Beha’alosecha – Peninim on the Torah

משה ענו מכל האדם אשר על פני האדמה והאיש

Now the man Moshe was exceedingly humble, more than any person on the face of the earth. (12:3)

Humility is one of the most fundamental and exalted character traits which define a person’s true character. It does not negate recognizing one’s talents, acumen, and achievements, but rather, attributes everything to Hashem. The humble person understands that one’s strengths are merely tools Hashem has given him for a higher purpose. Moshe Rabbeinu saw himself as fulfilling a Divine mission. He was well aware of his distinction and accomplishments, but he attributed it all to Hashem Who had sent him on a Divine mission. Humility is not about thinking less of yourself, but rather, about thinking of yourself less and…

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והאיש משה ענו מאד מכל האדם אשר על פני האדמה

Sruly Schnair In Beha'alosecha, 5785

Now the man Moshe was exceedingly humble, more than any person on the face of the earth. (12:3)

The Chafetz Chaim commented on the pasuk in Iyov 3:18, Katan v’gadal shom hu, “Small and great are equal there” (in the World of Truth). In the next world, all external differences disappear. The distinctions we make in this world between wealthy and poor, strong and weak, influential and unnoticed, are irrelevant in Olam Habba. In this world, the barometer for determining who is “considered” great and who is small is a superficial measure. Society elevates those who appear successful, while those who seem as insignificant go unnoticed. This is an illusion. In the World of Truth, the only barometer…

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מי יאכילנו בשר... זכרנו את הדגה

Sruly Schnair In Beha'alosecha, 5785

Who will feed us meat…? We remember the fish. (11:4,5)

The people clamored for meat. It is not as if they were being fed steak in Egypt, but, in the wilderness as free men, they felt that they had a right to ask for meat. If so, why did they add, “We remember the fish.” If they were asking for meat, why did they introduce the fact that they had eaten fish in Egypt? Horav Levi Yitzchak Berditchever, zl, explains that, with the manna, they were able to taste any food they liked. There was one contingency: it had to be a food with whose taste they were familiar. By…

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ויאמרו האנשים ההמה אליו אנחנו טמאים לנפש אדם למה נגרע לבלתי הקריב את קרבן ד' במועדו

Sruly Schnair In Beha'alosecha, 5785

Those men said to him, “We are contaminated through a human corpse. Why should we be diminished by not offering Hashem’s korban in its appointed time?” (9:7)

These men had become ritually contaminated, a status which precludes them from participating in the Korban Pesach. This was an epic spiritual experience from which they did not want to be excluded. So intense was their desire to participate, they petitioned Moshe Rabbeinu to somehow include them. In recognition of their nobility and unparalleled sheifah, aspiration/yearning for this mitzvah, Hashem appointed them to be the medium through whom He would reveal the new mitzvah of Pesach Sheini, which would be offered one month after the appointed time for Pesach. The normal course of the Torah was to issue mitzvos through…

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והאיש משה ענו מאד מכל האדם אשר על פני האדמה

Sruly Schnair In Beha'alosecha, 5784

Now the man Moshe was exceedingly humble, more than any other person on the face of the earth. (12:3)

Moshe Rabbeinu was the paragon of humility, and he has gone down in history as the humblest man who ever walked the face of the earth. Does this mean that he was unaware of his remarkable, unprecedented and unparalleled achievements? Absolutely not! A humble person possesses a realistic awareness of his skills and achievements. He would otherwise be cognitively impaired. He just tends to downplay his achievements and abilities. He does not feel the need to flaunt, boast or even call attention to his successful exploits, knowing fully well what he is and what he is capable of achieving. He…

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ויבכו גם בני ישראל ויאמרו מי יאכילנו בשר

Sruly Schnair In Beha'alosecha, 5784

And Bnei Yisrael also wept once more and said, “Who will feed us meat?” (11:5)

People are shaped by their desires and cravings, which, in turn, influence their choices and actions. Desires often stem from personal experiences, values and external influences. What a person craves reflects his priorities and character, as well as his pursuit of fulfillment in various aspects of life. In other words, a nation that had graduated from two centuries of slavery to be liberated to stand at Har Sinai, experiencing the greatest Divine Revelation during which they received the Torah, should not get bent out of shape over a lack of meat. Mi yaachileinu basar, “Who will feed us meat?” is…

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ויהי אנשים אשר היו טמאים לנפש אדם ולא יכלו לעשות הפסח... ויאמרו... אנחנו טמאים... למה נגרע לבלתי הקריב את קרבן ד' במעדו

