Parshas Beha’aloscha: Unfulfilled Dreams

“The rabble that was among them cultivated a craving, and the Children of Israel also turned, and they wept, and said, ‘Who will feed us meat? We remember the fish that we would eat in Egypt free of charge; the cucumbers, and the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now, our life is parched, there is nothing; we have nothing before our eyes but the manna!’” –Numbers 11:4-6

“Clearly, the Jews were not receiving free fish in Egypt considering that they did not even receive straw free of charge! Rather, they were saying that the fish in Egypt came free of any obligation to perform the Divine commandments.” –Rashi ibid quoting Talmud Yoma p.75

Try to imagine the scenario. The Jews just received the Torah at Sinai. They were subjected to the highest level of Divine revelation known to humankind. After some squabbling about a lack of food, G-d decided to rain down upon them a daily portion of manna. This manna was no ordinary food. The Talmud maintains that the manna tasted like every delicacy imaginable to the eater. There is even an opinion that the texture of the manna changed based on the appetite of the eater. So what happened to these ingrate rabble-rousers? How could the Jews who had every single delicacy possible (in the manna) desire meat, fish, and some appetizers to the point that they viewed themselves as parched and having nothing? Frankly, as slaves in Egypt they did not have access to these foods anyways, so why the sudden desire?

Human desire dictates a striving for the elusive fulfillment of our fantasies. Although the Jewish People had no access to these delicacies, (according to Rashi) their imagination however was fueled by the dream of returning to a kinder and better Egypt. A place where all misdeeds would be bygones and the lamb and the wolf would lie together peacefully. Rashi understands their desire to be a hearkening back to the days when they were under no obligation to observe the commandments. They recalled the fish that requires minimal halakhic preparation and longed to eat their meat in the same way. They did not want to be burdened with the intricate laws of kosher. They wanted the easy way out. So how did it manifest itself? In the most base of ways. They had cattle they had brought along from Egypt, so meat was not the real issue. It is also hard to imagine that their craving for a couple of appetizers made them feel that their daily sumptuous meals was insufficient. The verse lets us in on their final complaint: The new laws curbing intimate relations between relatives. It started out as a desire for fish and meat, then it accelerated to desiring some hors d'oeuvres, and finally they just desired having illicit relations.

It seems that they desired to get back in touch with their animalistic tendencies. The manna was food from Heaven. True, it tasted like every delicacy imaginable, but there were strings attached: G-d. The people were craving their old ways. They had the best life possible, but it required a connection to G-d. The easy way out was to dream about a life that never actually existed, but it promised them a future without obligations. That dream seemed so much easier.

We all know how applicable this Torah portion is in our own lives. How many times do we shy away from a more committed Torah lifestyle because we are fearful of the strings attached? Deep down we are aware that every delicacy possible is served on the buffet of a traditional lifestyle, but we still cling onto the promises of a dream world from Hollywood that people have yet to experience. Why suffer for fish and leeks, if we are being offered the world’s greatest opportunities in the form of a Torah lifestyle!