“Behaaloscha es haneiros” (Bamidbar 8:2). Ramban talks about why parshas Behaaloscha is put next to the parsha of the chanukas hanesiim specifically. Rashi brings down the midrash that Aharon felt bad not to have a part in the nesiim’s gift and Hashem comforted him, “your lot is greater than theirs as you will have the candles.” Ramban asks what this means and why the menorah is greater than the gifts of the nesiim.

Ramban says his famous p’shat that it’s a remez to the miracle and holiday of Chanukah which was a reward for Aharon which stayed for generations. This outlasted any gift of the nesiim. Aharon HaCohen’s desire to continue to serve Hashem merited Chanukah.

2) Five Year Trial

Chazal comment on verse 8:4 that there’s a contradiction in the pesukim as to when a Levi starts doing the avodah in the Beis Hamikdash.  One pasuk says at age twenty-five; while  another pasuk says thirty. Ramban and Rashi bring down the same p’shat based on Chazal that the Leviim would officially serve at age 30, but they would practice starting from age 25. One who does not have success in his training in five years will probably not see much success.

“Hayosheiv lifnei rabbo”

One of the qualification is that the lashon of Chazal quoted by Ramban is “talmid hayoisheiv lifnei rabo,” a talmid that’s sitting in front of his rebbe learning. Rashi does not quote those words. These words “sitting in front of your rebbe” are very important because this means to say is that it’s not about just learning for five years.  If a person tries learning for five years and it doesn’t work,he’s never going to succeed. That is only if it was real learning. The only valid learning is when a talmid is accountable to his rebbe.  “Hayosheiv lifnei rabbo” means that he’s in front of his rebbe, and his rebbe is correcting him when he has the wrong ideas in life and the wrong p’shat and the wrong understanding of what Hashem is telling us.

Shlomo Hamelech’s Sin

Chazal tell us about Shlomo hamelech: As long as his rebbe was alive Shlomo didn’t sin.  Once his rebbe passed away he went off from the proper way in the aveirah that he did.  So, of course, this is talking on Shlomo Hamelech’s level, he was a great tzaddik, but the point is that when a person has a rebbe that he’s accountable to this makes a big difference and a tremendous impact on his life.

Rav Asher Zelig Rubinstein Lesson

My own dear rebbe, Rav Asher Zelig Rubinstein, zt”l, taught us this from his own life example. He was a close talmid of Rav Chatzkel Levenstein. Rav Chatzkel passed away in 1974. Rav Asher didn’t just say: My rebbe passed away.  I don’t have a rebbe anymore. Instead, he was mekabeil Rav Shmuel Aurbach as his new rebbe. He would tell us, “this is my rebbe, and this is thegadol I ask my shailos to.” Each person needs to have a rebbe in his life always.  Chazal tell us that “Asei licha rav.”  You always have to have a rebbe.

Talmid Vasik

The gemara in Megilla says that Moshe Rabbeinu knew all the Torah; Hashem taught it to him. He knew even that which a talmid vasik was going to say in front of his rebbe, that was given to Moshe. I always point out that this is the same p’shat. This talmid vasik, this young  student is saying something lifnei rabbo.  It’s in front of his rebbe, and so it’s accurate.  It’s true.  He has his rebbe’s great mind in Torah is combing through it and making sure he only says the emes.

3) Alternate Pshat in 25 Vs. 30

Ramban says a very interesting thing, aside from the remez, the hint here, there’s also something else, and that is why does the pasuk say twenty-five and then thirty? Ramban says a very interesting thing. Back then, people didn’t keep track of their ages so well.  They kept track by the tens. They knew when they were ten, when they were twenty, when they were thirty. They did know when they were thirteen because that had significance. For the in between years they didn’t really keep meticulous track. Therefore, really the Levi should start at twenty-five, but since a lot of people just didn’t know their age, so it wasn’t noticeable that you’re past due until they hit 30 and realized.

