode 3:
Hello! My name is Chana and this is Parsha for Kids. The Parsha of the week is Behaaloscha. Behaaloscha literally means “when you cause to go up.” The subject under discussion, however, is the Menorah. What this is talking about is “when you cause the lights to go up on the Menorah,” which we would say in English as “when you light the Menorah.” God told Moshe to explain to Aharon that when he lit the Menorah, he needed to make sure that the three wicks of the lamps on each side of the Menorah needed to be bent towards the middle wick. The Midrash explains that under normal conditions, people would bend their wicks away from the middle wick in order to diffuse light more broadly. Since the Mishkan was God’s symbolic dwelling, by having all the lights face the middle wick, however, God symbolized that He, the creator of the sun, moon and stars- did not need a menorah to give Him light. Indeed, Aharon lit the Menorah exactly as he had been instructed by Moshe.
TRANSITION
God then explained how the Leviyim needed to be sanctified and dedicated to God prior to beginning their service in the Mishkan. All the Leviyim were sprinkled with a special water mixture to purify them and also dipped their bodies into a mikvah, a natural water source. The hair on their bodies was completely shaven. Aharon then lifted up each Levi and waved him before God- meaning he moved him back and forth and then up and down, a process called tenufa. This was the presentation of the Levi before God, similar to how someone bringing a present to a king might lift it up joyfully and say, “See what I have brought you!”
Levites were permitted to work in the Mishkan from the ages of 25-50. But wait- didn't we just say last week that it was ages 30-50? Rashi asks this question and clarifies that at the age of 25, the Leviyim began studying all the laws pertaining to their service. Then, from the ages of 30-50, they actually worked in the Mishkan.
TRANSITION
Our parsha then discusses the first Pesach, or Passover, celebration in the midbar, or wilderness. In order to eat from the lamb of the korban Pesach, a person had to be tahor, spiritually pure, rather than tamei, spiritually impure. However, there were some people in the nation who had had contact with a dead body, and therefore were tamei.
These people were sad that they were losing out on the chance to offer and eat from the Korban Pesach. They approached Moshe and asked, “Why should we be excluded.” Moshe understood their question and waited to see what God would tell him. God explained that a Jew who cannot offer a korban Pesach in its proper time can make up for it a month later. On the fourteenth of the Hebrew month of Iyar, he offers his korban Pesach, and eats it at night together with matza and maror. He doesn’t need to remove chametz from his home and he is permitted to perform melacha, creative work, that night.
This Jewish holiday is called Pesach Sheni, the second Pesach.
We can learn an important lesson from the people who approached Moshe and asked why they were being excluded from the opportunity to perform this mitzvah. First, this shows us how much we should love mitzvot. We should love them so much that losing out on the opportunity to perform one makes us sad. Recently, a famous singer went on tour and many people were excited to see her perform on stage. However, it was very difficult to get tickets to her concerts. There were many people who were so upset that they couldn’t get tickets to her concert that they cried- and tried multiple ways to get the tickets. Our relationship to God should be even stronger than that, such that if we lose the opportunity to perform a mitzvah, we also try hard to get the opportunity back.
Another thing we learn is that it’s always worth asking. These people could have thought, “If there was a loophole that would have allowed us to celebrate Pesach, surely Moshe would have already told us!” But that’s not how they thought. They figured they would raise their question to Moshe, who appreciated being asked the question. This shows what an ideal teacher-student relationship is like. A student should always feel empowered to ask their teacher a question, and should not assume that if an idea was important, their teacher would already have brought it up.
So think about your own life. Is there a mitzvah you missed out on performing and if yes, is there another way you might be able to perform it now? Or is there a question, especially a Torah question you really want to have answered, but you simply haven’t asked? Now would be the perfect time to ask!
TRANSITION
Our parsha describes the way in which Bnei Yisrael traveled through the desert. When the Mishkan was set up in the middle of the camp, a cloud covered it by day, symbolizing God’s presence. At night, a pillar of fire covered the Mishkan. When the cloud would move away from the Mishkan, Bnei Yisrarel would know that it was time to travel. They would pack up the Mishkan the way God had taught them to and they would follow the cloud. Similarly, if the pillar of fire moved away at night, they would follow it.
Bnei Yisrael never knew how long they would be staying in one place. Sometimes the cloud would stay there from evening until morning. Sometimes it would stay there for a day and a night. Sometimes it would stay in one place for two days, or a month, or a year. No matter how long it was there, as long as it remained over the Mishkan, Bnei Yisarel stayed camped there, and when it moved away, they moved.
This was written in the Torah to praise Bnei Yisrael and their unwavering loyalty. It must have been difficult never to know how long one would be staying in a particular place. Many of you probably like to know your schedule, and use an assignment notebook or planner so you can keep track of your homework. Those of you who do extracurricular activities such as sports or art might also have a calendar where you keep track of exactly what you are doing during each day of the week. Bnei Yisrael’s willingness to follow God, no matter where He went and where He led them, showed their emunah, faithfulness and their loyalty and trust in God.
