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PAR'SHAT SHLACH: The Spies and Us.

6/26/2019

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  ויספרו־לו ויאמרו באנו אל־הארץ אשׁר שׁלחתנו וגם זבת חלב ודבשׁ הוא וזה־פריה׃ 
... אפס כי־עז העם הישׁב בארץ והערים בצרות גדלת מאד וגם־ילדי הענק ראינו שׁם׃ 
׃ והאנשׁים אשׁר־עלו עמו אמרו לא נוכל לעלות אל־העם כי־חזק הוא ממנו

What they told him was this: "We entered the land where you sent us, and indeed it does flow with milk and honey -- here is its fruit! However the people living in the land are fierce, and the cities are fortified and very large. Moreover, we saw the `Anakim there. ….  "We can't attack those people, because they are stronger than we are"; 
(Num 13:27-28, 31 CJB)


THE SPIES AND US.
As usual, from the standpoint of our very mature understanding of the Torah and from the perspective of our very pious lifestyle (sarcasm intended), it is very easy to judge, and even condemn the people in the Tanach who didn't seem to come up to the plate in following HaShem's command. But would we have been part of the Promised Land scouting team, would we have come back like Joshua and Caleb, or been like the 10 other spies? 
          A talmudic rabbi (I forgot his name) wrote that we shouldn't criticise others if we cannot see the same sin we criticise them for in ourselves. The reason for that is that it is the only way that our judgment can be mixed with empathy and mercy. After all, our own Master Yeshua is the very example of this principle. HaShem did establish Him as our great judge,

The Father does not judge anyone but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, (Joh 5:22 CJB)

But not until He took upon Himself the guilt of all humanity.
           So to really understand what happened with the spies, to really draw a proper conclusion, we need to see to be to internalise the fault of the spies. But what was that fault? I am sure everybody has their own ideas but here is what I would like to propose. 
SELF-DEPRECATION.
The apostle teaches us that we should be humble. He tells us to  

Do nothing out of rivalry or vanity; but, in humility, regard each other as better than yourselves -- (Php 2:3 CJB)

          Whereas it is a healthy behavior to own, we should never apply at the cost of deprecating our own value. The spies commented,

We saw the N'filim, the descendants of `Anak, who was from the N'filim; to ourselves we looked like grasshoppers by comparison, and we looked that way to them too!"  (Num 13:33 CJB)

The spies saw themselves not only as smaller but unworthy of HaShem's big prize. 
 
THE ANTIDOTE FOR AN INFERIORITY COMPLEX.
A backlash of the proliferation of social media is that many people spend their lives anxious of the approval of others. Such a person's self-esteem becomes relative to the whims of those who surround him. This is a form of idolatry because it is giving the control of your person to others instead of to HaShem. There is no rest for the person who does that.
          We need to also remember the words of the Master,

"You people make yourselves look righteous to others, but God knows your hearts; what people regard highly is an abomination before God!  (Luk 16:15 CJB)

          Here is the antidote for a misplaced inferiority complex. Ask yourself the question, "How much should a stranger's life be worth for you to be ready to sacrifice your only child, the one you love, for them?" After you have answered this question, remember that this is what HaShem has done for each of us as individuals. 

OOOOOOOH, THAT EVIL INCLINATION!
The reasoning behind refusing to go and conquer the Land was this,

But the men who had gone with him said, "We can't attack those people, because they are stronger than we are"; (Num 13:31 CJB)

Among the many reasons why they may have this way, the Chofetz Chayim points that, "The evil inclination tries in every possible way to prevent a person from doing good deeds." Such ways are:
Arrogance: 
  1. There are times when people feel they have done enough. They have reached the pinnacle of their accomplishment and shouldn't be asked anymore. They've done enough. They should be allowed to retire from serving HaShem.
  2. There are also times when someone is so guilt-ridden that he feels that he is not worthy of the great task HaShem wants to accomplish through them. They have repented, changed, but their self-inflicted guilt keeps them from launching out on to great mission HaShem has for them.

