Keep the Passion Under Wraps
There is nothing more desirable than passion for G-d and His teachings. Yet that passion must be directed towards making our world a “dwelling place for G-d.” BAMIDBAR BAMIDBAR
Protect the Family of Kehos
At the end of this week’s Parsha, Bamidbar, the Torah admonishes Moses and Aaron to prevent the death of the family of Kehos.
This is what you should do for them so that they live and do not die when they approach the holy of holies… They shall not come to see when the holy things are covered up and die.
According to Rashi, the family of Kehos was charged with carrying the holy vessels of the Temple when the Jewish people would be on the road traveling through the desert between encampments. But, the Torah admonished them not to get near these vessels until after the priests would cover BAMIDBAR them up. Only after they were out of sight, would the family of Kehos be permitted to approach the vessels and carry them to their destination.
Why End on a Negative Note?
The question has been raised. Why does the Torah choose to conclude this parsha on such a negative note – the potential death of the family of Kehos? Doesn’t Jewish law dictate that a Torah reading should always end with a positive theme?
True, it is about saving them from death, but it is still not a very uplifting conclusion.
This question gets even stronger considering the fact that this is the last Shabbos Torah reading before the onset of the Festival of Shavuos, the anniversary of the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. Why would we want to preface such a negative experience (the death of the family of Kehos) to the most positive experience of Sinai?
BAMIDBAR
Connection to Sinai
Upon deeper reflection one can find a direct connection between the two themes – the need for the family of Kehos not to see the holy vessels and the giving of the Torah.
In the narrative of the events that led up to the revelation at Sinai, Moses was told by G-d to admonish the Jewish people not to get too close to the mountain. Moses responded to this command that the Jewish people would never violate G-d’s will. Why did he have to admonish them and threaten them with death? G-d then repeated His warning.
Why was G-d so concerned that they would violate His command not to approach Sinai?
The answer is that when a person is exposed to the sublime Divine experience, it ignites the passion and love for G-d. When one’s soul is on fire, it cannot restrain itself and seeks to get closer to G-d; even if it means that it will ultimately leave the body to become reunited with G-d. Despite the delight the soul would experience as a result, it is not what G-d had BAMIDBAR in mind for the soul when He sent it into the physical body.
In our Parsha too, there was a danger that a member of the Kehos family, as a result of his close proximity to the vessels of the Temple through which G-d’s presence was made manifest, would seek to get closer to them and touch them.
The vessels were like live wires, conduits of G-dly energy. Touching them would be akin to touching a live wire without proper insulation.
The covering of the vessels when they were not in use was intended to serve as insulation that would not cause them to be “electrocuted.”
G-d therefore admonished Moses and Aaron to see to it that they did not allow their souls to become ignited with such G-dly passion to the extent that they would expire.
The fact that they did not have to worry about gazing on the vessels when they were in use in the Temple can be explained.
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When is there the danger that one may be carried away with harmful passion? Only when that passion is separated from the Divine command associated with the passion.
In this case, when the vessels were being used in accordance with G-d’s will, they did not pose a danger, because the powerful energy they conducted was insulated by G-d’s command. Doing a Mitzvah carries with it the protection from any harm the Mitzvah can cause. The concern was for them to see the exposed vessels that would ignite unbridled spiritual passion within them at the wrong time, with possible fatal consequences.
Cover Your Passion
The lesson from this is clear. While holiness and spiritual experiences are wonderful, there is a time for the “holy vessels” to be covered up and concealed from sight, so that it does not prevent us from bringing its holiness into the physical world. For, our Sages tell us, that after all, the whole purpose of G-d giving the Torah to us and not leaving it for the angels BAMIDBAR was to enable us to transform the physical existence into a dwelling place for G-d. Only humans who are attached to the physical reality can accomplish that.
An angel, even if it would enter into the physical world would be ill-equipped to change it and elevate it as was seen by the time angels did inhabit human bodies. They lacked the proper balance. They were either too spiritual for the world or they became too materialistic and hedonistic to be able to bring G-dliness into the world..
Preparation for Sinai: Don’t Go to Sleep!
This also explains why we read about the covering of the vessels right before the Holiday of Shavuos. It is to underscore the objective of Torah is to make this physical world a dwelling place for G-d and not to attempt to escape from this world.
The Rebbe explains why the Jewish people were faulted for sleeping so comfortably the night before the Revelation at Mount Sinai. Their intention was to allow their souls to BAMIDBAR disengage from the physical world through sleep and thereby become more receptive to the spiritual revelation at Sinai.
This, was a well-intentioned but misguided way of preparing for an event that has as its objective bringing G-dliness down into the world and not trying to detach oneself from it.
Our Preparation for the Messianic Age
The complete realization of the goal of the revelation at Sinai, to transform the physical world into G-d’s abode, will be fully realized with the coming of Moshiach. As a preparation for this imminent event, we must focus not on removing ourselves from society to satisfy our soul’s spiritual yearnings, but to engage the world around us and introduce G-dliness within the physical realm.
While holiness and spiritual experiences are wonderful, and necessary at times, there is a time for the holy vessels to be covered up and concealed from sight, so that it does not BAMIDBAR prevent us from bringing its holiness into the physical world.
BAMIDBAR
From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Bamidbar by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