It’s interesting, but probably sounds a little bit odd to us because we’re in a society where we count days and years and it’s so significant to us.  But, the truth is that there are things in our own lives that we also don’t care about. Unfortunately for some people that’s there spirituality.  But, for other people its minor things like: Perhaps you don’t care what color your car is.  Or how many emails you received today. We notice the things that are important to us and ignore things that are insignificant to us. Back then, people were just trying to survive and they had different focuses in life.  It’s eye-opening to me just to think about the different type of lifestyle back then.  

 4) Ein Mukdam U’mi’uchar Ba’Torah

Ramban (Bamidbar 9:1) says that Chazal learn from this pasuk an important principle. It says: in the second year of the Jews going out of Mitzrayim, in the first month.  So, it was Nissan. Yet we find an earlier verse that mentioned a later date, clearly out of order. Ramban brings down Chazal on this pasuk: Mikan amru, from here Chazal say - Ein mukdam u’mi’uchar ba’Torah. There’s no order in the Torah (Sifri ibid., Gemara Pesachim).

Ramban’s opinion is that the Torah is actually always in order unless otherwise explicitly stated. Here in this exact pasuk, it has to be explicitly out of order because the pesukim beforehand were talking about a later date. This is exactly what the Ramban learns from here. It’s only, “mikan amru”, from this Chazal learn, they were forced to say here that sometimes “ein mukdam u’me’uchar ba’Torah.” If explicitly stated, then the Torah is not in order.

Rashi understands the rule more freely as he utilizes it many times throughout his work on Chumash. He says that “ein mukdam u’me’uchar ba’Torah means that the Torah doesn’t necessarily have an order.” Whenever we could explain that it does, we do so, but, there are many times that things are simply not in order.

The Torah is not a history book, it’s a halacha and haskafas hachaim manual. This machlokes manifests many times, especially regarding whether or not the mishkan was a kapara for the eigel, a heated dispute between Rashi and Ramban.

5) Difference Between Teruah and Tikiyah

Ramban (10:6) talks about how when the Jews went out to war they blew a shofar, and they blew certain sounds. When they camped they blew certain sounds as well. We know that we have tekiyah which is a long blow, and then shevarim and teruah which are the short ones, so teruah is  a broken sound. Ramban says that teruah is middas hadin; broken. It’s a bitter cry in pain. Peshuta, the long sound we call tekiah is rachamim. “Ki yimincha peshuta l’kabeil shavim”. Hashem accepts our repentance.

When a person goes out to war the pesukim tell us that for war you should blow a teruah.  What does that mean?  It’s a time of din.  Hashem is judging us.  Are you going to live?  Are you going to survive?  Are you going to overcome your enemies?  Thus, din is appropriate to be acknowledged. But, for the moadim, that’s a time when they blew a tikiyah, a long blast because that is for simcha and for rachamim. That’s what we’re asking for over the yamim tovim. Interesting ideas about shofar which could tie into Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, but more importantly explaining why we blow a tikiyah for Yamim Tovim.

6) Nasi was a Leader

The pasuk (10:14) talks about the degalim, and the pasuk adds in that Nachshon ben Aminadav was the Nasi of shevet Yehuda, and Ramban asks: why does it say this here?  What’s the p’shat that it all of a sudden, after the Torah already listed the nissiim earlier, it interjects that Nachshon ben Aminadav was the one who was in charge?

Ramban explains it’s teaching us that when they traveled, the Nasi led them, the Nasi was in charge, and he was like the king of that troop. This goes back to the point that I was saying before about having a rebbe, that the p’shat is that the nasi was the leader of the Jewish people.  He was supposed to be a role model.  He was supposed to teach the Jews how to serve Hashem, and how to do what’s right, and that was how the Jews were led.