Drawing Wrong Conclusions:
It is said of our Master that, 

He will be inspired by fearing Adonai. He will not judge by what his eyes see or decide by what his ears hear, but he will judge the impoverished justly; he will decide fairly for the humble of the land. He will strike the land with a rod from his mouth and slay the wicked with a breath from his lips. (Isa 11:3-4 CJB)

          In essence this means that He will not draw wrong conclusions from His observations. The spies’ observations concerning the size of the Giants were right, but their conclusion were wrong.
          It is very common for us to quickly judge people and situations according to the seeing of our eyes and the hearing of the ear, and we can be sorely wrong by doing that. Nothing illustrates this so much as all the wrong convictions that plague our justice system. Though every conviction needs to be corroborated by unshakable evidence, we quite often get it wrong.
          Also, whether they be teachers, leaders, or politicians, how many people do we erroneously lift up just because they tell a good story or their demeanor is appealing to us? On the other hand, how many others do we put down just because of our erroneous conclusions concerning their looks and attitude? The same was the fate of the Master!

For before him he grew up like a young plant, like a root out of dry ground. He was not well-formed or especially handsome; we saw him, but his appearance did not attract us. People despised and avoided him, a man of pains, well acquainted with illness. Like someone from whom people turn their faces, he was despised; we did not value him. In fact, it was our diseases he bore, our pains from which he suffered; yet we regarded him as punished, stricken and afflicted by God. But he was wounded because of our crimes, crushed because of our sins; the disciplining that makes us whole fell on him, and by his bruises [Or: and in fellowship with him] we are healed. (Isa 53:2-5 CJB)

A Lack of Humility:
All this caused the spies to despise the Promised Land. It is nothing new. Many people criticize and despise it till this day. Life in Israel is not always easy especially if you come from a country like  America. It can make one criticise the place HaShem has chosen to write His Name in.
          Rabbi Moshe of Lelov one day met someone who was very critical of Israel. Unable to contain himself, the old rabbi corrected the person with, "The Torah says that the Land is very good. When does someone find that the Land? When he fulfills the Mishnah (Pirkey Avot 4:4) of, 'Be very, very humble!' When someone has the trait of arrogance, he will not be satisfied and will complain about the Land." (Cited in Otzer Chayim)
          What are the typical traits of the arrogant person?
  • He wants things to be exactly as he wants them.
  • He lacks patience
  • He gets frustrated which causes him
  • Much discontentment and inappreciation of the Land.

On the other hand, a humble person:
  • Doesn't mind going with the flow when things don't go right
  • Focuses on the positive in every situation
  • Finds the good in each and every circumstance
  • Appreciates the spiritual reality of the Land and so is able to enjoy it. 

In essence, a person of humility, a person who enjoys the Land, is much like the person Ya,'akov describes,

But the wisdom from above is, first of all, 
pure, 
then peaceful, 
kind, 
open to reason, 
full of mercy  and good fruits, 
without partiality and without hypocrisy. 
And peacemakers who sow seed in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. 
(Jas 3:17-18 CJB)

May we all be that person!
          
R’ Gavriel

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PAR'SHAT B'A'ALOTCHA: Complaining: A Form of Atheism!

6/18/2019

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INויהי העם כמתאננים רע באזני יהוה וישׁמע יהוה ויחר אפו ותבער־בם אשׁ יהוה ותאכל בקצה המחנה׃
ויצעק העם אל־משׁה ויתפלל משׁה אל־יהוה ותשׁקע האשׁ׃

But the people began complaining about their hardships to Adonai. When Adonai heard it, his anger flared up, so that fire from Adonai broke out against them and consumed the outskirts of the camp. Then the people cried to Moshe, Moshe prayed to Adonai, and the fire abated. (Num 11:1-2 CJB)

A PROBLEM WITH HONESTY.
We are taught to always be honest with our feelings; that it is part of honesty to openly express what we feel. It may be a good thing, but it also can backfire.  It is the squeaky wheel that gets the grease!” they say; and while it may be true, it is also the one that gets replaced. It is then that we realise that maybe we didn’t have it so bad after all. Whether in life, in career, or with HaShem, we do not want to get replaced.

