Towards the end of the parsha, the Torah marks off two pasukim; placing an inverted nun before and after them. Rashi explains that this was done in order to separate between two different calamities which befell Bnei Yisroel. The Ramban elaborates that the first calamity occurred when Bnei Yisroel traveled from Har Sinai and joyfully took leave "like a child running away from school." He explains that it is possible that this incident was termed a calamity because had they not sinned, Hashem would have brought them into Eretz Yisroel immediately.
Rav Wolbe writes (Alei Shur vol. II pgs. 629, 630) that in order to comprehend the sins related in the Torah we must elevate ourselves above our personal madreiga instead of bringing these events down to our level. If we could have asked anyone who experienced Matan Torah what they felt about leaving Har Sinai, we could be sure that they all would have answered that after experiencing Divine revelation and spiritual elevation it really was a shame that they had to leave so soon. These parshios describe the extent of the psychological perception divulged by the Torah. There is no way that the "Generation of Knowledge", or even the prophets who lived in their midst, were conscious of these thoughts. Nevertheless, Hashem, Who probes the recesses of a man’s heart, found them at fault for feeling deep down, "Okay, it’s time to move on."
If we contemplate our situation after Yom Kippur, we might gain insight into the sins transgressed by the lofty generation of people who left Egypt. Is the dancing after Yom Kippur an expression of joy for achieving forgiveness, or is it a manifestation of the desire to throw off the yoke of the holiest day? Do the meal, the brachos and the ensuing conversation that follow the fast, reflect the holiness that permeated the day, or is it once again a demonstration of throwing off the yoke of Yom Kippur? Why is it that specifically after a day that is spiritual in its entirety, does one feel the need to "throw off the yoke"? The reason is that it is difficult to remain in a state of spiritual intensity for an extended period of time.
When Bnei Yisroel complained, "Who will feed us meat? We remember the fish that we ate in Mitzrayim for free; the gourds and melons…and now our souls are dry for there is nothing besides the manna" (Bamidbar 11, 4-5) they were not merely griping about a lack of vegetables. It was an expression of their desire to "step down" from the elevated level of those who ate only purely spiritual food. Similarly, when Bnei Yisroel left Har Sinai, they subconsciously desired to free themselves from a constant state of loftiness. The Torah states (ibid. 11, 20), "For you have become disgusted with Hashem" and Rashi explains, "If I had not planted My Shechina in your midst, you would not have become haughty to act this way."
The sins of that generation were caused by Hashem’s Shechina dwelling amongst them and are not comparable to the sins of those living today. Moreover, they were not even conscious of those thoughts that the Torah terms as sins, while we are very familiar with our feelings about "too much" spirituality. After spending the entire night of Shavuos studying the Torah, did we walk home feeling elated that we were given the key to a purposeful existence, or did we feel that we fulfilled our duty and could now take a break for a while?
This dvar Torah was compiled by the family of the Mashgiach Harav Shlomo ben R’ Moshe z"l, l’iluy nishmaso
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Important Numbers
