Inspirational Moment

“Vayehi benso’a ha’aron … when the Ark would travel” (Bamidbar 10:35-36). The two pesukim following these words, which precede the narration of the “misonenim -- complainers,” are separated at the beginning and end with an inverted “nun.” The Talmud tells us (Shabbos 115b) that “Hashem made a siman on top and on bottom to let us know that [the parsha] is not in its right place.” According to R’ Shimon ben Gamliel, this parsha will, in the future, be positioned in its proper place in the Torah.

“Vayehi benso’a ha’aron … when the Ark would travel” (Bamidbar 10:35-36). The two pesukim following these words, which precede the narration of the “misonenim -- complainers,” are separated at the beginning and end with an inverted “nun.” The Talmud tells us (Shabbos 115b) that “Hashem made a siman on top and on bottom to let us know that [the parsha] is not in its right place.” According to R’ Shimon ben Gamliel, this parsha will, in the future, be positioned in its proper place in the Torah.

This paragraph was placed here, explains the gemara, to create a break between the two narratives of reprisal for Bnai Yisroel. The first cause for reprisal was “vayisu mehar Hashem derech sheloshes yamim – Klal Yisroel traveled from the mountain of Hashem a distance of three days”. Tosfos comments that they fled from Har Sinai because they had learned a lot of Torah, implying that they were like children running out of school. The second cause for reprisal was when Klal Yisroel began to complain about the mohn. They craved the meat, the fish, the cucumbers, melons and leeks that they had in Mitzrayim, and voiced a strong dissatisfaction with the mohn.

HaGaon Rav Yosef Shalom Elyoshuv comments that although they were guided by the Cloud, their ultimate aspiration was to enter Eretz Yisroel as they had been promised, (Devarim 11:31) “virishtem osah vi’shavtem bah – you shall possess it and you shall settle in it.” The Torah itself was a burden to them, and they wanted to be free from it. Thus, their escape from Torah only perpetuated further retribution, because it led to their complaints about the mohn.

The paragraph that separates these two incidents is about the aron Hashem, which preceded Bnai Yisroel in all their travels. Rashi explains that the aron would move ahead of the nation a distance of three days to prepare their next resting place. When Moshe would see the aron proceeding, he would say, “Kumah Hashem – wait, don’t go so far.”

We read further in the Torah that after Klal Yisroel complained about their lack of meat, Moshe asked Hashem to be exempted from such leadership. He didn’t feel he had the wherewithal to lead this nation, and he said, “Im kocho at oseh li hargeini na harog – if this is what You do with me, then kill me now.”

Hashem’s response, however, was that Moshe Rabbeinu should gather seventy men from the elders, “v’atzalti min haruach asher alecha v’samti aleihem – I will increase some of the spirit that is on you and place it upon them.”

Rambam explains that once Klal Yisroel had left Har Sinai behind, and the Torah became burdensome to them, it became necessary to disseminate the Torah’s influence to the masses so that the aron could once again regain its splendor and glory. Thus, when Moshe asked, “Me’eiyin li bosor – where shall I get meat?” the assistance from Hashem was first directed towards eliminating the source of the complaints, which was actually their abandonment of the Torah.

A talmid of the famous Slobodka Yeshiva in Europe had left the yeshiva and moved away. Some time later, one of the talmidim of the Yeshiva had occasion to visit Vilna and ran into this former talmid. He was shocked to note that the former talmid was no longer committed to following the Torah.

The talmid was extremely bothered by this turn of events, and when he returned to Slobodka he reported his concern to the Alter of Slobodka. The Alter said, “I always knew that there was a strong possibility that this bachur would abandon the ways of Torah. But as long as he maintained a kesher with Torah learning it kept him on the derech hayashar – on the true path. However, once he departed Slobodka it also signified his departure from Yiddishkeit.