Alshich's Thoughts on BaMidbar Perek Yud

One of the most iconic verses in the liturgy is וַיְהִי בִּנְסֹעַ הָאָרֹן, which we say every time we take out the Torah. But when you look at the Pasuk, we see something strange going on. 

לה) וַיְהִי בִּנְסֹעַ הָאָרֹן וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה קוּמָה יְיָ וְיָפֻצוּ אֹיְבֶיךָ וְיָנֻסוּ מְשַׂנְאֶיךָ מִפָּנֶיךָ

When we're taking out the Aron to travel, why, of all things, are we specifically asking Hashem to scatter our enemies?

Alshich quotes the Gemara in Megillah (10b) that talks about whenever the word וַיְהִי is used in Tanach, always introduces a painful narrative. Evidently, the next story is the nation complaining and then Hashem unleashing a fire in the camp followed by the more famous story of קברות הטאוה. But before are after the Pasukim of וַיְהִי בִּנְסֹעַ הָאָרֹן, there are inverted נ's separating the Pasukim out from everything else. With that being the case, how is taking out the Aron a painful story?

Alshich compares to time of taking out the Aron to Rosh HaShanah. Both are directly ahead of times of judgement, the Aron before traveling in the always treacherous desert and on Rosh HaShanah before we are judged over whether we deserve to be written in the Book of Life. We are scared that if Hashem decides to punish us, he will dispatch enemies against us to destroy us. Bnei Yisrael were scared that traveling in the מדבר was like a ticking time bomb. They had already gone through the ordeal of עמלק and it had to be only a matter of time until something like that happened again. At the point right before the Aron left, there was nothing Bnei Yisrael could really do anymore. They could not take back what they had done and Hashem had decreed what he had decreed. The language of וַיְהִי בִּנְסֹעַ הָאָרֹן is completely elevated and detached. Bnei Yisrael are not even mentioned- the Aron is referred to like it's own entity and Moshe is the one saying 'קומה ה. We're not talking about destroying enemies but instead scattering and removing them before a fight even starts, something people could not possibly do. With Hashem in complete control, all Bnei Yisrael could do was entreat Hashem for his mercy and hope that he would forgive them. They acknowledge that Hashem is on a higher level than them and that only he could step up- קוּמָה- to save them. Everything was in Hashem's control. Right before they traveled was a moment where Bnei Yisrael felt most vulnerable knowing that the trip they were about to go on could very well be their last. All they could do is put everything they had into their davening to Hashem so that He would let them survive one more time. May we begin to understand that at the end of the day Hashem will determine what happens in the world but at the same time realize that if we put everything into our davening and believe completely in Hashem we have the ability to be קרע את רע הגזרה.

ראוי לשית לב אל לשון ויהי שהוא לשון צער (מגילה י ב). וגם למה ייחד הדברים ההם לנסיעה. ואומרו שובה ה' לנייחא:

 

(לה) אך יהיה כענין תיקון תפלת יום הזכרון, באומרו ובכן תן פחדך וכו'. והוא כי להיות היום ההוא יום דין, אנו מחלים פני אל, יתןפחדו על כל הגוים הבלתי יראים את ה', וייראוהו וישתחוו לו יתברך. אך בהיות עתות רצון אנו מחלים פניו יתברך, ירצנו וייטב לנו עלדרך זה. הנה כי אין ספק כי עת הטלטל הארון ממקום למקום, שמייחסת בצד מה טלטול אל השכינה כביכול. כמאמר הכתוב ואהיהמתהלך באהל ובמשכן (שמואל ב, ז ז), והוא עת בחינת רוגז. וזהו אומרו ויהי בנסוע שהוא לשון צער, הפך עת הנייחא שהוא רצוןומנוחה. ועל כן בנסיעה שהוא עת רוגז מה, אז, ויאמר משה קומה ה' והטל הרוגז על אויביך. שיפוצו וינוסו משנאיך:

Alshich's Thoughts on BaMidbar Perek Hei

A lot happens in BaMidbar Perek Hei between Sotah and the procedure for a Korban Chatat, but Alshich actually has only one comment on the entire Perek, on Pasukim Bet and Gimmel. Hashem tells Moshe:

        

ב) צַו אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וִישַׁלְּחוּ מִן הַמַּחֲנֶה כָּל צָרוּעַ וְכָל זָב וְכֹל טָמֵא לָנָפֶשׁ

ג) מִזָּכָר עַד נְקֵבָה תְּשַׁלֵּחוּ אֶל מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה תְּשַׁלְּחוּם וְלֹא יְטַמְּאוּ אֶת מַחֲנֵיהֶם אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי שֹׁכֵן בְּתוֹכָם

In Perek Daled of BaMidbar, we hear all about how Shevet Levi is separate from the rest of the nation, with the three different families, Kehat, Gershom, and Merrari, all receiving special responsibilities relating to the Mishkan. Then we go straight to these Pasukim (after a vintage וַיְדַבֵּר יקוק אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר). What's the Smichut Parshiot? 

