Iturei Behaalotecha Astor 1

TORAH-FAX TORAH-FAX TORAH-FAX TORAH-FAX

BEHALITU
ITUREI HA-TORAH QUESTIONS
BEHAALOTECHA
BY RABBI CARL ASTOR
1. (9:16) It was always so: the cloud covered it a!!eari"# as a $ire %y "i#ht&
Iturei Ha-Torah: The Holy '"e assures that it will %e so i" the $uture that should
ti(es co(e )whe" the cloud will cover us) whe" dar* clouds cover Israel+s
hori,o" a"d there does"+t a!!ear to %e a #li((er o$ ho!e or cha"ce o$ delivera"ce
$ro( aw$ul circu(sta"ces we (ust "ot des!air& -e should trust i" )the
a!!eara"ce o$ $ire %y "i#ht&) I" the (idst o$ the cloud a"d the dar*"ess o$ "i#ht
li#ht will %rea* $orth the clouds will !ass a"d delivera"ce will surely co(e& (R.Y
Nissenbaum)
a& -hy is this i"ter!retatio" so a!!ro!riate $or its Bi%lical co"te.t/
%& 0a" you $i"d rece"t e.a(!les o$ this i" the 1ewish world/ -hat a%out the
Holocaust/
2. (12:3)4 while to co"vo*e the co"#re#atio" you shall %low lo"# %lasts "ot
short o"es&
Iturei Ha-Torah: -he" the childre" o$ Israel are u"ited i" their o!i"io"s a"d
sta"ds )%low lo"# %lasts (titaku)) you will %e a"chored (teku'im) as a trusty !e#
strai#ht a"d stro"# a"d you will "ot %e $ri#hte"ed (v'lo tariyu) they will "ot %e
a%le to %rea* or to crush you&
a& Is this a" accurate i"ter!retatio" o$ the di$$ere"ce %etwee" %lasts o$ the sho$ar/
%& Has the situatio" cha"#ed (uch si"ce those days a"d "ow/ -hat ca" %e do"e
realistically/
Iturei Behaalotecha Astor 5
ANSWERS
1a& This is e.actly what occurred i" E#y!t $or the Israelites& They were redee(ed
$ro( the (isery a"d dar*"ess o$ slavery&
1%&0ertai"ly this is the story o$ 1ewish history& 6or (a"y however the Holocaust
%rou#ht "o li#ht&
5a& 7es we *"ow how steady the te*iah %last is a"d how waveri"# the teruah&
However there are other i"ter!retatio"s as well&
5%& 8o we are still divided a"d $ractured a"d the stri$e wea*e"s us&
U"$ortu"ately it is "ot i" our ha"ds to cha"#e the situatio"& -e (ust
si(!ly "ot add to the ra"cor&