Behaalotjá 5775 - English

Behaalotkha

In this section we find one of the shortest prayers in our history.  

This Parashah tells us how Miriam was tortured by an affliction of the skin after an episode of gossip regarding her brother Moses.  And it was no one but Moses who prayed for her recovery.  This is one of those paradoxes in life that reflect spiritual greatness.  

The few Hebrew words used in this prayer can be translated as: “O God, pray heal her!” (Numbers 12:13) 

One cannot help but be amazed at the brevity of this prayer, especially considering that Moses could well have composed something more poetic, more elaborate, and more profound in favor of his dear sister. 

The great commentator Rashi provides two possible explanations for this interesting question.  

According to the first explanation, Moses wanted to avoid the sorrow of his people in the sense of him abounding in prayer while his sister lay suffering.  The other was to prevent comments such as “for his sister he does not skimp on words, but for others he limits himself to the bare minimum…”

From this contradictory interpretation, my teacher Pinjas Peli z”l concluded that a leader, no matter what he does, will never be free from criticism.  

Beyond the sensibility and nobility behind Moses’ attitude, perhaps there is a highly spiritual teaching within this concise and laconic sentence.  

The Talmud (Berajot 48ª) points out that whoever finds himself in front of a crowd must recite the following prayer: Blessed are You… who knows the deepest thoughts of each person.

This blessing is not centered on size, numbers, or power, but instead it recognizes that each individual is a world of his or her own, and that within this world, there are thoughts and emotions that are unique to each of us.  These are valued in the context of the crowd and are in no way lost in the throng.  

Without a doubt, this is a transcendent message for our multitude-oriented, and in a way depersonalized, world.  A world of lonely crowds. 

The most impressive thing about a crowd is not the amount of people, but the ability to distinguish the individual note in the group.   

Moses’ prayer is apparently short, but preciously significant in its character.  

In these few words, Moses was able to transmit the depth of his brotherly feelings in a vehement and intense expression.  From this, we deduce that what matters is the quality of the intention and not the amount of words.  

This does not mean we should require little to be content with our lives.  On the contrary, regarding our Jewish practice and our personal devotion, we should set authentic quality as our goal.  

Our sages from the Talmud already instilled upon us that in the spiritual dimension, the involvement of the heart is the most essential part.  

Rabbi Daniel Kripper