A fool gives vent to all his feelings, but the wise, thinking of afterwards, stills them. (Pro 29:11 CJB)

Even a fool, if he stays silent, is thought wise; he who keeps his mouth shut can pass for smart. (Pro 17:28 CJB)

I noticed that the Siddur, the Jewish book of prayers, is in the first person of the plural. It is mostly expressed in “Please help us”, “Our Father , our King…” and, or almost never, in the first person (“I”)! This shows that Jewish people saw themselves as a community, not just as individuals. Many of HaShem’s communications with Israel, such as the Aaronic Blessing which we saw last week, address Israel in the second person of the singular, which shows that HaShem looked at the whole of Israel as a single unit. Even the Master taught us to pray using that model.

'Our Father in heaven! ... Give us the food we need today. Forgive us what we have done wrong, as we too have forgiven those who have wronged us. And do not lead us into hard testing, but keep us safe from the Evil One. (Mat 6:9-13 CJB)

THE LEGISLATOR’S DILEMMA
Why do I bring the subject of community up? As the legislator of a group, Moshe probably knew that it is possible to please all the people, sometimes; that it is also possible to please some of the people all the time; and that it is impossible to please all the people all the time. I heard it said by a politician one time that “no legislation is ever perfect.” We are social creatures, and as social creatures we have a need to live with others and when we live with others, we do not always get what we want,  how and when we want it.  There is no way around it; consensus requires give and take and. And still people complain.

I am a believer in the positive traits of human nature, so I think that when faced with the reality of the need for give and take for consensus, people agree to it. Why do we complain then? Is it  just because we don’t get what we want? Do we have an agenda?  

THE HIDDEN FACE OF COMPLAINING
The parasha this week takes us through the first of a litany of complaints in the Book of Numbers, each complaint stemming from a hidden agenda.
         First the people of Israel complain of their hardship that is  until they get a good wallop from HaShem. Then the “mixed multitude” of Gentiles that had come with them from Egypt starts pining for the nice food of Egypt; they complain about the bread freely given to them daily from the very vaults of Heaven.
    Next, that same  mixed multitude that was with them grew greedy for an easier life;  the people of Isra'el for their part, renewed their weeping and said, "If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt -- it cost us nothing! -- and the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, garlic! But now we're withering away, we have nothing to look at but this manna." (Num 11:4-6 CJB)

As commentator Rashi said, they really had no real cause to complain. I remember one of my sons who always complained about my wife’s excellent cooking. After he had been away from home for a couple of years, he admitted that what he missed the most about home was the three meals served everyday without fail. Like the Children of Israel in the desert, he freely received all that he needed and really had nothing to complain about.

It is said in Numbers 11:4 that it is the “Mixed Multitude” who complained about the food of Egypt. By the term “Mixed Multitude”,  the text referred to the many Gentiles who left with Israel on the night of the Exodus.

A mixed crowd also went up with them, as well as livestock in large numbers, both flocks and herds. (Exo 12:38 CJB)

Israel had been told to not be influenced by that crowd,

Do not follow the crowd when it does what is wrong; and don't allow the popular view to sway you into offering testimony for any cause, if the effect will be to pervert justice. (Exo 23:2 CJB)

The Exodus dynamics of Israel and that of the mixed multitude differed much. In a certain sense, Israel had to leave; it didn’t have a choice if it wanted self-determination. The Gentiles on the other hand didn’t have to. They had a choice; they left of their own volition. Also, there was no turning back for Israel; but like Orpah, Neomi’s daughter-in-law, the Gentiles could return (Ruth 1:14). That reminds me of some people that I met. They “cross-over” from traditional chritianity to Messianic Judaism. They are all excited about it, but after a few years or when things do not go the way they thought, they go back to their original form of religion. It is up to them to do so, but what I am getting at is that, whereas these people have an option, the Jewish believer doesn’t; he will always be a Jewish believer, a Messianic Jew. To join a church, he has to stop being a Jew and living a Jewish life and why should he do that?

What this teaches us is that the complainer may not be fully committed. He already has thought of options.



WHAT’S WITH THE COMPLAINER?
Complaining has really nothing to do with one’s external environment and condition, but it has everything to do with one’s internal attitude. Complaining is a frame of mind; a bad habit. The question is, what do we try to get out of it?

