Dr. Mantell comments that the parashah begins with raising the flame of the menorah, followed by deep dissatisfaction and anger by the people. He cites Sforno, who wrote that emotional reliance is not built through isolation, but through connection. The connection of the soul to the Divine is reflected in the candle light.
Dr. Helman writes that God literally forces the Israelites to “eat their words”; they complain bitterly about eating nothing but manna and wish to return to Egypt where the food was good and plentiful and God overwhelms them with quail. She notes that in reality, the past usually isn’t as good as we remember, our present isn’t as bad as we think, and we should be grateful for what we have.
Rabbi Sacks comments on Moses’ dire reaction to the appalling ingratitude of the Israelites, which has happened multiple times in the past. He expresses his despair to God, Who instructs him to establish an administration of elders to assist him. Interestingly, this is exactly what Yitro recommended before. And amazingly, Moses is calmer.
Rabbi Austrian considers the enigma of this verse: ‘If we are being routed by our enemies, then how can there be no pursuer?’ He cites the early sages who understood that the verse makes a distinction between enemies external to the community and enemies from within the community.
Dr. Lehman considers the challenge of the textual distinction between Israelites and non-Israelites with regard to slavery. It is especially disturbing in light of the recent Exodus narrative; the narrative of Israelites being enslaved by non-Israelite taskmasters is now inverted. How do we reconcile with the text?
Rabbi Sacks writes about the natural tendency towards radical economic inequality that results from the free market. He observes that while the objective of the Torah is not to abolish ownership of property, it does require equity, which implies some redistribution of property.
Ethan Pressman writes about the Haftarah for Machar Chodesh, which tells of Saul’s rabid jealousy of David. The power of jealousy can be deadly, as this author points out.
Rabbi Richman writes about the disconnect between the book of “Numbers” beginning with the census, which implies organization and communal protection, and the Hebrew name, “Bamidbar”, which implies chaos and disorder. By definition, the wilderness is untamed, yet it also reflects an intermediate place during a period of transformation.
Rabbi Sacks writes about the connection between the Sedra and the Haftarah. Bamidbar is read on the Shabbat preceding Shavuot, which acknowledges the giving of the Torah, the living connection between the people and God. In the Haftarah, Hosea writes of love, his love for his wife who betrayed him, and God’s love the Israel, who betrayed Him.
Adina Gerver summarizes the parashah simply: God promises agricultural abundance during the 7th year, which should invoke compliance. If this promise is not adequate for compliance, Bechukotai provides the warning of what comes next. The poetic pairing of reward and punishment in our relationship with the earth continues. Today we find Talmudic loopholes that allow us to continue in our disregard for the earth. Yet the truth of climate change today poses a major threat to us.