"From Har Sinai to Kivrot ha-Ta’avah"

Rav M. Elon

We will begin our discussion this week with what seems to be a concealed thread that runs through these parashot which illustrate Am Yisra’el at their worst moments. The parashot introduce us to the Kivrot ha-Ta’avah, ("Graves of Craving"),the false report of the Spies, and Korah and his rebellion, among other such unpleasant incidents.

We will illustrate the hidden negative dynamic which serves as a catalyst throughout all these crises. In other words, there is a mistaken conception which lies in the hearts of Am Yisra’el which forms the basis for the terrible collapse and ruin which takes hold after Am Yisra’el leaves Har Sinai, and which also forms the chain linking each of these crises.

However we must first establish the correct chronological sequence of all these events, for this sequence will demonstrate the severity of the collapse which followed so shortly after Ma’amad Har Sinai, (The Giving of the Torah on Sinai.)

The Torah describes as follows:

"And it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was raised from the Mishkan ha-Edut (Tabernacle of the Testimony.)"

(Bemidbar 10:11)

Thus, on the twentieth of Iyar in the second year – the year following the sixth of Sivan and the Giving of the Torah eleven months previously – the cloud lifts from atop the Mishkan, thereby giving the Divine sign for the nation to travel. Quite naturally they would now be traveling home – to Erez Yisra’el!

Then the Torah describes the beginning of the journey:

"And Benei Yisrael departed on their journey out of the wilderness of Sinai; and the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran."

(ibid. v. 12)

The Torah then moves on to describe the motion of the camps:

"And they first went on their journey according to the word of God by the hand of Mosheh. In the first place went the divisions in the banner camp of the sons of Yehudah, heading that division was Nahshon the son of Aminadav.

Heading the tribal division of the descendants of Yissakhar was Netanel, the son of Zu’ar.

And heading the tribal division of the descendants of Zevulun was Eli’av, the son of Helon."

(ibid. v. 13-16)

And then:

"And the Mishkan was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari who carried the Mishkan set march."

(ibid. v. 17)

And so the Torah continues and describes the motion of the various divisions in each banner, which is then followed by Mosheh’s request of his father-in-law, Yitro, to accompany Am Yisra’el.

"And Mosheh said to Hovav, the son of Re’u’el the Midianite, his father-in-law: ‘We are journeying to the place that God said: "I will give it you." Come with us, and we will do you good; for the Lord has spoken good concerning Yisra’el.’"

(ibid. v. 29)

Yitro responds:

"And he said to him: ‘I will not go; but I will depart to my own land, and to my birthplace.’"

(ibid. v. 30)

Mosheh then implores him:

"And he said, ‘Please do not leave us, for you are familiar with the places where we are going to camp in the desert, and you can be our eyes,’ (i.e. guide). And if you go with us, whatever goodness God shall do to us, we will proffer to you."

(ibid. v. 31,32)

It is unnecessary to mention that from these verses it is quite clear that Yisra’el has entered the final stage of its journey to the Promised Land.

The verses then describe the incidents that stand at the heart of our discussion.

"And they traveled from the mountain of God a journey of three days; and the Ark of God’s Covenant traveled three days' journey ahead of them in order to search out a place for them to settle. And the cloud of God was upon them by day when they traveled from the camp."

(ibid. v. 33,34)

The commentators dispute the significance of "a journey of three days" – had they actually traveled for three days, or had they traversed a distance of a three-day journey in only one day?

[This is how Rashi explains this verse, that they had experienced a miracle traversing a three-day journey’s distance in only one day.]

Either way, whether we are dealing with one day or three days, in the overall perspective, Yisra’el are still very close in time and proximity to the experience of Har Sinai – which still rings fresh in their memories.

Then we encounter the parashah which is demarcated by the letter nun at its start and finish, which indicates that this is not its rightful position in the text of the Torah,

"And it came to pass, when the Ark went forth, Mosheh said, ‘Arise, O God, and let Your enemies be scattered; and let they who hate You flee before You.’ And when it came to rest, he said: ‘Return, O God, to the myriads of Israel.’"

(ibid. v. 35,36)

Then the Torah describes the terrible collapse and disintegration that follow, in an event which is a tremendous enigma.

