Shabbat
Portion Ba Midbar Between a (desert of) Rock and 40 Hard Years (of wandering)?
- פרטים
- קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
- פורסם ברביעי, 02 דצמבר 2020 17:30
- נכתב על ידי Super User
- כניסות: 703
Portion Ba Midbar Between a (desert of) Rock and 40 Hard Years (of wandering)?
More Accurately, "Between Egypt and Canaan"?
Bamidbar Means "in the desert"
After a couple of major failings, the Israelites are sent to "desert boot camp"
It was to train them to not worship idols (Golden Calves)
And to learn not to always complain (like after the spies)
etc.
But Wasn't it also to train Joshua and the New Leadership?
The desert is a test - and a training - for people miraculously freed from slavery.
Was it training for war? For spiritual development? To develop a broader community?
SO THE TROOPS ARE COUNTED - at the beginning of the Portion-
and they DID NOT WORSHIP IDOLS 40 YEARS
and they rarely complained to Joshua during the 14 years of his leadership.
I heard a class where a famous Rabbi claimed the Israelites trained there 40 years -
not for war - but how to Live and Love Shabbos! (and its laws).
According to Rabbi Carlebach in the vein of some Master Rebbes
One Can Look at everything as "Shabbos" if you look forward to Shabbos!
Living in the desert and surviving there was certainly some form of
Living in the Bosom of Hashem - the Almighty - as Shabbat should be.
Did they have music? Yes - we are still singing Moses' song(S) -
(a few of them are written in the torah)
Did they dance? Yes - Miriam started at the sea - and there must have been other occasions
Because we don't see Israelites complaining about HER - the dance-leader of the women.
So were they just learning laws? Or music and dance?
Reb Shlomo Carlebach taught us - like Rebbe Nachman did-
That they had to learn there skills - so that
even when you think you are high spiritually -
and then fall the next minute - you can get up again!
And as the Lubavitcher Rebbe taught "his troops" - the Chabadniks-
the way to STAY close to G-d - and to always Get Up
is to do MivTzoyim - masses of mitzvas - all the time.
We will all get out of these shutdowns -
and doing mitzvas will help us train-
For a better time and a better life!
Shabbat Shalom - Health and Safety
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz