Behaalotcha

📜 The Story

This week's parsha is called Behaalotcha, which means "when you light." Hashem told Aharon the Kohen to light the seven lamps of the golden Menorah in the Mishkan every day, so that its light would shine forward and brighten the space in front of it.

The Leviim, the special tribe chosen to serve in the Mishkan, were purified and dedicated to their holy work. Then Hashem gave a wonderful gift called Pesach Sheni, a Second Pesach one month later, for anyone who had been unable to bring the Pesach offering on time because they were impure or far from the camp. Hashem showed that He always wants to give people another chance to do a mitzvah.

Hashem's cloud rested over the Mishkan and guided the whole camp of Bnei Yisrael through the desert. When the cloud lifted, the people packed up and traveled. When the cloud settled down, they stopped and made camp. Two silver trumpets were made to call the people together and to signal when it was time to journey.

Sadly, some people complained about the manna and cried for meat, remembering foods from Egypt. Moshe felt the burden of leading the whole nation was too heavy, so Hashem told him to choose seventy elders to help him. Hashem placed some of the spirit that was on Moshe onto these elders, and two of them, Eldad and Meidad, began to prophesy in the camp.

At the end of the parsha, Miriam and Aharon spoke about Moshe in a way they should not have, and Miriam was afflicted with tzaraat as a result. The whole camp waited for her for seven days out of love and respect before continuing their journey. The Torah tells us that Moshe was more humble than any person on the face of the earth, a beautiful lesson for us all.