Parashat Beha’alotcha: How Can We Learn Positivity and Total Trust from the Israelites’ Desert Complaint?

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Parashat Beha’alotcha
How Can We Learn Positivity and Total Trust from the Israelites’ Desert Complaint? 

What are the Three Human Weaknesses that Cause Ungratefulness? 

I notice three Human Nature weaknesses through which we all are easily led astray into ungratefulness. The first is our tendency to notice the negative constantly, the second is our unsatisfiable desire for more no matter how much we already have, and the third is our worries that we may lose what we have.  How do these underlying principles of ingratitude play out in our lives? Hmm. When people visit, I can’t understand why they always rave about my garden. All I see are a few occasional flowers hidden in all the weeds I didn’t get to. I also discern all the withering leaves and all the plants that are struggling. I furthermore sadly recall all those plants that died for various reasons. When I visit my friends’ gardens – I’m truly impressed – wishing my garden would be even just a fraction as lush, vibrant, and colorful. Due to this tendency to view what belongs to myself in a negative light, I don’t wear the glasses I’m supposed to wear except for when I’m driving or going out to watch a show, both of which I rarely do these days. If I were to wear my glasses at home, I would constantly notice the dirty spots on my ceramic floor, kitchen counter, and cabinets. No matter how much I would try to clean, everything would become dirty again quicker than I could wipe the spots away. We all go through life wearing dirt-colored glasses, continually noticing the negative, but it is not always as easy to remove these glasses as it is for me to avoid wearing mine. Regarding the second human weakness, today the scent of my husband grilling the Shabbat chicken made me feel such a craving to dig into that juicy piece on a Friday morning that it took great effort to pull myself away. When my husband offered me a mini piece to taste I had to recline, knowing that this little chicken crump that had come apart from the thigh was only going egg my appetite, and it would be hard not to gobble up the full piece reserved for Shabbat. I suffer much from the third weakness of worry. What’s gonna be? what’s gonna be? In a day and age when so many couples get divorced, what if that would happen to my newlywed son, G-d forbid? How could we ever bear it? Will we have new students for the summer program? How will the midrasha continue when someday I will need to retire? These kinds of worries distract me from appreciating what is. 

Craving a Craving for More and More 

The Israelites in the desert fell prey to these human weaknesses and thus displayed the utmost ingratitude. Although, the manna would taste almost like everything you imagined (BT, Yoma 75a), the Israelites exposed their desire for more and more:

ספר במדבר פרק יא פסוק ד וְהָאסַפְסֻף אֲשֶׁר בְּקִרְבּוֹ הִתְאַוּוּ תַּאֲוָה וַיָּשֻׁבוּ וַיִּבְכּוּ גַּם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֹּאמְרוּ מִי יַאֲכִלֵנוּ בָּשָׂר: 

“But the multitude among them began to have strong cravings. Then even the children of Israel once again began to cry, and they said, “Who will feed us meat?” (Bamidbar 11:4).

The Hebrew literally reads הִתְאַוּוּ תַּאֲוָה/hitavu ta’avah – ‘they craved a craving.’ This implied that they objected to their spiritual lifestyle of being nursed directly by the Divine. The sacred manna, completely absorbed into their bodies without any waste whatsoever (BT, Yoma 75b), was too ethereal for them. You could never overeat or binge on manna. It was angelic food. They craved an earthy life of roast beef and potatoes that would saturate their body with that heavy feeling of having overeaten. Rashi explains that the Israelites indeed did have meat, but they were looking for a pretext to complain even if their craving was unbounded: WHO WILL FEED US MEAT? - Did they not have meat? Does it not say, “Also a great mixed multitude went up with them, and flocks and cattle” (Shemot 12:38)? You might argue that they had already eaten them. But when they were about to enter the Land, is it not written that “the children of Reuven had much cattle” (Bamidbar 32:1)? The answer is that they were seeking a pretext [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:4]; (Rashi, Bamidbar 11:4). Although our students are generally of the most spiritual caliber and would give anything for a taste of manna, occasionally we do have students who feel the need for a break to get away from spiritual Bat Ayin and submerge themselves in secular Tel Aviv. 