According to Alshich, the connection is that after reading Perek Daled, it seems like the Leviim are on a much higher level of Kedushah that the rest of the nation because of all the additional opportunities they have to serve Hashem through the Mishkan, and going back to Perek Bet, because they're closer to the Mishkan than anyone else in the alignment of the camp. In these Pasukim, though, Hashem makes clear that just because the Leviim have these responsibilities, they are not holier than the rest of the nation. All these people, the person afflicted with צרעת, the person who is a זב, and the person who is טמא למת, have to go not just outside the לויה where the Leviim are encamped but the entire camp because Hashem says אֲנִי שֹׁכֵן בְּתוֹכָם- I am rested my presence there. Just because the presence of Hashem is most evident by the Mishkan where actions are actively carried out in front of G-d does not mean that Hashem's presence isn't everywhere in the camp. In fact, Bnei Yisrael have an opportunity to praise Hashem more than the Leviim every day because the camp isn't fortified. With the Shvatim on the outside, they're the first ones who would be threatened should Bnei Yisrael be attacked, and attack seems like a likely circumstance when you're traveling in the middle of a desert. But Bnei Yisrael see firsthand that they are not attacked and the reason is that Hashem is protecting them. The entire camp of Bnei Yisrael was imbued with Hashem's presence. In the center at the Mishkan, Bnei Yisrael served Hashem directly while in the outer part where the Shvatim resided, Bnei Yisrael had the opportunity to believe wholeheartedly in Hashem that He would be with them and watch every day as Hashem performed an astounding miracle in protecting them from attack. 
That is the case as well in the world today- we may not have the Beit HaMikdash, but we have the opportunity every day to see the miracles of Hashem that He continue to keep us alive even as we live a treacherous existence in Galut. May we continue to believe in Hashem's limitless ability to shield us from harm and merit to experience a more direct interaction with Hashem in the time of Mashiach, Bimheirah Biyameinu. Amein.

צו את בני ישראל וישלחו מן המחנה כל צרוע וכל זב וכל טמא לנפש. מזכר עד נקבה תשלחו אל מחוץלמחנה תשלחום ולא יטמאו את מחניהם אשר אני שכן בתוכם (ב - ג):

 

(ב) ראה הוא יתברך, והנה יאמר נא ישראל, אין שכינה שורה רק במשכן וסביביו במחנה לויה. כי על כן עשה עיקר מנשיאת ראש בנילוי ומחניתם סביב למשכן, ככל הכתוב במקראות. על כן למען ידעו בני ישראל, כי גם במחניהם שכינה שוכנת אתם, על כן צוה למו (ג)וישלחו מן המחנה כל צרוע וכל זב כו'. והטעם הוא אשר אני שוכן בתוכם:

 

 

ויעשו כן בני ישראל וישלחו אותם אל מחוץ למחנה כאשר דבר יי אל משה כן עשו בני ישראל. (ד):

 

ויעשו כן וכו' חזר ואמר כאשר דבר ה' אל משה כן עשו בני ישראל. יתכן, כי כאשר דבר ה' אל משה טרם יספיק לאומרו להם.עשו כן בני ישראל מסברא, באומרם, כי לא על חנם עשאם דגלים ממין מחנות מלאכי מרכבתו, אם לא לשכון בתוכם. עם שלא יבצר,היות יותר קדושה במחנה שכינה ומחנה לויה כנודע. כי מה שבישראל, הוא התפשטות שכינה, כמדובר למעלה בסמוך. כי על כן בישראל נאמר, כל יוצא צבא ובלויים כל הבא לצבא

 

A (Not All That) Brief Introduction to Alshich

Hi. I'm Alshich (well, not really, but you get the idea) and in this blog I'm going to highlight the key elements of my Peirush on the Torah that I wrote nearly a half-century ago. But first, most of you (who aren't listening...except for you, Mrs. Goldfischer...hi) don't know much about who I am. Let me introduce myself.