"And the people began to complain, and it was evil in God’s ears. When God heard it His anger was kindled; and the fire of God burnt among them, and consumed those at the edge of the camp."

(ibid. 11:1)

This is the sin of the "mit’onenim" – the "Complainers" – which takes place only a few days after departing Har Sinai, having remained there for eleven months after the Giving of the Torah.

Yet the downward spiritual spiral does not cease here:

"And the mixed multitude who was among them began to have strong cravings; and Benei Yisra’el once again began to weep. ‘Who shall give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we ate in Egypt for no cost; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic; But now our spirits are dried up; there is nothing at all save the manna before our eyes."

(ibid. v. 4-6)

And now the difficulty to understand the progression of events arises in full force. We are only three days journey from Har Sinai, three days after the great encampment around the Mountain of God, and we witness collapse after collapse.

Am Yisra’el falls prey to its "ta’avah" – its "cravings" and "lustful desires." The crisis is so great that even the leadership stands by helpless. Mosheh Rabbenu reveals a certain degree of weakness, something which was not even present at the terrible Sin of the Golden Calf.

"I am not able to carry all this nation alone, for it is heavier than I (can carry); And if You act in this (manner) with me, kill me, I pray You, at once – if I have found favor in Your eyes; and let me not see my wretched (situation)."

(ibid. v. 14,15)

God tells Mosheh that there will be more than sufficient meat for the nation, yet the Divine response will be most severe, illustrating God’s wrath at His nation:

"You shall not eat (meat for) one day, nor two days, five days, ten days, nor for twenty days – but for a whole month, until it comes out of your noses, and it becomes loathsome to you; because you have despised God Who is among you, and you wept before Him, saying, ‘Why were to come out of Egypt?’"

(ibid. v. 19,20)

God’s response is relentless, and as even today the expression states, God tells Am Yisra’el that they will eat meat ‘until it comes out of their noses.’

The Ibn Ezra beautifully explains the content of God’s words – listing various periods of time – in his commentary to this verse. "You shall not eat… one day, nor two days, five days, ten days, nor for twenty days" holds a hidden reprimand to the powerful craving that possessed Yisra’el in their request for meat.

"‘Nor two days’ – double; ‘five days’ – corresponding to the fingers on the hands of those eating (the meat); ‘ten days’ – double, for both hands; ‘nor for twenty days’ – akin to the adage ‘what he will eat with his fingers and toes.’"

(Ibn Ezra, ibid.)

This corresponded to the craving and lust that took hold of Am Yisra’el. We need only remember the unique terminology employed in the verse to describe this craving, "hit’avu ta’avah" – literally, "they craved a craving." Their craving was for pure craving and lust’s sake, in truth, they did not lack anything. In response to this God tells them that in correlation with their great desire to eat using their hands and even their feet, they will eat to the extent that it comes out of their noses.

And the motivation for all this is:

"Because you have despised God Who is among you, and you wept before Him, saying, ‘Why were to come out of Egypt?’"

(Bemidbar 11:20)

Rashi explains the phrase "God Who is among you" as follows:

"If I hadn’t planted My Shekhinah (Presence) among you, your hearts would never have become haughty (desiring) to enter into all these matters."

(Rashi, ibid.)

Rashi’s comment is very interesting. Rashi ascribes the terrible crisis to the nation’s perception of ‘God Who is among you,’ the cause of this colossal crisis is the very presence of the Shekhinah in their midst.

In any event, God declares that Am Yisra’el will receive meat "until it comes out of your noses," which Rashi explains means that they will eat meat until it bursts forth from of their noses, so to speak, having eaten so much that the now loath the quail.

After God’s harsh words the selav (quail) arrives:

"And the nation arose that entire day, and all that night, and all the following day, and they gathered the quails; he who gathered the least gathered ten homer (measures), and they spread them out for themselves around the camp."

(Bemidbar 11:32)

The nation gathers more and more meat, laying out ‘carpets of meat’ around the camp. H?azal explain that "he who gathered the least" refers to those who were invalids or physically limited, and they were ‘only’ able to gather ten homer measures. We must recall that we are speaking of the twenty-second of Iyar – only three days after the twentieth of Iyar we witness such a complete and all-encompassing collapse?

