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This Shabbat we read the Torah portion known as Parashat Beha'alotcha. Here we encounter a disturbing moment of the Children of Israel bitterly complaining about their situation and being quite ungrateful. After all the miracles they have witnessed with their very own eyes, it is hard to accept that our ancient ancestors could have been so unappreciative. And yet, it appears that this was exactly the case.
Apparently, many of the people had become quite fed up with eating only manna. The Torah quotes their words of complaint in chapter 11, verses 5 and 6 of the book of Numbers; "We remember the fish that we ate in Egypt at no cost, the cucumbers and the melons, the leeks and the onions and the garlic. And now our soul is dried out, without anything; we have nothing except this manna before our eyes!"
Were the people really looking back fondly upon their lives in Egypt? This is where they were enslaved! How can it be?
We can learn something important about human nature from this embarrassing moment in Jewish history. It is very difficult for human beings to be satisfied with what we have, and we seem to sometimes have very short and distorted memories. In their moment of hunger for eating something different, the people only recalled some of the variety of foods they had been able to eat in Egypt, while they seem to have forgotten about the oppressive slavery they had been enduring. Instead of realizing how grateful and amazed they should have been to have access to the miracle of the nutritious manna, they could only focus on the flavors and textures they were missing.
Unfortunately, this may still be the case for us, at times, even today. It can be challenging to feel appreciative and satisfied with what we do have. It is part of our nature to crave and feel entitled to more.
Hopefully, this story from the Torah can remind us of the perspective we should strive for. Studying this example of ungratefulness from our ancestors can demonstrate to us that we may be doing roughly the same thing.
So, while we take comfort, joy, and enjoyment in all of the things that we have, our material possessions along with all of the delicious foods we are privileged to enjoy, let us be deeply aware of the gratitude we should feel for all of our blessings. And, unlike some of these ancient ancestors, let us make an effort not to complain about whatever it is which we lack.
Shabbat Shalom.
Cantor Zachary Konigsberg
cantorzkonigsberg@gmail.com
917-696-0749
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