Parashat Beha'alotcha - Seventh Aliyah
Read the biblical text and try to understand it on your own, before reading the commentary.
Numbers 11:30 - 12:16
The seventh aliyah of Parashat Beha’alotcha opens with the end of the story of the quail, moves into the description of the dreadful plague that followed the lust for meat, and reaches another dramatic climax: the episode of Miriam and Aaron’s slander against Moses.
This is one of the most powerful aliyot in all the Torah. It deals with questions of character, leadership, holiness, desire, humility, and prophecy. Let us dive in:
The lust for meat and the plague of fire
“Veruach nasa me’et Adonai vayagaz salvim min hayam…” (And a wind went forth from God and swept quail from the sea) - Numbers 11:31.
The people received what they had asked for: not manna but meat. A great deal of meat. “Vayishtechu lahem shato’ach svivot hamachaneh” (They spread them out for themselves around the camp). But it was not a gift but a test, and very quickly it became a punishment:
“Habasar odenu bein shineihem… vayach Adonai ba’am makah rabah me’od” (The meat was still between their teeth… and God struck the people with a very great plague).
Desire, when it is severed from gratitude, from contemplation of an ideal, from divine understanding, gives birth to a grave:
“Kivrot Hata’avah” (Graves of Lust).
What a searing name for a place. How symbolic: not a town, not an oasis, not redemption, a grave. And there were buried not only the lustful, but also the possibility of living from simple faith and trust.
Slander and the strike upon prophecy
And from there, the plot suddenly shifts, without warning, without prelude:
“Vatdaber Miryam ve’Aharon beMoshe…” (And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses) - Numbers 12:1.
This is a rare moment in the Torah in which an internal dispute is uncovered within the leadership of Israel. Not enemies, but a brother and a sister. And from what does the dispute begin? From what seems marginal: concerning the Cushite woman whom Moses took.
But behind it lies a far deeper claim:
“Harak ach beMoshe diber Adonai?!” (Has God indeed spoken only through Moses?!).
This is a dispute over status, prophetic inspiration, the gradation among prophets. And the Holy One responds, but not quietly and not in the usual way. Suddenly, without preparation, all at once, He calls them out:
“Pit’om el Moshe ve’el Aharon ve’el Miryam tze’u shlashtechem…” (Suddenly, to Moses and to Aaron and to Miriam: Come out, the three of you).
And as He stands in the cloud, the Holy One emphasizes: there are degrees in prophecy. And Moses:
“Bechol beiti ne’eman hu… peh el peh adaber bo…” (In all My house he is faithful… mouth to mouth do I speak with him).
The climax comes when Miriam is punished with leprosy. And Moses’ response does not delay even for a moment. He does not take revenge, does not accuse, but cries out:
“El na refa na lah” (God, please, heal her, please).
Only five words. A short prayer that has become a symbol of bearing prayer for the one who has hurt you.
A thought for the week
The seventh aliyah is a powerful lesson on the boundaries of desire, the destructive power of the tongue, but also on a greatness of spirit and a humility unmatched. Moses, described thus:
“Veha’ish Moshe anav me’od mikol ha’adam…” (And the man Moses was very humble, more than any person…)
He is the one who reveals to us what true humility is: not to nullify yourself, but to know your place and act with complete humility even when you know that you are the greatest among people.
The message is sharp: true humility is not shrinking, but bearing yourself to your full stature, without diminishing others.
More Questions on the Parsha
How Does the Verse 'Al Pi Hashem B'yad Moshe' Symbolize the Connection Between Heaven and Earth?
The phrase 'al pi Hashem b'yad Moshe' (Numbers 10:13) is short but loaded. How does it embody the connection between divine command and human leadership, between heaven and earth.
Why Do the Levites Retire from 'Active' Service at Age 50, and Is This Age Set Up for Spiritual Success?
Why do the Levites retire from active service in the Tabernacle precisely at age fifty? The transition from physical shoulder-work to a mature spiritual role, and the connections of the number 50 in Judaism.
Why Was Pesach Sheni Not Given Directly to Moses, but Passed Through the Children of Israel?
Pesach Sheni was given only after impure people approached Moses and asked 'lama nigara' (why are we left out). Why was this law not given directly from Hashem, and what does it teach about a human question creating new Torah.