Belittling the Sacred Manna – the Most Valuable Divine Gift

The Manna was the Israelites’ spiritual barometer and came to the doorstep of the person deserving it. Otherwise, according to the severity of sin, one would have to go further away to collect his daily portion of manna. Rather than appreciating the bread from heaven, the people spoke degradingly of the superior manna Hashem had provided:

ספר במדבר פרק יא פסוק ה זָכַרְנוּ אֶת הַדָּגָה אֲשֶׁר נֹאכַל בְּמִצְרַיִם חִנָּם אֵת הַקִּשֻּׁאִים וְאֵת הָאֲבַטִּחִים וְאֶת הֶחָצִיר וְאֶת הַבְּצָלִים וְאֶת הַשּׁוּמִים: (ו) וְעַתָּה נַפְשֵׁנוּ יְבֵשָׁה אֵין כֹּל בִּלְתִּי אֶל הַמָּן עֵינֵינוּ:

“We remember the fish we ate in Egypt free of charge, the cucumbers, the watermelons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!” (Bamidbar 11:5-6).

Living such spiritual lives is obligating. As Rashi explains, the Egyptians didn’t give them fish free of charge, as it states, “Straw shall not be given to you” (Shemot 5:18)? Now if straw was not given free of charge, was fish given to them free of charge? So, what does “free of charge” mean? Free from [the burden of] mitzvot [based on Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:5]; (Rashi, Bamidbar 11:6). The Israelites loathed to be monitored spiritually by the manna, they wanted to be ‘free’ in the lowest sense of the word – free to do whatever they felt like whether it was aligned with the divine will or not. According to Rabbeinu Bachaya, the Israelites expressed their disgust at what was a most valuable gift from G-d. They belittled the manna by comparing it unfavorably to Egypt’s most inferior produce. Moreover, the fact that they mentioned fish was an outright insult against the manna since the only kind of fish the Israelites got in Egypt were the fish that had been caught at least four or five days previously and had already begun to decompose and stink. When the Torah refers to the fish in the Nile when the river was turned into blood, the river is described as “stinking with these dead fish” and the dead fish are described as דָּגָה/daga (Shemot 7:17). Likewise, the Israelites remembered הַדָּגָה/hadaga instead of דָּגִים/dagim or הַדָּג/hadag – “the fish.” The word הַדָּגָה/hadaga means that these fish had decomposed to the extent that they were recognizable only as a species not individually. Through persistently looking for the negative, the Israelites expressed their dissatisfaction with the good they had. 

Torah, Positivity, and Total Trust – The Antidotes to Cravings, Negativity and Worry 

The Israelites were concerned and worried about what their future would hold. They feared their bodies would dry out without more substantial food than manna, so they grumbled: “We have nothing but manna to look at: Manna in the morning, manna in the evening” [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:5]; (Rashi, Bamidbar 11:6). It got to the point where the Israelites pined after the ‘good old days’ of their slavery in Egypt, where they didn’t have to worry about their physicality drying up. They got so worried that hundreds of years of hard slave labor in Egypt seemed like paradise. They may have had food and water in Egypt, but they had somehow forgotten about the physical brutality they had endured during their slavery there. G-d miraculously rescued them from over 200 years of cruel slavery, yet they still doubted that He could meet even their most basic needs. We read the Hagaddah every Pesach to remind ourselves and recall how Hashem – throughout the ages – has taken care of us, brought us out of the Egyptian slavery, and embraced us with His Holy Torah on Mt. Sinai. The key to overcoming worry is to recall the message of the Hagaddah, reminding ourselves that just as Hashem has always been there for us in the past, so will He continue to supervise our lives in the very best way for us. By developing our spiritual desire for Torah, trust in Hashem, and a positive attitude, we can overcome the Human weaknesses of craving, worrying, and constantly noticing the negative. Parashat Beha’alotcha means “When you ascend.” In the spirit of Beha‘alotecha, let us continue to ascend, and step up to ignite the candles of spirituality, positivity, and total trust in Hashem!  

