Beha’alotcha to set up (candles)
Numbers 8:1 - 12:16

          This week’s Torah portion contains a major turning point in Bamidbar, the Book of Numbers. The first ten chapters describe the preparation of the children of Israel for their journey to the promised land. The last part of that preparation is found in chapters 8-9. In these chapters we have a description of the consecration of the priesthood.  The tenth chapter describes the initial movements of the children of Israel .  Then beginning in chapter 11 we have the beginning of the journey. Unfortunately, the attitude of the people found at the beginning of the journey sets the tone for the whole journey. No sooner does the journey begin then the people complain. As the journey begins we find this week three different complaints of the people. First is the overall complaint of discomfort. The people simply do not like travelling in the desert!  This complaint kindles the anger of God. Just as the situation of the golden camp, God was about to destroy the people, but Moses intervened.  The second complaint follows immediately. They complained about the diet that God had provided. However, not only did they complain about the food, but they lamented at the fact that they no longer had the good Egyptian food to eat! They missed Egypt !   God tells Moses that he will provide meat for the people to eat. When Moses questions God’s ability to provide so much food, God responds with one of the great statements in all of the Bible, “Is the Lord’s power limited? Now you shall see whether My word will come true for you or not”  God brought to pass his word and provided meat for the people. Finally the third complaint comes from an unlikely source - Aaron and Miriam.  Although I do not have the space to explore the source of their dissatisfaction, they questions the unique authority of Moses.  God chastens Miriam and she is stricken with a skin disease. Aaron repents and begs Moses to forgive. Moses prays to God for the life of Miriam and her life is spared. In these episodes we see the importance of prayer, trust and repentance in our relationship with God.  All of us are in a sense like our ancestors in the wilderness. We face hardships and disappointments.
          The choice is ours as to how we respond and the quality of life that we have. If we pray and intercede for ourselves and others, trust in God’s ability to act and repent when we sin, we will find victory even in the midst of difficult circumstances. It was as a result of a lack of prayer, trust and repentance that an entire generation of Israelites died in the wilderness, never reaching the promised land.  If we are going to make it to the “land” we must stop our rebellion and turn to God. The first step is to receive the atonement for our sins that he provided in Yeshua the Messiah. If Yeshua is truly the Messiah, to not believe is rebellion. Once we have received God’s atonement in the Messiah we must pray when our circumstances are uncomfortable, so we can be content knowing that God is at work, guiding and directing our paths. We must always trust that He will indeed provide and finally we must always be confessing our sins to God so we can maintain the close relationship that we have with him.  God’s desire is that we have a life of joy and devotion to Him. The choice is ours. Shabbat Shalom!