It is important to understand the Sin of the Spies as a continuation of the crisis which was already born at Har Sinai. And once again we must consider the timeline: One year previously, on Rosh Hodesh Sivan, Benei Yisrael came to Har Sinai, prepared for the Giving of the Torah; on the sixth of Sivan the Torah was given to Yisra’el, and Mosheh ascended the mountain; on the seventeenth of Tammuz Mosheh descends to the nation and he witnesses the people worshipping the Golden Calf; the Tablets are broken, and this is one of the reasons we mourn on Shiv’ah Asar be-Tammuz, the seventeenth of Tammuz. Then Mosheh ascends the mountain for a second time; and after forty-days he descends, on Yom Kippur, with the promise and assurance of forgiveness. Am Yisra’el remained encamped at Har Sinai, the Mishkan is constructed, and then on the twentieth of Iyar the motion towards Erez Yisra’el begins.

Then, after only a three-day journey (or as Rashi explains after one day traversing a distance of three days’ journey, which further compounds our question) we witness a sequence of failures and disintegration. The resulting consequences include Aharon and Miryam speaking Lashon ha-Ra of their brother Mosheh. On the twenty-ninth of Sivan the Spies are dispatched, and they return on the ninth of Av when the destructive events reach their climax of "And they despised the desirable land," (Tehillim 106:24), and from that point we mourn their weeping for generations.

The contrast is so stark, we still have the experience of Har Sinai engraved upon our hearts, "And Yisra’el camped ("va-yihan" in the singular) there opposite the mountain," (Shemot 19:2) which Hazal expounded as "as one person with one heart;" and just three days after departing Har Sinai Am Yisra’el becomes involved with ‘carpets of meat?’

Where was the first sign of the crisis? Where did this wayward movement with such horrific repercussions begin? Hazal identify the initial development of these pitfalls in the verse which we have already mentioned:

"And they traveled from the mountain of God a journey of three days; and the Ark of God’s Covenant traveled… ahead of them..."

(Bemidbar 10:33)

Hazal explain that the phrase "And they traveled from the mountain of God" is a negative statement intending to infer that Yisra’el traveled away from God, they had turned away from God. As we mentioned above, Hazal establish that the section of "And it came to pass, when the Ark went forth…" which is delineated by the letter nun at its beginning and end does not have as its rightful place this location in the Torah, but rather it serves "to separate between the first disaster and the second disaster."

As Hazal expound:

"Rabban Shim’on ben Gamli’el said: ‘This parashah (section) is destined to be uprooted (from its current place) and it will be written in its (correct) place. And why is it written here? In order to separate between the first disaster and the second disaster. What was the second disaster? "And the nation were as complainers," (Bemidbar 11:1). The first disaster was "And they traveled from the mountain of God."’ And Rabi Hama ben Rabi Hanina said that they turned away from God.

And where is its (correct) place? Rav Ashi said: ‘Together with the banners (where the Torah describes the banners and divisions of each tribe and the travel formation of Am Yisra’el).’"

(Shabbat 116a)

Rashi explains the words of the Gemara "that they turned away from God" as follows:

"Within three days of their journey they craved a craving to cause uproar over meat to rebel against God."

(Rashi, ibid.)

Therefore the request for meat was in fact a concealed rebellion against God. It seems that as we delve deeper into the verses our question becomes all the more intense. Am Yisra’el had only left Har Sinai three days previously and they are already banding together in rebellion against God. Even if we compare our crisis to the crisis of the Sin of the Golden Calf, it seems that this crisis is more severe. The Sin of the Golden Calf did not stem from a desire to rebel against God, but rather from a state of confusion and a desire to have a replacement for Mosheh Rabbenu whom they understood would no longer return. Even if we say that they desired to perceive a concrete, material divinity – this does not approach a direct rebellion against God. From Hazal and Rashi’s exposition of the events we see that the desire for meat was simply an indirect request while their intention was to rebel against God.