Gratitude Focus for the Week of Parashat Beha’alotcha –

Some Tips for Overcoming Negativity and Complaining

We need to stay focused on Hashem, remember His faithfulness, and learn to have a thankful heart in all circumstances. I can assure you that it is easier said than done. I am definitely a work in progress when it comes to the area of complaining. I have learned, however, that the more we thank Hashem for all of our blessings in life, the more we recognize His presence in our lives. Don’t get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with confiding in a trusted mentor or friend about your life struggles. It can help you grow stronger in your emunah. Complaining, however, involves a completely different mindset.

• Notice How Complaining Makes You Forget Hashem – when we choose to complain, we take our focus off of G-d and His goodness. Even throughout hardships and sickness, G-d is good, G-d is our Healer. Complaining can keep us from recognizing that fact.

 

• Complaining Causes Us to Focus on Our Problems Rather than the Answer – The Israelites were complaining in the desert because they had forgotten all that G-d had done for them. In every circumstance leading up to this point, G-d had provided for them. They were so focused on how they felt and stuck in their negative outlook that they had forgotten that G-d had always provided for their needs. Hashem is our loving parent and wants only our best. 

  

When we complain, We Cause a Desecration of Hashem’s Name – It is way too easy to ‘vent’ our frustrations to others. Instead of telling others about Hashem’s Divine Supervision in our lives, we end up complaining about our current circumstances. Why would anyone want to serve the G-d of someone unhappy and constrantly complaining? We misrepresent our good and faithful G-d when we do nothing but complain.

 

• Complaining Keeps Us from Our G-d-given Tasks – The enemy loves to keep us focused on our problems. G-d has big plans for every one of us, but when we get into a complaining mindset, it’s easy to stay there. We can’t accomplish much when we are unhappy with life. It makes us live in a constant state of misery, worry, and discontentment. It cripples us from doing the things G-d has called us to do.

  

• Complaining About Our Circumstances Won’t Change Them – Can you think of a time when complaining accomplished anything? Probably not. All complaining ever does for me is make me even more upset. I actually become angrier when I complain. I begin to feel ‘entitled’ somehow…even bitter. Circumstances are changed when we change our attitudes and take action accordingly. Complaining is pointless and won’t get you where you need to be.

• Complaining Stems from an Ungrateful Heart – The Israelites weren’t thinking about all the amazing things G-d had done for them. Instead, they were focused on themselves and their current struggles. We need to stay focused on Hashem. We need to remember His past faithfulness and learn to retain a thankful heart in every circumstance. I can assure you that it is easier said than done. I am definitely a work in progress when it comes to complaining. I have learned, however, that the more we thank G-d for all of our blessings in life, the more we recognize His presence in our lives.

Why Should We Pray for the Shechina Within Our Personal Pain?

 

Parashat B’ha’alotcha
Why Should We Pray for the Shechina Within Our Personal Pain?  