I, Moshe Alshich was born in 1508 in Adrianople, Turkey and I was privileged to be a student of Rav Yosef Karo in his Yeshivah there. In the early 1530's, Rav Karo left for Eretz Yisrael and I went with him, arriving in Tzfat in 1535 after several stops. After I arrived in Israel, Rav Karo ordained me as a rabbi and I served on his rabbinical court. I was a nice little rabbi but not one who anyone was going to remember- until I got my big break. I was pretty quiet but Rav Karo somehow had a revelation that one of the Seventy Facets of the Torah was imparted onto me. How did that happen? Well, here's the story, although you can believe what you want to believe.

One Motzei Shabbat, I was walking when suddenly I saw a poor man wishing his wife a Shavua Tov and then singing about Eliyahu HaNavi. His wife started criticizing him for singing, asking why he was singing when the family couldn't even put food on the table. I appreciated the man's passion for Hashem and decided to cover my face and throw a bag of gold coins into the house. Apparently Shamayim was impressed by my anonymous Tzedakah, but the Satan wanted to test me himself to see if I was really so righteous. The next Shabbat, I saw a poor person in shul who exclaimed that he was ravenous and I invited him to my house for a Shabbat meal. I gave him food but he just kept eating and eating and kept staying he was starving. Eventually I ran out of food but I told him that I would feed him more after Shabbat. The next day, I sent an ox to the Shocheit to feed this man, but I found out it was Treif. I sent another one- it was also Treif. I kept sending ox after ox and either there was some plague in my cattle or the Shocheit was hallucinating because 39 straight oxen will all slaughtered and found to be Treif. I sent number 40, and it was finally Kosher, but by the time it was prepared the man staying at my house had disappeared. (How did I get rich enough to do something like that? Uh.... good question.) The Satan admitted that I truly was righteous and the heavenly court rewarded me with one of these sketchy-sounding "Facets of the Torah."

The Shabbat after that, I overslept by a few minutes and was running late to Shul. I was so embarrassed, and it only got worse than I walked in and realized that everyone was waiting for me. Rav Karo asked me to speak. My first reaction was utter shock- Rav Karo always gave the sermon on the Parsha before davening and I had never done anything like that my entire life- but the Rav made me. As it turned out, the crowd was amazed by the incisiveness of my Dvar Torah and I gave the weekly talk on the Parsha every week for the rest of my life and my Peirush on the Torah, originally titled Torat Moshe, is based on those sermons.

I up writing commentaries on just about every book in Tanach to go along with a commentary on the Haggadah, a series of Shailas and Teshuvahs, and also a series of poems called Shaarei Tzion. My commentary's goal was to find a moral lesson in each Pasuk of Tanach, quoting the Gemara, Midrash, Zohar, and occasionally some of my contemporary commentators to make that happen. I am glad that many of my thoughts on Tanach continue to resonate until this day.

Speaking of the Zohar, I was living in Tzfat during the same time as the Arizal but the Ari HaKodesh said that my purpose in the world was to interpret the words of the Torah, not to delve into the secrets of Kabbalah, and every time I tried to go to one of his Shiurim, I fell asleep. However, I may have accidentally played a big role in getting the Ari to accept disciples when I made Rav Chayim Vital, my student who is more famous as the transcriber of the teachings of Arizal, tell me everything he could about Arizal, and after seeing how his teachings affected me even as someone whose principle focus was not Kabbalah, he gradually began to allow more people to learn under him. I can't take full credit for that (I was kind of being selfish, wanting the Arizal's teachings for myself and forcing Rav Chayim to tell me what he knew, but let's keep that aside), but it was an honor to be even a footnote of history in that regard.

I spent most of my life in Tzfat, but I later left to go to Damascus and died there around 1593. I was lucky to contribute to the Jewish world in many ways through my teaching of Torah, my Halachic rulings, and as one of the heads of the Jewish community of Tzfat, but my legacy until today is through my commentaries.

Shifting Gears

This website was a lot of fun to do, but there's no point of writing it if no one is going to read it so I stopped writing it. Since I have this Blogger account anyway, I'm going to use it for my Alshich project for my 12R1 Chumash class. So for all you people who have not been following this blog, you have been warned.