TO SEPARATE FROM THE ALMIGHTY
The underlying theme behind a complainer is not necessarily that he wants the situation to improve. What he wants is what one gets from complaining. What he wants is the reward of complaining which is a justification to free himself from the acknowledgment of, and therefore of the obligation to be thankful and grateful towards those who actually care for him.

Whether concerning the Mixed Multitude in the desert attitude with HaShem, or one’s personal relationship with people such as a family member, spouse, congregation brother/sister, it is the same thing. When we decide that, for a selfish reason or another we want to keep away from someone, we first start concocting complaints against them. These complaints then become the excuse we need to free ourselves from the relationship, or at least from the gratitude we owe to that person. It is a dangerous behavior. The sages of the Talmud have expressed that when a person is not appreciative of the good others do for him, he eventually denies the good that HaShem does for him also.

IT’S CONTAGIOUS, AND NOT EXPEDIENT!
Lastly, complaining is contagious.  We need to stay away from its contaminators, and especially not be a contaminator ourselves. We must also be careful that because complaining is mostly an attitude of the heart, it could be asymptomatic while spreading its contamination. I like what the Rabbi of the New-York Yeshiva said when faced by the media about his school being responsible for the measles outbreak a couple of years ago. He said that he did not agree with his people not immunizing against the measles. He said that the Torah tells us to be concerned about not putting others in danger, and that was more important in HaShem’s eyes than upholding uncertain personal individual rights. Again, in the eyes of this Rabbi, the group is more important than the individual. We may have the right to complain, but it is dangerous.

"Everything is permitted," you say? Maybe, but not everything is helpful. "Everything is permitted?" Maybe, but not everything is edifying. (1Co 10:23 CJB)

COMPLAINING: A FORM OF ATHEISM!
HaShem is the one in charge of our lives. When we complain or try to manipulate our own destiny away from HaShem’s control, we become worse than atheists. Why? Because we deny the Presence of God with us. We act as if He couldn't see us.
         Rabbi Shmuelevitz says, “When a mother travels with an infant from Jerusalem to Tel-Aviv, one cannot say that the infant has really gone from one place to another. The place of the infant is with its mother. As long as it is with its mother there is no difference in what city it is in. Similarly with the Israleites in the wilderness.” What the rabbi is saying is that if they do everything according to the Word of the Almighty, they are always with Him; they are always in His presence. We lonely ose the Presence of HaShem as we disobey and try to do our own will; and how does that happen? It starts with complaining!

THE VACCINE AGAINST COMPLAINING  Focus on the good instead of complaining about what is wrong. (Rabbi Zelig Pliskin)

In everything give thanks, for this is what God wants from you who are united with the Messiah Yeshua. (1Th 5:18 CJB)

Now true religion does bring great riches, but only to those who are content with what they have. For we have brought nothing into the world; and we can take nothing out of it; so if we have food and clothing, we will be satisfied with these. (1Ti 6:6-8 CJB)


MAY WE LEARN TO BE SATISFIED WITH THE HEAVENLY BOUNTIES OF HASHEM.

MAY WE LEARN TO WORSHIP HIM AND HIM ONLY AS WE ALSO LEARN TO KEEP AWAY FROM COMPLAINING.

ר, גבריאל
​R' Gavriel

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PAR'SHAT NASSO: The Higher Standard.

6/11/2019

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ד
בר אל־בני ישׂראל אישׁ או־אשׁה כי יעשׂו מכל־חטאת האדם למעל מעל ביהוה ואשׁמה הנפשׁ ההוא׃
והתודו את־חטאתם אשׁר עשׂו והשׁיב את־אשׁמו בראשׁו וחמישׁתו יסף עליו ונתן לאשׁר אשׁם לו׃

"Tell the people of Isra'el, 'When a man or woman commits any kind of sin against another person and thus breaks faith with Adonai, he incurs guilt. He must confess the sin which he has committed; and he must make full restitution for his guilt, add twenty percent and give it to the victim of his sin. 
(Numbers 5:6-7)

TRESPASSING AGAINST HASHEM.
What does it mean to trespass against HaShem? Can we really offend or hurt Him? Can we do Him physical harm? The answer might be found in the ideas of sin and guilt offerings. Sin offerings are required when an individual commits a sin against God unintentionally. Guilt offerings are set for specific transgressions like violating the sanctity of God’s altar, breach of trust, or when a person is unsure whether he has sinned or which sin he has committed. As such, we learn that we offend or hurt HaShem by violating the covenant he has set with us by breaking His commandments. Another way that we commit a trespass against the Almighty is when we hurt or wrong one of His children made in His image.