We must note that it would be a grave error to associate our problems with Erez Yisra’el solely with the Sin of the Spies. The Sin of the Spies was merely an accumulation of decay that burst forth in an act of rebellion against God. [From the words of Kalev ben Yefuneh who calls to the nations: "Only do not rebel against God," (Bemidbar 14:9), we see that the wailing of Am Yisra’el was in fact rebellion against God.] Our problems with Erez Yisra’el and God began already at Har Sinai, despite the fact that we had seen the lightning and thunder, and we saw the fire descend from the heavens – we still collapsed as soon as we left the mountain…

The Maharsha in Masekhet Shabbat sheds light on this entire issue for us. The Maharsha explains why "And they traveled" is a negative expression, which H?azal refer to as "the first disaster." From the Maharsha’s words we will be able to understand where the decay began.

"…For we only find that ‘the mountain of God’ (Hashem: yud, hey, vav, hey) refers to the location of the Beit Mikdash which was sanctified eternally, yet the location whereupon the Torah was given was only termed ‘the mountain of Elohim (God),’ or ‘Mount Horev,’ or ‘Har Sinai.’"

(Maharsha, Shabbat 116a)

Firstly the Maharsha notes that we understand that something is amiss the moment the Torah describes the journey from Har Sinai as "And they traveled from the mountain of Hashem." Har Sinai is not generally termed as such, "the mountain of Hashem," but rather Har Horev, or at its most "The mountain of Elohim."

"Therefore (H?azal) expounded that they traveled ‘away from God’ as a child flees from school to be free of the words of Torah. For in their journeying from Har Sinai which was their Beit Midrash (study hall) they became gatherings of boors following the cravings of their hearts."

(ibid.)

When the Torah records that Benei Yisrael traveled from "the mountain of God" it illustrates that the relationship of Benei Yisrael to Har Sinai was at fault in its essence. Har Sinai is the great fuel station of the entire nation, sanctity pervaded the nation when God descended upon the mountain in a cloud, yet this sanctity was only momentary, it is not a fundamental, internal sanctity.

The mountain which holds the fundamental, internal sanctity is Har ha-Moriyah, the Temple Mount. The Shekhinah is constantly there, and it is to that mountain that Yisra’el are to travel in order to refuel with the spiritual nourishment that they received on Har Sinai. This is the essential difference between the Divine name "Elohim" which describes the manifestation of the Divine Presence in the world, and the name "Havayah," (euphemism for God’s name of "yud, hey, vav, hey"), which describes the more intense loftier and essential Divine manifestation.

From the fact that Har Sinai was described as "the mountain of Hashem" the Maharsha derives that Am Yisra’el assigned primal importance to Har Sinai in place of the true "mountain of God," Har ha-Moriyah. Har Sinai lost its sanctity the moment the Giving of the Torah concluded, its sanctity was temporary, momentary, for the purpose of the Divine Revelation, towards the aim of receiving that Heavenly content that Am Yisra’el was to then live at Har ha-Moriyah.

Yet there is something about Har Sinai, about that spiritual life completely detached from earth, from land, from state and from temptation – for at Har Sinai there is no need to concern one’s self with politics or an army. At Har Sinai one can remain in the Beit Midrash the entire day and never have to confront the manifestation of the content of the Beit Midrash in life, in the nation, and in the sovereign body. And thus when Yisra’el travel from Har Sinai we encounter the terrible collapse, the moment they leave the Beit Midrash they congregate as "gatherings of boors." Therefore the nation has cravings, a craving and lust for lust and desire itself.

God’s Torah was given to Yisra’el in order for it and life to become one. When life is detached from the Torah – it has no meaning, for then the human existence remains on earth, dwarf-size. And when the Torah is detached from life – it has no meaning, for it is solely in the heavens, and then the angels’ claim is verified, that God should never give such a beautiful, desired treasure to man, but rather it should remain in the heavens.

In the past we have mentioned that it is with this rebuke that Mosheh Rabbenu opens his words in Sefer Devarim as he takes his leave of Am Yisra’el prior to his death. There, at the beginning of Sefer Devarim, Mosheh says:

"God our Lord spoke to us in Horev, saying, ‘You have settled long enough ("rav lakhem") at this mountain. Turn, and take your journey, and go to the mountain of the Amorites, and to all its neighboring places, to the Aravah, to the hills, and to the lowlands, and to the Negev, and by the sea shore, the land of the Canaanites, and the Levanon, to the great river, the river Euphrates."