What is so Special about the Shortest Prayer in the Torah?
I have always appreciated the short and the small. Being a big girl among skinny sisters and being quite lengthy in formulating myself may have contributed to this penchant for the petite and the condensed. I value small pocket-size books and brief but intense prayers. Time is short so repetitive long Tehillim recitals are not my cup of tea. Yet, I revel in reciting the super short Tehillim 100 for gratitude, and while I struggle with mussaf prayer, my heart opens swiftly in the last intense neilah prayer on Yom Kippur. In Parashat B’ha’alotcha we find the shortest prayer in the entire Torah. When Moshe saw that Miriam had turned white as snow from the spiritual skin disease of tzara’at (Bamidbar 12:10), he entreated Hashem for her healing in a succinct prayer of only five short words: ‘Please, G-d, heal her, please.’ (Bamidbar 12:13). Why did Moshe not pray at length? Rashi explains that he composed such a short prayer on behalf of his sister, specifically because Miriam was his sister, and as the leader of the Children of Israel, he didn’t want to show favoritism toward his own family. So that the Israelites should not say, “His sister is in distress, for her he prays at length, but for our sake, he does not pray at length.” As a result, Moshe kept it short (Rashi, Bamidbar 12:13). We learn from here that even an abbreviated prayer is considered prayer (The Vilna Gaon, Kol Eliyahu, Bamidbar 23:23). Often short prayers are more intense as in the case of Moshe’s prayer. The word וַיִּצְעַק/vayitzak – ‘he cried out’ preceding Moshe’s succinct prayer indicates his raw emotion and great pain through which Moshe cries out to G-d in prayer. (Ibn Ezra, Bamidbar 12:13). From Moshe’s imploring cry we learn that his prayer was not only in his heart, but it was also expressed outwardly in keeping with the Talmudic ruling learned from the prophetess Chana: When one prays, s/he must move the lips and enunciate the words of the prayer (Babylonian Talmud, Berachot 31a). Articulating the words of our prayer enables our words to land in true reality, bringing our prayer down from the ethereal, conceptual realm into concrete existence. Moshe, who suffered from speech impairment (Shemot 4:10), now calls out with clear, concise, and articulate words of prayer – Please G-d, please heal her!

Guidelines for Personal Prayer

ספר במדבר פרק יב פסוק יג וַיִּצְעַק משֶׁה אֶל הָשֵׁם לֵאמֹר אֵל נָא רְפָא נָא לָהּ:

“Moshe cried out to Hashem, saying, ‘Please, G-d, heal her, please’” (Bamidbar 12:13).

Commentaries wonder why the word נָא/na appears twice in Moshe’s short prayer. It seems to me that since this word means both please and now, Moshe used the word נָא/na twice to indicate urgency, praying “Please, G-d, heal her, now!’” Five words - so clear on one hand; yet, on another, words that over the centuries have inspired numerous commentaries, compositions, and meditative chants. The Hebrew word נָא/na – “please” takes up two of our five words. Please! It’s all we can ask. Like Moshe, we pray to hold on to life, to be able to fulfill our goals to the end. Please G-d, please, is all that we can say. Alternatively, Moshe prays: “My finest and most glorious G-d, please heal her!” Here the first נָא/na denotes praise, whereas the second נָא/na indicates beseeching. Moshe’s prayer teaches us correct prayer manners. Whenever we want to make a request, we must begin with some words of praise before making our entreaty (Ha’Ketav V’Hakabalah, Bereishit 40:13).

Praying for the Pain of the Shechina

Rebbe Nachman explains that the double נָא/na indicates that Moshe requested of Hashem, as it were, to pray and request from Himself to heal Miriam. Moshe was addressing Hashem saying, “Please [pray to Yourself] G-d, please request [of Yourself] to heal her (Likutei Moharan, Mahadura Kama 105). It is a well-known Chassidic concept that we must always attempt to pray not only for our own troubles but to fill the lack of the Shechina (Divine Feminine Presence). Whenever we experience any lack in our lives, the root of that very lack exists on the spiritual level in the Shechina herself. When we pray for rectifying the blemish above, it follows that this rectification will also be drawn down to our own reality. All the great rabbis who accomplished great miraculous healings through their prayers mastered this kind of prayer on behalf of the Shechina. Yet it is not always possible even for the holiest person to remain on that level. At times, our personal pain and black bitterness becomes so overpowering that we are only able to pray for our own suffering while it’s impossible for us to feel the pain of the Shechina, being so wrapped up in our own pain. Although it is easier for our prayers to be answered, when we pray for the Above, Hashem has compassion for us. Even if we try to pray for the Shechina, saying, “Master of the Universe, my pain is so excruciatingly great, yet I still feel in my heart pain for the Above, and pray for both,” Hashem knows our heart when our intentions are only for our own benefit. A true tzaddik doesn’t trust in himself that he is able to sincerely pray for the pain of the Shechina. Therefore, Moshe used the word נָא/na – “please” twice in his prayer. The first “please” refers to Moshe’s request to heal his prayer in its root Above in the channels of the Shechina, whereas the second “please” was for the personal pain Moshe felt for his sister, Miriam the prophetess. Thus, when uttering the second “please” Moshe prayed: “Please draw down a complete recovery for her (Heichal HaBeracha, Parashat B’ha’alotcha).   

