Audio Summaries of the daily Chumash portions In loving memory of Ousher Zelig ben Myer HaLevi Z”LTo sponsor an episode please visit: https://itistaught.com/support-this-project/To get the daily chumash summaries in your email click here https://substack.com/profile/182692001-sarede-rachel-switzer?utm_source=profile-page.Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsPlease consider leaving a review on the platform of your choice! For comments and inquiries, email itistaught@gmail.comThe Israelites Complain Asking For MeatThis section of Chumash (until where Moshe tells G-d to rest – see below) has an inverted letter נ placed before and after it to indicate that it is chronologically out of place. Logically, this section should have appeared earlier on (in Bamidbar, Chapter 2) where the layout of the Israelite camp is discussed.The reason for its appearance here, is so that there would be an interruption between two different events which involve trouble, namely 1)earlier in verse 10:33 “They journeyed from the Mountain of G-d”, an allusion to making distance between G-d and the Israelites, which Rashi interprets as the first inklings of their inappropriate demand for meat which occurs in Bamidbar 11:4) and 2)The sin of “those who seek pretexts” (Bamidbar 11:1).In the course of the Israelites’ journey, the ark would travel three days ahead of them, causing Moshe to call out to it to stop and wait for them and not go further from them. He also declared that G-d’s enemies, (i.e the enemies of the Israelites, since whoever hates Israel, hates G-d) be scattered and flee*.*Side note: “Scattered” applies to those who have gathered together to attack the Israelites but have not done so yet, while “Flee” applies to those who have already begun to chase after the Israelites.Once the ark came to a rest, Moshe would say, “Rest, G-d, amongst the myriads* of thousands of Israel. “*Side note: Rashi interprets this to mean that the Shchina does not rest on Israel if they number less than twenty two thousand.The nation* were looking for something to complain about, hoping it would reach G-d’s ears and provoke Him. They whine about how fatigued they are from walking for three days straight without rest. This causes G-d to become angry, since it was for their own good that He was having them move quickly so that they could enter the Land immediately. A fire of G-d burns in their midst and consumes the “mixed multitude”** who were the most sinful amongst them.*Side note, the word used here for “the nation”, i.e. הָעָם is only used in reference to the wicked. Other examples of such uses include Shmos 17:4 and Yermiyahu 13:10- see there. This is in contrast to the term עַמִּי (literally “my nation” which is used to connote their righteousness, as in Shmos 8:16 and Micha 6:3)**Side note, according to Rabbi Shimon ben Menassia, it was actually the most prominent amongst them who were consumed, as they had the power to squelch the rebellion and didn’t.The nation cries out to Moshe, Moshe prays to G-d and the fire falls in place into the earth (if it would have turned to one side of the camp, it would have rolled along that entire side and destroyed more).Rashi likens this to a mortal king who is angry with his son and then the son asks the king’s closest friend to ask the king to forgive him (the son).Moshe names the place “Tav’erah” (related to the word in Hebrew “to burn”), as an allusion to the fire of G-d that burned there.The mixed multitude, who had attached themselves to the Israelites upon leaving Egypt, started having strong cravings. This was followed by the Israelites who joined in, crying out asking who would feed them meat?This was merely a pretext for complaining, since in reality, they had taken flocks and cattle with them when they left Egypt (see Shmos 12:38), and they definitely had some left over as is evidence from Bamidbar 32:1 which it states that the children of Reuven had a lot of cattle.The Israelites begin to reminisce about the free* fish they had eaten in Egypt, as well as the cucumbers, watermelons, leeks, onions and garlic. They specified these foods as these were the only food items the manna did not change into, as they are harmful to nursing mothers. Rashi likens this to a king who instructs his son’s teacher to prevent his son from eating or drinking anything harmful, yet the son complains to the father that these restrictions are due to him not wanting him to eat.*Side note: Not free as in “free of charge” but rather free of stipulations (i.e to adhere to the Torah)They complain about only having manna to eat, night and day.As a response to this, the Chumash describes how great the manna was, saying it was round like a coriander seed and looked like crystal, illustrating that they had nothing to complain about. The Israelites would casually walk up (i.e without exertion) to the manna and gather it up. It would taste...
