Parshat Behaalotecha  18 Sivan 5761, 9 June 2001

By Shlomo Riskin

Efrat, Israel - This week's Torah portion is one of the most tragic in the entire Torah; it delineates the failure of the newly -freed slaves to realize the culmination of their mission, to enter the Promised Land and begin their task of redeeming the world. Graphically speaking, the Biblical books of Exodus, Leviticus and the first ten chapters of Numbers depict the Israelites upward climb from abject servitude to miraculous freedom, the acceptance of a divinely ordained legal system, and the establishment of an ideal social-political structure, with the Sanctuary of G-d's Law and G-d's Presence at the center of their encampment.

And then, with Chapter 11, everything turns sour. Instead of moving into the next stage of development - the twelve tribes seem to be perfectly prepared for an almost seamless transfer from the desert into Israel - everything degenerates into the sin of the scouts, rebellions against Moses' leadership, and the demise of that entire generation in the desert. Indeed, the Sages of the Talmud suggest that Chapter 11 is the beginning of a new - and disappointing - Biblical book (B.T. Shabbat 115b), which opens with the curious phrase, "And so, woe, the nation is 'like complaining' (K'mitonenim) evilly in the ears of the Lord."(Numbers 11:1). The substance of this initial "cause for kvetch" is not even expressed within the Biblical context although the verse concludes that "the fire of the Lord raged against them and devoured the leaders of the encampment." What was their problem, and why was it so serious that it led to the delay - at the very least - of the fulfillment of the dream?

The Commentaries are divided in their approach, centering on their interpretation of the difficult and unusual Biblical word K'mitonenim. The Ibn Ezra sees the Hebrew on as meaning sin (Jeremiah 4:14, with the aleph and ayin interchanging), so that the text literally states that the Israelites were involved in a transgression, the nature of which is not revealed. The Rashbam sees the word as being an alternate form of complaining (mitonen = mitlonen); they were upset because of their difficult journey, completely lacking proper gratitude for all of the divine help they had received heretofore. The Netziv (Rav Naftali Zvi Yehdua Berlin, Dean of Yeshivat Volozhin) would translate the term as "aimless wandering," the Hebrew ana meaning whither; the nation had lost its sense of purpose and mission, it lacked a spiritual compass to provide inspired direction.

One of the most ingenious interpretations, however is provided by the Kli Yakar, Rav Efrayim Lunshitz. He takes the word mitonenim to be derived from onen, the term for a mourner who has just heard of the death of a close relative. Such an individual is forbidden from sexual relations, among other prohibitions. And herein lies the source of the dissatisfaction - leading to their depravity and descent - of the Israelites in the desert.

The Kli Yakar argues that although the fundamental complaint expressed in the Biblical context is concerning the lack of food - meat, leeks, garlic, watermelon - the Bible often uses food as a metaphor for sex:

"Such is the way of an adulterous woman, who eats, wipes her mouth, and says 'I have not committed a sin'" (Proverbs 30:20, see also Genesis 39:6).

The Talmudic Sages picked up on the analogy between food and sex. The story continues: "And Moses heard the nation weeping concerning the families. the Lord became very angry and it was evil in the eyes of Moses" (Numbers 11:10). Once again we are not told what they were weeping about and why the anger. Rashi (ad loc) cites the Midrash Sifrei (Numbers: 11:10), "they were weeping concerning the sexual relationships which were Biblically forbidden to them." What emerges from this interpretation is the significance of sexual purity within the marital context and the realization that our sexual morality is one of the most difficult and important aspects of our right to be seen as a "light unto the nations of the world." This also sheds light on the wedding blessing under the nuptial canopy: "Blessed art thou, o Lord King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and has commanded us concerning illicit sexual relationships. Blessed art thou, who sanctifies His nation Israel with the nuptial canopy and wedding sanctification."

From this perspective , we may better understand the opening and closing portions of our Torah reading. Be'halotcha begins with the menorah - perhaps because it symbolizes the tree of eternal life, from which we shall be permitted to partake once we repair the sin of Eden and transform the world into the Garden of bliss. Remember that many of our most respected Commentaries (Rashi, for example) see the fruit of knowledge as symbolizing erotic sexual lust, and the serpent as a phallic symbol. The Torah portion concludes with scandal concerning Moses and the "Ethiopian wife he had taken" - with the Netziv suggesting that this referred to his having married a Gentile wife who had not been converted. All of this only strengthens the Kli Yakar's contention that sexual morality is the prime challenge of proper Jewish behavior.

Shabbat Shalom.

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