My wife drives the minivan. She
drives the carpool. She shleps a lot of material and learning supplies back and
forth between her two work sights. However when we go anywhere as a family and
we take the minivan, especially on long drives, I do the driving. So I will get into the driver’s seat, I will
turn on the ignition, and the car starts. Invariably, there will be warning
lights that will go on and stay on as well. The gas tank light will be on, the “fix
engine” light will be on, the “oil change” light will be on, the tire pressure
light will be on. Then I look over at my
wife and ask as calmly as I can if she didn’t notice all the lights were on as
she drove. I ask if she wasn’t curious as to why so many indicator lights were
on. By this time I am so frustrated because before we can actually go anywhere,
I have to go to the gas station. I need to buy gas, I need to check the air in
the tires, I need to add oil, and check the transmission fluid. Obviously had I
known about all the indicator lights the day or two before, I would have taken
care of it right away. Clearly the indicator lights are telling the driver something.
If the driver is aware of the purpose of the indicator lights and has enough
concern and curiosity, the indicator lights are very helpful. However if the
driver is unaware and just drives the care until it won’t move anymore, than
all the indicator lights in the world won’t matter. Needless to say that my
aggravation as I turn on my wife’s car is that she consistently ignores the
indicator lights and figures she can always driver to the next destination and
that her car will miraculously tell me what needs to fixed and just leave her
out.
This morning we read from Parsha BaHalotcha. This
Shabbat we read from Parsha Bahalotcha.
For the previous two Parshiot, Bemidbar and Naso, Bnai Yisroel has counted and
prepared for their journey from Sinai to Eretz Canaan. This week, the final
preparations are ordered and executed and the departure from Sinai begins.
Aaron, Moshe’s brother and the Kohen Gadol, lights the lamp for the Mishkan,
the entire Levite tribe is purified, offerings made and their service for
maintenance of the Mishkan begins. Final instructions for observing Pesach
under these new conditions, (they were not leaving Egypt anymore nor had they
arrived in the land) were offered, including the case of coming into contact
with the deceased and becoming spiritually impure. The narrative tells us the
manner in which Bnai Yisroel traveled: sheltered by a cloud during the day, and
protected by a pillar of fire at night. Then the complaining begins. They
complain about the Mannah. They complain about the food. They complain about
Moshe’s leadership. Moshe’s sister complains about his wife.
As Bnai Yisroel finally
begins its trek from Sinai towards Canaan, the Torah makes the following
statement. Vayehi Binsoah Ha’Aron VaYomer Moshe, Kuma Adoshem VeYaFuTzu Oyavecha,
VeYaNuSu Misanecha MiPanecha. U’vNucho Yomar Shuva Adoshem Rivvot Alfei Yisroel
– When the Ark would journey, Moshe said:
‘Arise Hashem, and let Your foes be scattered let those who hate You flee from
before You. And when it rested, he would say, ‘reside tranquilly, O Hashem,
among the myriad thousands of Israel. (Num. 10:35) Today we say the first
part of the verse while we take the Torah out from the Aron before we read the
Torah, and we say the second part of the statement when we have finished
reading from the Torah and are returning it to the Aron. In the Torah, this verse is enclosed by two
brackets. The bracket is really an inverted letter, the letter “Nun”. The Talmud in Shabbat 116a teach us Mipnei Sh’ Sefer Chashuv Hu Bifnei Atzmo
– Because it constituted a book on its
own. This is a rather cryptic statement since it suggests that there are
more than 5 books comprising the Torah. We normally think of the Torah as
comprised of 5 Books (Breishit- Genesis, Shmot –Exodus, Vayikra – Leviticus,
Bemidbar-Numbers, Devarim-Deuteronomy). Now the Talmud is suggesting that there
is another book?
Perhaps the bracket are
the indicator lights. The verse within the brackets is the one section of the
User’s Manual that will constantly be referred to during this one aspect of the
journey. Originally this journey was supposed to be a few weeks or months at
the most. Bnai Yisroel had not yet been punished with 40 years of “wandering in
the desert’. Most of the Torah’s
instructions were given in anticipation of Bnai Yisroel’s eventual arrival in
Canaan. In the meantime, this is the verse that they will need to refer to, this
is the section of the user manual that Bnai Yisroel will need in order to
survive until their eventual arrival. In reality, this is the “Book” that they
would use each day that they travelled and each day that they would temporarily
rest.
Whether it is our car,
an appliance, our phone or computer, there are certain “user manuals” that we
use more often than others. Within those “user manuals”, there are certain
sections that get used far more often than other parts. Perhaps we have marked
them off by folding down the page or putting in a paper clip or highlighting it
with a marker. Whatever the case, we are aware of the indicator light and know
that when we see the indicator light, or we here a certain sound, we know
exactly where to go in the user manual in order to fix the problem. We just need to pay attention to the
indicator lights and the warning signs in order to proceed in an appropriate
manner.
Peace,
Rav Yitz
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