We can learn from Bnei Yisrael in our own lives. We no longer have a manifestation of God’s presence through a cloud or a fire. But we do have the ability to look at our own life and recognize that wherever God is leading us is where we are meant to be. The Lubavitcher Rebbe advocated for this approach, and this is discussed at length in a fantastic book on his thought called ‘Positivity Bias’ written by Mendel Kalmenson. For example, a Lubavitch couple once had their flight canceled and ended up having to be in a remote airport during Shabbos. They were disappointed since they had hoped to make it to their destination. But the truth was that because they ended up at the airport, they were able to share the importance of Shabbos with many Jews who happened to be at the airport, an important contribution.
Now, this doesn’t mean that we can just decide to do reckless things and expect that God will direct our lives. But when we face difficulties in life, it can be comforting to view life itself as a journey just like Bnei Yisrael traveled through the Midbar on their journey. Even though the things that may be happening in our lives may not make sense to us, much as only camping for one night might not have made sense to Bnei Yisrael, recognizing that God has a plan may be helpful to us. Another analogy which Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik once referenced is a beautiful tapestry viewed from the other side. On the other side, all you see are snarled threads and tangled cloth. But when you turn it over, you see the gorgeous work of art that it really is. Our lives are like that- they may seem confused, meandering and challenging at times. But there is potential for us to find meaning in them, or to make meaning of difficult situations and share our light and hope with others.
Cloud and fire as God’s way of showing His guidance to Bnei Yisrael demonstrate this. Clouds can literally cloud the way, confusing people and causing them to be mixed up. But clouds can also contain life-giving rain, which nurtures plants and helps them to grow. Similarly, fire can provide warmth and heat, and we can use it to cook our food. Alternatively, fire can be destructive, burning down entire areas. Recognizing that cloud and fire have the potential to be constructive or destructive, and that God’s presence is found in them, show us that in our own lives we too have the potential to look at the journey God is taking us on as constructive or destructive. I believe it’s better when we look at it as constructive- something that is teaching us something, and preparing us to be people who can help others.
TRANSITION
God told Moshe to make two silver trumpets which would be used to summon Bnei Yisrael and to announce when it was time for the camp to depart. When they were blown, everyone in Bnei Yisrael had to assemble in front of the Mishkan. Different blasts had different meanings, which ranged from moving in a particular direction to going to war to rejoicing on Jewish holidays.
TRANSITION
Traveling through the desert was not easy. In this week’s parsha, members of Bnei Yisrael complained multiple times. The first time, God sent a fire that burned some of the members of Bnei Yisrael and killed them. The second time, members of Bnei Yisrael complained about the manna they were being given to eat each day. Some members of Bnei Yisrael wanted to eat meat. They said, “We remember that we ate in Egypt for free and we had cucumbers, watermelons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now our bodies are dried out and we have nothing except manna to eat.”
Now, the manna was delicious. Its natural flavor was like honey, and it could be ground up, crushed, cooked and baked into a tasty loaf or cake. Additionally, the Midrash states that people could wish for the manna to taste like a different food, and it would. So why were some members of Bnei Yisrael complaining?
A simple answer is that not everyone had the ability to convert the Manna into tasting like a different food. Perhaps one had to be a tzadik in order to have the Manna taste the way they wanted it to.
This episode also shows us how easily people can get used to a good thing. When the Manna first fell, people marveled at this miraculous food that provided them with sustenance, kept them healthy, looked beautiful and was delicious. But now, the people had become used to this miracle. And whenever people get used to something, they run the risk of becoming ungrateful for it.
This is something that most of us do. If you look at your hands and really think about them, you will marvel at them. Our hands are dexterous enough to play piano, scrub dishes, type on a keyboard, cook food, and hold a baby. But when was the last time you looked at your hands and thought, “Wow, what an incredible body part!” You may not have actively complained about your hands, but you forgot their power.
In contrast, it’s possible that you received an amazing gift- like an amazing electronic toy. You had begged for that toy for weeks and then you finally got it. But over time, you got used to the toy. Now you are bored with it and you complain that you can’t get other toys. That’s not grateful, but unfortunately, it is common.
This episode with the nation complaining can help remind us how important it is to be grateful and not take the good things we have for granted.
Moshe became very discouraged when he saw the nation complain. It seems like his expectation of leading Bnei Yisrael through the Midbar was different from the reality. Moshe seems to have believed that Bnei Yisrael would be eager and excited to be led to the promised land. After all, this was the land flowing with milk and honey! Once they reached Israel, they could begin life as a nation within their own land- as opposed to a nation living in another nation’s land, which is what had happened when they were in Egypt. But Bnei Yisrael preferred to be dependent upon Moshe. Just like a newborn baby relies totally upon its mother’s milk to survive, Bnei Yisrael relied totally upon Moshe. Moshe was disheartened by their request for meat, and felt like he was not capable of leading the people.