7) Conversion Change

Famous Ramban (10:29) - “Vayomeir Moshe l’Choveiv”.  Moshe said to his father-in-law, Choveiv… Ramban quotes that I said this already in Yisro. Chovev was a new name that Yisro took on when he was misgayeir and he converted.  Why?  Because when you become a new servant of Hashem you take on a new name. This is actually brought in the Zohar Hachadash about Rus. When she converted she took on the new name of Rus. There are different p’shatim about what her original name was. Yalkut Me’am Loeiz says that her name was Plonis. My understanding is that I don’t’ think that the Yalkut was trying to say that that was her name. I think that it was saying that her name was Ploni just means John Doe or Jane doe, an unknown name. However in Sefer Shaarei Zohar by Rav Reuven Margolios, in Brachos 7b, he brings down from the Zohar Chadash that her name was actually Gillis. When she converted she took on the name Rus, and that’s why Chazal darshen her name, “Rus means: Sh’rivu la HaKadosh Baruch Hu b’shiros v’tishbachos.” That her grandson, Dovid, saturated Hashem with his singing. That trait was instilled by the grandmother, Rus.

She took on a new name, and so too when a person converts they take on a new name.  They’re changing their life and becoming greater.  The Torah changes us.  That’s what happens.

8) Greatest Life Vs. Greatest Death

Moshe was appointing the elders of the Jews and Eldad and Meidad were giving nevuah saying that Moshe’s going to die and Yehoshua is going to bring them into the land, and Yehoshua is not happy to hear this prophecy (Bamidbar 10:28).  Not knowing whether it was a prophecy or not., he tells Moshe: Kilaeim.  So, destroy them or stop them.  Targum Yerusahlami brought down by the Ramban says: Mana min hon ruach kodsham.  Stop them from having ruach hakodesh.

If you think about it, what is it saying?  It’s saying: Destroy them.  Destroy them means: Hashem pull away from them. What’s life? Life is about being connected to Hashem. What is the greatest death? Disconection from Hashem. The reshaim while alive are called ‘dead’ because they’re disconnected from Hashem.  That’s “Kilaeim, destroy them!”

9) Hashem Battles for Moshe

It says (12:3) that Moshe was a big anav. “V’haish Moshe anav m’od.”  Why does it say this here specifically? Ramban says that the reason that it says this is because it’s talking about how Hashem was upset at Aharon and Miriam for speaking lashon harah. Since Moshe had tremendous anavah, Moshe himself wouldn’t answer a fight, he wouldn’t get involved in a fight. Therefore, Hashem stood up for him!

We should know that in life sometimes we have fights, and sometimes we have to fight that we can be drawn into. Let us be careful to stay far away from machlokes and not waste our time and energy invested in this fight. Work on humiliy and hand it over to Hashem to take care of for you. This is not to say that you don’t have a chiyuv of histadlus in many cases, however, the fight part, the negativity and bashing of others, remove yourself from it.

Let Hashem Take Care

The greatest tool we have in our arsenal, in life and the greatest way to protect ourselves to keep shalom is to say: Rebono Shel Olam, I give over everything to you.  You’re in charge.  I’m not involved in this fight.  I’m not getting involved.  I’m not going to be getting pulled in.  I’m going to work on my humility and I’m going to know that you’re the one who’s in charge, and when we turn ourselves over totally to Hashem and say: Rebono Shel Olam, You’re in charge.  Just do what you think is best.  Guide me.  Inspire me.  Help me to be a good person and not a bitter person. Not a negative person, then Hashem says: I’ll fight your fights for you. I’ll take care of you.

This is what bitachon is all about. Turning to Hashem and the pasuk says: V’ha’ish Moshe anav m’od.” He was an anav and he didn’t get involved in fights that weren’t his, didn’t get involved in fights that people tried to drag him into no matter who they were. He said: “Rebono Shel Olam, I serve you. That’s all I want to do.” Therefore, the Rebono Shel Olam stood up for him.

Always Check Your Motivations

We should be zocheh that anything that we’re thinking about getting involved in, we should always check and make sure with our rebbeiim, and with da’as Torah to know whether this is something that we should pursue. If it’s kinas ha’emes and it’s something that’s appropriate, then of course we should put our full effort into it like a lion, but if it’s something that is a personal fight then we should work on our anavah and say: Rebono Shel Olam, I give it over to you. I let go,  I’m not involved. You run the world. You’re in charge. And, the Rebono Shel Olam will take good care of you!

-

Rabbi Yosef Tropper is a rav and psychotherapist. Learn more and subscribe at ParshaThemes.com