(Devarim 1:6,7)

Rashi notes immediately:

"‘Rav lakhem,’ (literally, "it is too much for you") – as its literal meaning!"

(Rashi, ibid.)

In other words, God tells the nation that they have spent sufficient time camping at Har Sinai, ‘Turn and travel to Erez Yisra’el!’

In the past we have also mentioned the harsh words of the Keli Yakar which gives a detailed description of God’s rebuke to the nation. The Keli Yakar describes that it is here that we are to find the root of Am Yisra’el’s problems, the ‘love affair’ with Har Sinai as opposed to Har ha-Moriyah. In other words Yisra’el falls in love with – and clings to – the Torah that is manifest solely in the Beit Midrash (to employ the Maharsha’s words) in place of love for the Torah of Life of Erez Yisra’el which is manifest in every varied sphere of life, in the state and sovereign monarchy, as well as in one’s own personal life. Indeed Har ha-Moriyah lacks the thunder and lightning – yet this is "the mountain of God," whereas Har Sinai – despite its tremendous importance at the Revelation at Sinai is ‘merely’ the location of revelation, it is only the "mountain of Elohim."

We may say that this is the significance of the dual meaning of Shavu’ot: on one hand it is the day of the Giving of our Torah, and thus as its direct consequence it is the birth date of the root of the Monarchy of the House of David in this world. It is as if we are saying that the Torah of Sinai is to be revealed on the "mountain of God," through the kingship of David.

The Keli Yakar states as follows:

"‘You have remained near this mountain for too long, turn around and travel on,’– this is the first reproach.

For the people despised the Land and settled at this mountain in a permanent fashion, and they did not turn towards the Land, the unique location to fulfill mitzvot. And ‘You have remained… too long’ – ‘Rav lakhem’ - is the same terminology as ‘You sons of Levi have gone too far’ – ‘Rav lakhem benei Levi,’ (Bemidbar 16:7) – that is to say that this minor (tarrying) is rebellious and sacrilegious. For it is truly too much for you this settling at this mountain in a manner that is permanent."

(Keli Yakar, Devarim 1:6)

Matters are more acute than we previously appreciated - Yisra’el’s prolonged stay at Har Sinai was a result of their despising Erez Yisra’el…

Then the Keli Yakar explains the phrase "turn and travel." He explains that the term "penu" – "turn" – indicates turning one’s face away, or in colloquial terms, ‘changing one’s approach.’

"Turn away, turn your faces to the essence of your source, for it is from there that the substance of Adam was formed, as the verse states to Avraham: ‘Lekh Lekha’ – ‘Go forth,’ (Bereshit 12:1.)"

(ibid.)

Yet in the continuation of Mosheh Rabbenu’s words we are told how Am Yisra’el did not accept the rebuke then, for the verse states "and we traveled from Har Horev (Sinai)," (Devarim 1:19) – there was no change in approach, it was merely a physical journeying from Har Sinai. The change occurs too late, only after the Sin of the Spies.

As the Keli Yakar states:

"And later he will elucidate this rebuke clearly."

(ibid.)

Thus Mosheh himself explains the rebuke and reproach in his words:

"And he said: ‘And we traveled from Horev and we traversed the entire desert…’ – he should have said ‘And we turned and we traveled from Horev,’ in the same manner in which he stated: ‘Turn and travel.’ Rather he said to them as follows: ‘You remain in your haste, for I said "turn and travel" when you go from Har Horev the location whereupon you learned Torah; turn your faces to the Land, the place of observing the Torah, for the study itself is not the essence, rather the deed. Yet you in your traveling from Horev were imbued by a different spirit, to travel from a place designated to the study of Torah to a place of observing the mizvot – you did not turn your faces, and in your rebellion you are liable to despise the Land.’"

(ibid.)

Therefore, there is "a place designated to the study of Torah" yet this may lead to rebellion and revolt if the hearts ad faces are directed towards the "place of observing the mizvot" – the location wherein the supernal content of the Torah becomes manifest.

Thus "despising the Land" – in the words of the Keli Yakar – can lead to a double life which may characterize the Diaspora existence of Yisra’el: on one side of the street the Beit Midrash stands, while on the other assimilation runs rampant.