Spiritual Healing – The Root of All Healing
Miriam was stricken with tzara’at because she compared herself to Moshe without giving him the benefit of the doubt. Therefore, she didn’t realize that Moshe was on a completely different level than all other prophets including herself. Just as in the case of Miriam, her illness was a result of her sin, so all our ailments too have a spiritual root. In EmunaHealing we ask Hashem to reveal the spiritual and/or emotional roots of the suffering of the person who turns to us for healing. “By realizing how we have distanced ourselves from Hashem, we can become close to Him. With the awareness of our health and success in life is dependent on rectifying the underlying roots, we can facilitate people to heal themselves. Before committing a sin, we are called the children of the living G-d. Yet, through wrongdoing, we may darken the great light of the Divine spark within us. We can then pray, “Please G-d heal her now” intending to remove the block covering our inner point of Divine light. This is the meaning of the prayer to Hashem “Please heal us for Your own sake!” Hashem, so to speak, heals Himself – that is the Divine spark from Above which is embedded and rooted inside the Jewish soul, as it states, “For My sake, for My sake, I will do…” (Yesha’yahu 48:11). Thus, we pay, “Heal me, O Hashem, and I shall be healed…” (Yirmiyahu 17:14). There are two kinds of healing – healing of body and soul. When my soul is healed, physical healing follows. Therefore, King David prays, “My flesh and my heart yearn; G-d is the rock of my heart and my portion forever” (Tehillim 73:26). My prayer request is eternally on behalf of the rock of my heart and the divine portion that Hashem breathed within me. The matter of healing the soul is to facilitate the soul to return and repent from the sin through which it distanced itself from the divine light. The main healing and teshuva are through surrendering and contemplating how we are null and void without the Divine vitality that Hashem imparts within us. With this awareness, we will always pray that Hashem heals His part within us, which will lead to our complete recovery on all levels (Yismach Yisrael, Parashat Metzora).

Kosher Mantra Meditation
Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan illuminates us regarding the numerous benefits of kosher mantra meditations, referring to the recital of a certain word or sentence over and over. Although biblical references to mantra meditation are ambiguous and not clearly stated, the Hebrew word הָגַה/hagah denotes a kind of meditation in which a word or sound is repeated over and over, like in the cooing of a dove or the growling of a lion (Radak, David Kimchi). Among the benefits of mantra meditation, it is an excellent relaxation method. When repeating a mantra over and over, the mind becomes habituated to it. Eventually, we can recite it without the words registering in the conscious mind, thus erasing all thoughts from the mind while reciting the mantra. It is therefore a highly effective means of clearing all thoughts from the mind. In later Kabbalistic schools, such as in sixteenth-century Safed biblical verses or selections from the Talmud or Zohar were used as mantras. Besides bringing us into a higher state of consciousness, the purpose of this technique was to provide us with deeper insight into the verse itself. As we repeat the verse, it eventually appears as if the verse itself were telling us its meaning. Rather than studying or analyzing the verse, we would then be communing with it, by experiencing its spiritual essence. The Arizal describes this experience by saying that the Zohar “spoke to him.” Rabbi Nachman said that if a person does not know what to say, he should simply repeat the phrase Ribbono shel Olam, (Master of the Universe). From the description of the technique, it seems obvious that Rabbi Nachman was prescribing the use of this phrase as a mantra to bring a person into a higher state of consciousness. A slight, very slow swaying, perhaps a half inch in each direction, helps ease tension during the initial meditative stages. After the meditation is over, remain in place for approximately five minutes, allowing the mind to absorb the effects of the meditation (Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, Jewish Meditation pp. 54-64).