Rabbi Sforno has a particular twist on this verse. He says that this verse refers to one who steals from a convert to Judaism. Rabbi Sforno's rationale is quite simple. A natural Jew is born into Judaism. He has in a sense very little choice about his destiny. Being born into a Jewish family, from birth he inherits the covenant made with his fathers. A convert on the other hand makes a personal decision, a conscious choice to put himself under the yoke of the Torah. He did so because he heard of the beautiful Torah concepts and ideas, then he hungered and thirst for them as one who hungers and thirsts for righteousness. Our Master Himself conveys a special blessing to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.

"How blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness! for they will be filled." (Mat 5:6 CJB)

When we wrong such a person, we cause them to feel disillusioned; we set ourselves as a stumbling block in the way of the blind, which the Torah defines as a sin. 


" 'Do not speak a curse against a deaf person or place an obstacle in the way of a blind person; rather, fear your God; I am Adonai. (Lev 19:14 CJB)

THE RESPONSIBILITY OF DISCIPLESHIP
When we proclaim ourselves as believers, as followers of the Messiah, we take upon ourselves the duty and responsibility of representing Him in his great advocacy mission of redemptive hope. He came as the Light to the world, so we should be His Light to the world (Mat 5:14). He did not come to judge, so He has not sent us to judge! 

I have come as a light into the world, so that everyone who trusts in me might not remain in the dark. If anyone hears what I am saying and does not observe it, I don't judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. (Joh 12:46-47 CJB)



 IMITATION = DISCIPLESHIP
It has been said that imitation is the greatest form of flattery. As Jews, we should be honored in this day and age that so many of the gentiles are hungry for the Torah that HaShem has given us. It means that  we might actually have done something right.

From the first century CE to the fourth, so many gentiles turned to the God of Israel and our Scriptures that we actually got taken over. Even today, many non-Jews are hungry to follow the God of Israel. It is therefore our responsibility to accept these and teach them just like the early disciples did in the first century CE.



CEREMONIAL VS INTERPERSONAL COMMANDMENTS
As our Master and Rabbi Yeshua taught us, it is important to practice the ceremonial commandments, such as eating kosher and remembering the Shabbat, but the best testimony that we can be in the spirit of HaShem is always through the sample of our lives. It is brought through the type of relationship that we conduct with others. It is also brought through honest business practices, charity, compassion, altruism, and showing mercy, patience and understanding.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, self control. Nothing in the Torah stands against such things. (Gal 5:22-23 CJB)

A HIGHER STANDARD.
High-Priests were held to a higher standard than priests, and priests were held to a higher standard as the regular Israeli. Even today, as we are called a royal priesthood, we are held to the highest standard. We need to always think, “Others may, but I can’t!”

But you are a chosen people, the King's cohanim, a holy nation, a people for God to possess! Why? In order for you to declare the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (1Pe 2:9 CJB)

It’s like a relationship between people, the closer they are together, the more they have the potential to hurt each other. As we come close to HaShem through holiness, we must take care not to break His commands.

A DOUBLE STANDARD FOR ISRAEL?
I was talking with someone one day. This person was complaining that it seemed that the world had a double-standard when it came to Israel. “Yes, it is true!” I answered. “And we should take it as a compliment. It is leaders and teachers who are held to a higher standard.”

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, since you know that we will be judged more severely. (Jas 3:1 CJB)

I continued and said, “That they hold us to a different and higher standard should be seen as a compliment. Being who we are, we are held to that higher standard of the Torah, the higher standard of the Almighty God.

