OU TORAH Behaalotecha: Sefer Bamidbar – Three Books in One By Rabbi Menachem Leibtag

Three books in one? So claim Chazal in regard to Sefer Bamidbar! And what’s more, one of those three books contains only two pesukim! [This statement is based on the ‘sugya’ in Shabbat 116a (top of the daf) concerning the two pesukim of ‘va-yehi bi-nso’a ha-aron…’ (that we recite when we take out the Sefer Torah / see Bamidbar 10:35-36).] To better appreciate the deeper meaning of this statement, this week’s shiur discusses an important thematic transition that takes place in Parshat Beha’alotcha.

OU TORAH A Candle of God Is the Soul of Man By Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb

I no longer remember which Israeli artist colony I was visiting. Perhaps Jaffa. But I will never forget the crude, almost primitive paintings, which were on exhibit. They were all very different in color, style, and size. They varied from somber dark browns and grays to tropical oranges, reds, and yellows. Some were very realistic, some impressionistic, some totally abstract. One was a large mural. But in the corner, there were postcard-sized miniatures. In every painting, a candle predominated.

OU TORAH and CHABAD.ORG Faith and Friendship By Britain's Former Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

In this week’s parsha Moses reaches his lowest ebb. Not surprisingly. After all that had happened – the miracles, the exodus, the division of the sea, food from heaven,What is striking is the depth of Moses' despair water from a rock, the revelation at Sinai and the covenant that went with it – the people, yet again, were complaining about the food. And not because they were hungry; merely because they were bored. “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt for free—and the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic.”As for the miraculous “bread from heaven,” although it sustained them it had ceased to satisfy them: “Now our appetite is gone; there’s nothing to look at but this manna!”1

RAV KOOK ON Beha'alotecha Part 3: Praying 'Against' God

Defending the People The newly-freed slaves found it difficult to adjust to the harsh realities of life in the wilderness: “The people began to complain.... When God heard, He displayed His anger; God’s fire flared out, consuming the edge of the camp” (Num. 11:1). The people cried out to Moses for help, and Moses defended them before God: “Moses prayed to God, and the fire died down.” The Torah does not record Moses’ prayers. But the Sages wrote that Moses spoke out forcefully in defense of the people. In fact, the Talmud suggests that Moses’ prayers were valiant, even bold. Moses didn’t pray to God — he prayed “against God” (Berachot 32a).

RAV KOOK ON BeHa'alotecha Part 2: Great Dreams

Unlike the unique clarity of Moses’ prophecy, ordinary prophecy is communicated through the medium of visions and dreams: “If someone among you experiences Divine prophecy, I will make Myself known to him in a vision; I will speak to him in a dream.” (Num. 12:6) Why Dreams? Dreams, Rav Kook wrote, perform a vital function in the world. Great dreams are the very foundation of the universe. Dreams exist on many levels. There are the prescient dreams of prophets, and the conscious dreaming of poets. There are the idealistic dreams of great visionaries for a better world; and there are our national dreams of redemption — “When God will return the captivity of Zion, we will be like dreamers” (Ps. 126:1). Of course, not every dream falls under the category of a great dream. Most dreams are petty or pointless, as it says, “Dreams speak falsely” (Zechariah 10:2). What determines whether a dream is meaningless or prophetic?

RAV KOOK ON Beha'alotecha Part 1: The Seven Lamps of the Menorah

Speak to Aaron and tell him, ‘When you light the lamps, the seven lamps should shine towards the center of the Menorah.'” (Num. 8:2) Menorah Why does the Torah emphasize this particular detail — that the seven lamps should face the center of the Menorah? Why not begin with the overall mitzvah — to light the Menorah each evening? Also, what is the significance of the Menorah’s seven branches?

Aneinu Update Rabbi Goldzweig

Update: The family asks that we please continue to daven that Rabbi Goldzweig should have a refuah shlema bim'heira. ************************************************************************************************************* Please daven for Chaim Tzvi ben Malka, Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Goldzweig, who is having surgery now.