EmunaHealing Exercise for Healing our Pain Through Kosher Mantra Meditation
1. Close your eyes. Allow your body to relax in a comfortable position. It's good to dedicate a certain space for your personal spiritual healing exercises and meditations. When you enter that space, your whole being will automatically be prepared to enter a meditative state. Take several deep breaths in and out of your nostrils, while becoming mindful of the rising and falling of your chest.
2. Moshe’s mini prayer for Miriam is powerful for all of us, to engender healing on all levels. Visualize within your mind the five words of this prayer אֵל נָא רְפָא נָא לָהּ/el na refa na la – please G-d heal her please!” Let us combine this prayer with our breath. Thinking or saying softly “El nah” on the in-breath and “refah nah lah” on the out-breath. This sort of breath prayer can become almost automatic, so that “with every breath” the prayers become a part of us. Repeat this prayer/breath sequence four additional times.
3. Imagine the first part of Moshe’s prayer turned into your own, אֵל נָא /el na praising Hashem, asking permission from the Most High Master of the Universe to beseech His grace prior to making your request.
4. Reciting the words of Moshe’s prayer can become spiritually healing for us all. It is a meditation for the healing of the Divine Feminine within all of us, regardless of gender. Take a few moments to set an intention. Something that you are ready to plead for with all your heart. Get in touch with your personal pain. What is the most pressing issue you are dealing with at this very moment?  It could be a spiritual inadequacy such as a lack of Emunah (faith), an interpersonal issue, or an actual physical ailment or pain.
5. Tune into the issue for which you seek healing. Now recite or sing אֵל נָא רְפָא נָא לָהּ/el na refa  na la while having in mind your most pressing issue or pain. Repeat the five-word prayer while envisioning the spiritual or emotional root of the issue or pain you are dealing with. Perhaps you need to work on a negative character trait like anger, arrogance, or jealousy to heal the pain you experience. Perhaps your healing will come when you strengthen your observance of certain mitzvot between you and Hashem like lighting the Shabbat candles in time, preparing your kosher food more mindfully, or taking additional time for prayer and meditation. It may be interpersonal issues that you need to repair to eliminate the painful issues that you are facing. Are you honoring your parents properly? Are you giving others the benefit of the doubt? Are you careful to speak only positive, caring, constructive words?
6. Imagine that the words of our prayer infuse your pressing issue or pain like arrows of healing light hitting the target that needs healing. Repeat the words of the prayer over and over again and again while letting yourself feel how this prayer’s healing laser beam light gradually dissolves the pressing issue or pain. Little by little the pain lessens, and you begin to feel relief.
7. Now in the midst of praying for your personal pain, can you envision how the root of your pain, or all of the pain in the entire universe is Above. Just as the mother’s heart and belly button is aching when her baby is crying, so does it hurt our Divine Mother – the Shechina – when we are in pain, when we are out of line, going astray off the mark. Now recite אֵל נָא רְפָא נָא לָהּ/el na refa na la on behalf of the Shechina – the feminine Indwelling Presence – to soothe the pain she experiences when we are out of tune with our Divine spark within. Repeat this prayer four additional times.
8. Now, envision how the repair of the pain of the Shechina, as it were, has ripple effects within our reality. Visualize a cosmic umbilical cord bringing spiritual sustenance and healing from the Shechina to you and your pain right now. Allow yourself to receive all the waves of healing flowing into you as you keep repeating אֵל נָא רְפָא נָא לָהּ/el na refa na la.

Listen to Rebbetzin Chana Bracha’s niggun (melody) for el na refa na la: (women only)