THE HIGHER STANDARD OF YESHUA.
As Yeshua taught His disciples, He was creating a group of believers whom He held to a standard higher  than even that of the priests and the teachers of Israel. He said,

For I tell you that unless your righteousness is far greater than that of the Torah-teachers and P'rushim, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven! (Mat 5:20 CJB)

In Matthew 5, 6, and 7, He enumerated all sorts of examples of commandments for which He instituted a higher form of obedience. 
​

NOTES FROM A MEDICAL INTERPRETER.
One of my days jobs is being a medical interpreter. Medical interpreters are taught to not only accurately interpret words in another language, but to also exactly emulate the spirit, the intonations, the mood, and even the facial expressions of the speaker they interpret for. We are required to do so whether we agree with what is being said or not. It is our job; it is our responsibility; our duty, and our mandate. 
Thus is discipleship to the Master. While sitting at the Right Hand of the Father, He counts on us to accurately interpret His Words, and also to exactly emulate the spirit, the intonations, the mood, and even the facial expressions in which they were originally given. As disciples,  we are required to do so whether we agree with what is being said or not. It is our job; it is our responsibility; our duty, and our mandate.

MAY WE ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT WE REPRESENT THE BETTER, HIGHER, AND GREATER STANDARDS OF THE KINGDOM OF THE KING OF KING AND THE LORD OF LORDS. 

MAY WE BE ITS FAITHFUL AMBASSADORS, PRESENTING ITS BEAUTY THROUGH LIVES IMBEDDED AND IMBIBED IN THE PRECEPTS OF ITS TORAH.


R' GAVRIEL



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PAR'SHAT BAMIDBAR: קול בנדבר The Voice of the Desert!

6/6/2019

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 וידבר יהוה אל־משׁה במדבר סיני באהל מועד באחד לחדשׁ השׁני בשׁנה השׁנית לצאתם מארץ מצרים לאמר׃

Adonai spoke to Moshe in the Sinai Desert, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month of the second year after they had left the land of Egypt. He said, 
(Num 1:1 CJB)

​​
HIS VOICE IS HEARD IN QUIET STILLNESS
I heard someone say one time that God does not usually shout at us to make Himself heard. When He does, it usually means that we are in trouble. In general, He gently knocks at the “door,” the “door” that can only open from the inside.

"Behold I stand at the door … (Rev 3:20 CJB)

He stands. He waits. He will not forcefully knock the door down;. He will knock, ever so softly ready to answer to even the most minimal sign of acquiescence. Like the gentle dove that he is, He will not land where He is not wanted, so He will leave if not received, and try again at a later time (Mat 3:16). King Solomon beautifully describes it in this poem,

[He] My sister, my bride, I have entered my garden; I am gathering my myrrh and my spices; I am eating my honeycomb along with my honey; I am drinking my wine as well as my milk. …

[She] I am asleep, but my heart is awake. Listen! I hear my darling knocking!

[He] Open for me, my sister, my love, my dove, my flawless one! For my head is wet with dew, my hair with the moisture of the night.

[She] I've removed my coat; must I put it back on? I've washed my feet; must I dirty them again?

The man I love put his hand through the hole by the door-latch, and my heart began pounding at the thought of him. I got up to open for the man I love. My hands were dripping with myrrh -- pure myrrh ran off my fingers onto the handle of the bolt. I opened for my darling, but my darling had turned and gone. My heart had failed me when he spoke -- I sought him, but I couldn't find him; I called him, but he didn't answer. The watchmen roaming the city found me; they beat me, they wounded me; they took away my cloak, those guardians of the walls! I charge you, daughters of Yerushalayim, that if you find the man I love, what are you to tell him? That I am sick with love.

(Son 5:1-8 CJB)

We have to make the personal conscious effort of concentration and still quietness if we want to hear It. We must get up, and open the door. The door of our heart only opens from the inside. It has to come from us!

Elijah also experimented with the sweet and tender voice of HaShem while in the desert. As he was fleeing from Queen Jezebel, he went out to a cave on Mount Horeb where many cataclysmic events happened,

There he went into a cave and spent the night. Then the word of Adonai came to him; he said to him, "What are you doing here, Eliyahu?" He answered, "I have been very zealous for Adonai the God of armies, because the people of Isra'el have abandoned your covenant, broken down your altars and killed your prophets with the sword. Now I'm the only one left, and they're coming after me to kill me too." He said, "Go outside, and stand on the mountain before Adonai"; and right then and there, Adonai went past. A mighty blast of wind tore the mountains apart and broke the rocks in pieces before Adonai, but Adonai was not in the wind. After the wind came an earthquake, but Adonai was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake, fire broke out; but Adonai was not in the fire. And after the fire came a quiet, subdued voice. When Eliyahu heard it, he covered his face with his cloak, stepped out and stood at the entrance to the cave. Then a voice came to him and said, "What are you doing here, Eliyahu?" (1Ki 19:9-13 CJB)


