Moshe Rabbeinu is the model of a majestic and dynamic leader. He defied Pharoah, confronted Hashem with Israel’s concerns and led the people for forty years in the wilderness. As their liaison to Hashem, he delivered to them the Divine Torah. In spite of these and other manifold achievements, his leadership was often challenged.

In Parshat Beha’alotcha, two episodes are recorded that underscore this fact. The first, known as Kivrot Hata’avah, took place when the Israelites hungered for the flesh pots of Egypt and dared Moshe Rabbeinu to provide for their immediate gratification. The second episode describes the criticism of his siblings, Miriam and Aaron who said about him, “Has Hashem spoken only through Moshe? Has He not spoken to us as well?” (12:2) Hashem then comes to the defense of Moshe Rabbeinu, declaring unequivocally, “When a prophet of Hashem arises among you, I make myself known to him in a vision. I speak to him in a dream. Not so with my servant, Moshe…with him I speak mouth to mouth, plainly and not in riddles.”

Let us focus here on the first episode, the Kivrot Hata’avah, the inordinate craving by B’nai Yisrael for the supposed delicacies of Egypt.

The Israelites voiced dissatisfaction with the manna from heaven. “If only we had meat to eat. We remember the fish we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions and the garlic” (11:4-5). Moshe Rabbeinu was taken aback by these gluttonous cravings and demands. In reaction to their improper behavior, Moshe Rabbeinu does not address their request directly. Instead, he cries out to Hashem, “Why have you dealt ill with your servant…Did I conceive this people, did I bear them?…I can not carry all these people by myself for it is too much for me. If You would deal thus with me, kill me…and let me see no more of my wretchedness” (11:11-15). What caused Moshe Rabbeinu to unleash such a torrent of frustration? The Torah records other incidents of discontent and rebelliousness in which Moshe Rabbeinu did not exhibit this kind of psychological stress. On the contrary, he responded firmly and vigorously. Usually, he would berate the people for their unseemly behavior, and if the occasion called for it, he even beseeched Hashem not to destroy the people. His reaction at Kivrot Hata’avah was atypical. Why here does Moshe Rabbeinu feel helpless and powerless in the face of the people’s discontent? Why here was he severely shaken?

Rav Soloveitchik ZT”L points out that Kivrot Hata’avah represents the people’s regression to a pagan lifestyle. According to Torah Hashkafah, the individual must submit to a moral, ethical and religious discipline. “In Judaism, man’s divine image manifests itself in his self control, in his subordination of cravings and lusts to the will of G-d.” Such is not the case in a pagan world view. The deities do not make moral demands on people. On the contrary, they, themselves, live a life of lust and immorality.

The Kivrot Hata’avah episode revealed that the Egyptian pagan lifestyle had still maintained its hold on the people. Rashi points out that their request for “flesh” was an implicit desire for sensual pleasure without restraint. Did they not have abundant cattle and didn’t the manna provide diverse tastes according to the desire of the individual?

Chazal suggest that an earlier verse, “And they marched from the mountain of Hashem” (10:33) alludes to the cause of Israel’s backsliding. The “mountain” refers to Sinai and all that it signifies. In essence Chazal suggest that the message of Sinai had not been internalized. The people heard the words of Hashem, but failed to assimilate their import into their personal lives.

A truly religious person does not merely live by rules, but more importantly, integrates their values into his lifestyle. In this manner, Sinai is not merely an historic event. It is an everlasting inspiration which enriches and deepens a person’s Avodas Hashem in all spheres of human behavior.

Shabbat Shalom.

 

 

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