Sruly Schnair In Beha'alosecha, 5784

There were men who had been contaminated by a human corpse and could not make the Pesach-offering… they said, “We are contaminated… why should we be diminished by not offering Hashem’s offering in its appointed time?” (9:6,7)

A debate in the Talmud (Succah 25a) concerns the identity of the men who were contaminated. Rabbi Yosi HaGlili says that they were the pallbearers of Yosef’s coffin. Rabbi Akiva says they were Mishael and Elitzafan, who were occupied with the corpses of Nadav and Avihu. In any event, these were not ordinary Jews who wanted to display their religious commitment. These were men who were sincerely concerned about being left out as the nation celebrated the offering of the Korban Pesach. We wonder what these men were thinking. They were fully aware of their situation: they were tamei –…

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ויעש כן אהרן... כאשר צוה ד' את משה

Sruly Schnair In Beha'alosecha, 5784

Aharon did so… as Hashem had commanded Moshe. (8:3)

Rashi writes: L’hagid shevacho shel Aharon – she’lo shinah, “To tell the praise of Aharon, in that he did not deviate.” This statement begs elucidation. Would it enter anyone’s imagination to suggest that Aharon might have deviated from Hashem’s command? A number of expositions explain Rashi’s statement. The Sifrei Chassidus have a twist on the definition of the word shinah, deviate. When we take into consideration that Aharon would prepare and light the Menorah twice daily, it might be appropriate to say that he never tired of his function. The same passion and love that he manifested in the morning,…

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והעם לא נסע עד האסף מרים

Sruly Schnair In Beha'alosecha, 5783

And the people did not journey until Miriam was brought in. (12:15)

Rashi teaches that Hashem instructed the entire Jewish nation to wait for Miriam Ha’Neviah to be healed before He allowed them to move on to their next encampment. This was her reward for the extra moments she spent at the river to keep an eye on her baby brother, Moshe. What did she really do that was worthy of such extraordinary reward, that an entire nation waited for her? She did very little, and, after all, it was for her brother. Such devotion is to be expected. Yet, Hashem recorded those moments, because “little” things, simple actions, are what define…

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והאיש משה ענו מאד מכל האדם אשר על פני האדמה

Sruly Schnair In Beha'alosecha, 5783

Now the man Moshe was exceedingly humble, more than any other person on the face of the earth. (12:3)

How should we understand the concept of anivus, humility? Should a person ignore his positive attributes? Should he hide his successes? The Baalei Mussar, Ethicists, explain that one who ignores the reality of his wisdom, scholarship, positive character traits, is sorely lacking in the commodity of seichel, common sense. It is similar to a body builder, strong man, ignoring the fact that he can bench press four-hundred pounds. Reality is reality. Horav Shimshon Pincus, zl, offers a powerful insight into how one should relate to his strengths, while concomitantly not having a deleterious effect on his humility. He should view…

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משה ענו מכל האדם אשר על פני האדמה והאיש

Now the man Moshe was exceedingly humble, more than any person on the face of the earth. (12:3)

והאיש משה ענו מאד מכל האדם אשר על פני האדמה

Now the man Moshe was exceedingly humble, more than any person on the face of the earth. (12:3)

מי יאכילנו בשר... זכרנו את הדגה

Who will feed us meat…? We remember the fish. (11:4,5)

ויאמרו האנשים ההמה אליו אנחנו טמאים לנפש אדם למה נגרע לבלתי הקריב את קרבן ד' במועדו

Those men said to him, “We are contaminated through a human corpse. Why should we be diminished by not offering Hashem’s korban in its appointed time?” (9:7)

והאיש משה ענו מאד מכל האדם אשר על פני האדמה

Now the man Moshe was exceedingly humble, more than any other person on the face of the earth. (12:3)

ויבכו גם בני ישראל ויאמרו מי יאכילנו בשר

And Bnei Yisrael also wept once more and said, “Who will feed us meat?” (11:5)

ויהי אנשים אשר היו טמאים לנפש אדם ולא יכלו לעשות הפסח... ויאמרו... אנחנו טמאים... למה נגרע לבלתי הקריב את קרבן ד' במעדו

There were men who had been contaminated by a human corpse and could not make the Pesach-offering… they said, “We are contaminated… why should we be diminished by not offering Hashem’s offering in its appointed time?” (9:6,7)

ויעש כן אהרן... כאשר צוה ד' את משה

Aharon did so… as Hashem had commanded Moshe. (8:3)

והעם לא נסע עד האסף מרים

And the people did not journey until Miriam was brought in. (12:15)

והאיש משה ענו מאד מכל האדם אשר על פני האדמה

Now the man Moshe was exceedingly humble, more than any other person on the face of the earth. (12:3)

YEARS

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