HaShem taught King David to,

"Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"
(Psa 46:10 ESV)

IN THE QUIET OF THE DESERT
That is why HaShem took Israel away in the quietness of the wilderness. He took His people away from all the distractions of daily life. There He provided them with food and water. He preserved their clothes from going threadbare. It was like a sort of return to the Garden of Eden where HaShem provided for the first humans without the need to sow; an early Jubilee of abundance and freedom. Like in the Garden of Eden and during the Jubilee year, in the desert, they ate of what grew of it's own, HaShem's food; the bread of Heaven.

The whole reason for it was that Israel would cease from feaverish mundane activity, sit with HaShem at the foot of Mount Horeb and learn. HaShem provided Israel with every need for the simple goal of getting them away from all distractions, getting their attention so that they would simply sit and learn from Him. That’s also why we have Shabbat. Shabbat is a time when we stop the daily grind and confusion of everyday activities in order to sit with HaShem and learn, learn through prayer, learn through service, and learn through fellowship with others.

SOMETHING ELSE ABOUT THE DESERT
In Hebrew, the word "wilderness/desert" is the word "מדבר/Midbar". It is a word that draws its roots from the word "דבר" which is a word that refers to the Word as spoken by HaShem. It is the word that we find in John 1:1,

בראשית היה הדבר והדבר היה את האלהים ואלהים היה הדבר

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
  (John 1:1 CJB)

This word is also related to the verb לדבר"/ to speak". From this the sages deduce that it is in the undistracted still dependency on HaShem of the desert that HaShem’s voice is heard best.

“DESERT” TIMES IN OUR LIVES
We all have difficult times in our lives that we qualify as "desert-times."These are usually times of trials, tribulations, and difficulty, not unlike difficult times of survival in a desert land. In these places, instead of indulging in despondent feelings of abandonment, we should realise that this is HaShem’s intolerable compliment. We should know that these are times when He actively takes us away from all distraction so He can have more personal time with us. We should also be aware that, like with the Children of Israel in the desert, He is the one supplying all of our needs.

HUMILITY IN THE DESERT
The Midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah) states about Numbers 1:1:

“Whoever does not make himself open and free like a wilderness will not be able to acquire wisdom and Torah.”

On this, the commentary Matnos Kehuna comments that,

Humility enables you to learn from everyone and teach everyone. As noted above, the desert symbolizes humility. Indeed, the Torah can only be learned in a spirit of humility. King David knew it,

Adonai is near those with broken hearts; he saves those whose spirit is crushed. (Psa 34:18 CJB)

But the meek will inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace. (Psa 37:11 CJB)

Our Master concurred in,

"How blessed are the poor in spirit! for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. "How blessed are those who mourn! for they will be comforted. "How blessed are the meek! for they will inherit the Land! "How blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness! for they will be filled. (Mat 5:3-6 CJB)

SHAVUOT
Parasha Bamidbar is always read before Shavuot. This Jewish holidays affords us to relive the time when Israel humbly sat at the foot of Mt Sinai to receive the Torah from HaShem. To relive the Sinai experience, we must first pass through the “desert” and its lessons — at least in a spiritual sense.

Shavuot also takes us back to the day when the disciples humbly obeyed the Master’s command to stay in Jerusalem in spite of the persecution that befell them, and were then blessed with the Shechinah coming to live within them (Acts 2). We must also show obedient humility in order to be blessed with the Spirit of HaShem to live within us.

CHAG SAMEACH!!!

R' Gavriel Lumbroso​


PS: I would like to again address a currently pertinent notion having to do with this midrash.

This time of isolation, fear, uncertainty and economic distress is very similar to the time of the Children of israel in the desert. I pray therefore that in this "desert" of our lives, we would all be able to hear HaShem's voice through The Prophet as clearly as our ancestors did in the desert! 

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