The Keli Yakar concludes:

"Therefore he said: ‘And we traveled from Horev and we traversed the entire desert’ – each one of you set his face to the desert and not to the land, for the Spies said ‘Let us return to Egypt;’ (Bemidbar 14:4). However after the incident of the Spies which brought upon them great punishment, they repented – not of their own accord – and there it states: ‘And we turned and we traveled,’ (Devarim 2:1.)"

(ibid.)

In other words Am Yisra’el ‘set their faces’ to the rebuke contemplating it and internalizing it when it was already too late. Only after the Sin of the Spies did they understand the unique status of the Land of God.

One final note completes our discussion until now.

In the middle of Parashat Be-Ha’alotkha we find the parashah of Pesah Sheni, (‘Second Pesah’), which in the chronological sequence of events was stated on the first of Nisan. Sefer Bemidbar begins on the "first of the second month," (Bemidbar 1:1), the first of Iyar – therefore chronologically the Divine instruction of Pesah Sheni precedes Sefer Bemidbar and its opening parashah.

Rashi noted this, and wrote:

"‘On the first month’ – the opening parashah opening the Book (of Bemidbar) was only stated in Iyar, this indicates that there is no chronological order to the Torah. Why did Bemidbar begin with (the first) parashah? This is due to the disgrace of Yisra’el, for during all the forty years that Yisra’el were in the desert they only offered one Pesah (sacrifice)."

(Rashi, Bemidbar 9:1)

In other words, aside from the Pesah sacrifice they offered while in Egypt, this is the only korban Pesah that Yisra’el offered prior to entering Erez Yisra’el. All the commentators pose the obvious question – the Torah states: "And when you come to the Land… (then) you will observe this service." (Shemot 12:25), which indicates that the fulfillment of the korban Pesah is to be in Erez Yisra’el. Why then do we accuse Yisra’el of any wrongdoing – for they were not even obligated to observe the Pesah which they fulfilled while in the desert?

Another point from Rashi is that he quotes Hazal, yet we find that the words of Hazal themselves differ from Rashi’s interpretation.

"The verse speaks of the disgrace of Yisra’el for they had eleven months while camped at Har Sinai.; to teach you that there is no chronological order to the Torah…"

(Sifri, Bemidbar 64, s.v. va-yedaber)

The Hizkuni explains that Rashi gives expression to the words of Hazal signifying that had they not tarried at Har Sinai, Benei Yisrael would already have entered Erez Yisra’el, and thus would have been offering the korban Pesah.

In the words of the Hizkuni:

"And should you say: ‘What disgrace is it – for in Parashat Bo the Torah ascribes the mizvah of (the korban) Pesah to their entry into Erez Yisra’el? Yet we must answer that if they did not sin with the Complainers they would have entered Erez Yisra’el that Iyar (already)…"

(Hizkuni, Bemidbar 9:1)

From our discussion we have learned that the sin of the Complainers was as a result of the prolonged stay at Har Sinai, and then after they leave the mountain we witness the complete spiritual collapse of the nation.

If we are to ask why Yisra’el must be rebuked – surely the Divine Pillar of Cloud had not moved from Har Sinai, and it was only in accordance with the motion of the cloud that Benei Yisrael were to travel? We may answer that the Cloud acted in direct correlation to the preparedness of the nation – if Yisra’el was prepared for it, the Cloud would have lifted and traveled well prior to this time. Now that the nation tarried so, it was a sign that in fact they were simply not ready to leave Har Sinai.

God waited for Yisra’el until a certain point, and only then the Cloud began its motion – this was in order to give them the opportunity to rectify themselves. Following this, the Spies are dispatched, giving a further forty-day period for rectification of their appreciation of Erez Yisra’el. Yet none of this was of any benefit – the change in perspective towards Erez Yisra’el occurred far too late, as the Keli Yakar notes, only after Benei Yisrael is punished and sent back into the desert for forty years.

We thus see that Yisra’el’s aim and purpose was not to simply remain at the "mountain of Elohim," but to move to the "mountain of Hashem" in Erez Yisra’el, the land which God had chosen, the land which the Keli Yakar terms "the essence of your source." Only there will the lofty objective of "And you will be for Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation," (Shemot 19:6), be realized.

Translated by Sholem Hurwitz

Copyright Keren Yishai / Rav M. Elon