God realized that Moshe needed help and support. Therefore, God told Moshe to appoint seventy elders who would assist him in helping manage the nation. These elders would become members of the Sanhedrin. When this happened, two men, Eldad and Medad, became prophets. Yehoshua, Moshe’s disciple, was alarmed by this, but Moshe assured him that he was happy that they had become prophets. Indeed, Moshe would have been happy if EVERY member of Bnei Yisrael became a prophet. Moshe was not the type who wanted to hoard God’s special relationship to himself so that no one else could have it- he would have been happy if every Jew could have a relationship with God as close as his was.
Then God declared He would send meat to Bnei Yisrael. But the meat would come along with God’s curse. Members of Bnei Yisrael would eat this meat for two days, five days, even thirty days, become disgusted with it, and die. Moshe was sad about this. According to Midrash, he tried to tell the members of the nation who wanted meat to do teshuva, but they did not. So a wind went forth from God and swept slav, quail birds, into the camp. At this point the people should have been amazed by God’s power and His ability to provide them with meat within the desert. They should also have realized how ungrateful they had been when they disparaged the Manna. But they did not realize this. Instead, people gorged themselves on the meat, and they died with the meat still between their teeth. Those people who were righteous, however, were able to eat the meat without dying.
TRANSITION
The Torah then transitions to an episode that has to do with Moshe taking a Cushite woman as a wife. This is odd because the only wife we know about is Tziporah and she was from Midian, not Cush. There are many interpretations as to what this means and why the person is referred to as a Cushite woman. I like Ibn Ezra’s explanation, which is simple. Ibn Ezra explains that individuals from Cush were Ethiopian and therefore had dark skin. The Midianites were tent-dwellers just like the Cushites and because of that spent a lot of time outdoors in the sun. This meant that Tziporah was very tan and had dark skin just like a Cushite.
The way Rashi explains this episode is that Moshe was on such a high level that he always had to be on call for God. This meant he was no longer able to stay married to Tziporah, since he had to be available for God and having a wife and normal familial responsibilities would interfere with that. A regular person would not be asked to give up their wife and family but Moshe was not a regular person.
Mirriam heard about the fact that Moshe had separated from his wife and was disturbed by it. She talked to Aharon about it. They were confused because they were prophets and they had not had to separate from their wives. They wondered if Moshe was thinking too highly of himself.
God summoned all three of them to the Mishkan, but then sent Moshe away because one should not flatter or complement a person in front of them- but rather when they are not in the room. God explained that Moshe was extremely humble, but also that Moshe was not a regular prophet. Moshe communicated with God face to face while other prophets communicated with God in dreams and trances. It was because Moshe was on such a high level that he had to be completely devoted to God and could not be with his wife.
God then sent tzaraat, a skin condition, upon Miriam. This was because she was the one who had spoken lashon hara, evil speech, to Aharon. Even though she had good intentions, she was still punished and had to remain outside the camp for seven days until she was cured. Moshe did not hold a grudge at all and therefore prayed fo her. The whole nation waited until Miriam recovered before traveling. Rashi explains that this was due to Miriam’s merit- long ago, as a young girl, she had waited to watch baby Moshe floating on the Nile River in his basket to see what would become of him. Now, the nation waited for her.
We learn many important ideas from this section. It seems like Miriam should have spoken to Moshe directly about her concerns regarding his separation from his wife rather than talking about it to Aharon. Additionally, she should not have suspected that Moshe was thinking too highly of himself and that’s what was making him separate from his wife even though she and Aharon, who were both prophets, did not have to do so. At the same time, even though Miriam sinned, we see the importance of our good deeds. Miriam’s good deed was rewarded when Bnei Yisrael waited for her just like she had waited for baby Moshe- middah kneged middah.
TRANSITION
So here’s what we learned this week!
It’s important to crave to do a mitzvah and to feel sad when we lose out on the opportunity to perform one.
It’s important to ask questions and not assume that if there was a permissible way to do something, it would have already been stated.
Faith and loyalty to God can serve us in good stead in our own lives just as they did when the nation traveled through the Midbar.
Even when we believe we are right, we could be missing or misunderstanding something. It’s important to be dan l’kaf zechut, judge others favorably, or at least talk to them personally when we are concerned about them, rather than gossiping to others.
What goes around comes back around- in this week’s parsha, for the good!
If you have any questions or comments on this week’s episode, please email me at parsha4kids@gmail.com. That’s parsha the number 4 kids at gmail.com. Good Shabbos!