Dedicated to the Memory of Louis Levine z”l,
Baruch Aryeh ben Avraham Halevi,
on his Twelfth Yahrzeit, 19th of Sivan
In Parshat Behaalotcha, we find two
verses from Bamidbar 10:35-36 which we have been saying since the 13th
century, each time the Torah is removed from the ark and replaced, “Vayehi
binsoah ha’aron…”, “When the ark would journey, Moshe said, ‘Arise, God, and
let your foes be scattered, let those who hate you flee from before You…’” When
we look closely in the Chumash, we see that these verses are enclosed in upside
down letter nun’s. Why?
I
n the Talmud, Masechet Shabbat
115b-116a, the rabbis taught in a Braita, God made signs (inverted nuns) above
and below (sentences 35-36) to teach that this is not the proper place in the
Torah for these two verses. Rebbi says: It is not for this reason that the
signs appear, but rather because this section ranks as a significant book unto
itself.
The Talmud then states that the
Torah actually consists of seven books. How are the seven books of the Torah
calculated?
Rashi explains that the book of
Bamidbar is divided into three separate books:
1.
Bamidbar 1:1-10:34
2.
Bamidbar 10:35-36 (Vayehi binsoah ha’aron…)
3.
Bamidbar 10:37-36:13
If we add these three books to the
other four books of the Torah, we end up with seven.
Why do we need seven books?
According to the Talmud, seven books
are needed in order to separate between the narrative of the first punishment
and the narrative of the second punishment. The first punishment was in 10:33
(“They journeyed from the Mountain of God a three day distance…”) Rav Chama bar
Chanina commented that within three days from receiving the Torah, they already
turned away from God. The second punishment was in Bamidbar 11:11 (“And the
people took to seeking complaints”) this is the section of the “mitonenim.” “Vayehi
binsoah” is placed in between these two unfortunate incidents in order to
separate them.
If verses 35-36 are a book of the
Torah unto themselves, what lesson are they trying to teach?
The message of “Let your foes be
scattered, let those who hate you flee from before you” certainly rings true
today. Unfortunately, the State of Israel has many enemies who are looking to
destroy us from all sides. Each time that Moshe began a journey he would ask
God for protection. We should do the same.
Rashi asks who the haters of Israel
are. According to Sifre “they counsel cunningly against your people.” Today,
you can find them on Israel’s borders, in the New York Times and on social
media. We must speak out against them.
In verse 36 we read, “When the ark
rested, he (Moshe) would say, ‘Reside tranquilly, O, God, among the myriad
thousands of Israel.’” This verse is recited when the Torah is returned to the
ark.
May we reside peacefully and tranquilly
in the State of Israel and may our soldiers be safe.
