Parashat Beha’alotekha (5760)

By God’s grace, on the eve of the holy Sabbath, Parashat Beha’alotekha, 5760

The Journeying of the Ark: Those Who Walk Among Those Who Stand

In this week’s prophetic reading, taken from the book of Zechariah, Joshua the High Priest is described (from the beginning of the Second Temple period,

see Ezra chapter 3 and chapter 10, verse 8) as standing before the angel of the Lord, while Satan stands at his right

to accuse him.

There is a recurring motif in the prophetic reading that suggests to me a possible connection to the portion. Throughout

the prophetic reading there is a contrast between the human being (Joshua) and the angels, mainly in the context of standing and walking.

1. "Joshua the High Priest was standing before the angel of the Lord." 2. "And Satan was standing at his right to accuse him."

3. "Now Joshua was clothed… and standing before the angel." 4. "Then he spoke up and said to those standing before him." 5.

"They clothed him with garments, and the angel of the Lord was standing." 6. "Thus said the Lord of Hosts: If you walk in My ways… I will grant

you the capacity to walk among these who stand" [=the angels].

The weekly portion as well, which deals extensively with describing the Israelites’ journeys in the wilderness, contains

a very intensive reference to setting out and encamping (=walking and standing): in chapter 9 from verse 17:

"Whenever the cloud lifted… afterward the Israelites would set out, and in the place where the cloud rested, there the Israelites would encamp

The Israelites would set out at the command of the Lord, and the Israelites would encamp at the command of the Lord… wherever the cloud rested over the Tabernacle

they would remain encamped. And when the cloud lingered… they would not set out. And at times the cloud would be… at the command of the Lord they would encamp, and at the command of the Lord they would set out.

And at times the cloud would be from evening until morning… then the cloud lifted and they would set out… and they would set out. Or whether it was two days or a

month… the Israelites would remain encamped and would not set out, and when it lifted they would set out. And in summary: at the command of

the Lord they would encamp, and at the command of the Lord they would set out." Later in the portion, the verb "to set out" appears in almost every verse.

In addition, the section "When the Ark set out" appears here, summarizing the Ark’s journey with them.[1]

In both Talmuds, the expression "to set out at the command of the Lord" is expounded as a journey that transcends time (in the Jerusalem Talmud)

and place (in the Babylonian Talmud), a spiritual journey. It is well known that the encampments of the Israelites in the wilderness were also

spiritual stations on the road to the Land of Israel. This passage teaches us to conduct ourselves according to the Lord’s command.

For that we need a Tabernacle at the center of the camp, and the Divine Presence within it. The journeying of the Ark

is what causes us to be in the category of those who walk. A journey without the Ark is only a seeming journey, and in truth

it is standing still. Journeying and encamping, in spiritual terms, toward a spiritual goal, can only be

according to the Lord’s command.

In the prophetic reading as well, the human being, the one who walks, is presented in contrast to the angels, who stand. The angels do not

sin and they have no freedom of choice, and therefore they do not advance spiritually. They stand. Human beings,

precisely because of their capacity to sin, are called those who walk. God promises Joshua the High Priest

that if he keeps His commandments, he will receive "the capacity to walk among those who stand." He will be one who walks among those who

stand: a walking angel. Human beings have the possibility of attaining the level of angels through choice. Not

to be born that way, but to arrive at being that way. Angels too perform actions, but they

do them as God’s emissaries and not on their own initiative. Even when an angel "walks," he is actually being led; he

does not observe commandments but carries out missions. The human being is higher than the angel because he walks on his own,

on his own initiative. Only when he fulfills the commandments of his Creator, and only then, does he act on his own initiative and by his own choice.

In order for us to be in the category of those who walk, we need to "walk in His ways," as was said to Joshua.

Very often a picture is painted as though the person who keeps the commandments is an automaton, lacking autonomy

and independence. He does not make decisions on his own; everything is dictated to him from above. An angel. By contrast,

the person who does not keep the commandments is supposedly independent and autonomous. One who walks. The Sages, however,

tell us: "No one is truly free except one who engages in Torah." The reason is that the observance of a commandment

is a person’s autonomous decision to accept the yoke. By contrast, a person who does not keep the commandments

makes many value decisions (not all of them) out of fashions and environmental influences of one kind or another.

One symptom of this phenomenon is the changing of values in accordance with cultural

and social circumstances (for example, homosexuality, abortion, nationalism, and more). Sometimes this is called

"dynamism," a term with a positive connotation, but it is only a shiny cellophane wrapping

for emptiness. Another example of the verbal whitewashing that is so fashionable in our day. Values, by their very nature,

do not change (though it is true that in a changing environment the meaning and expressions of those same values can

change significantly, and this point certainly requires strengthening precisely within the religiously observant world).

Toward eternal values, far above man, one can walk, and go on walking, and never

arrive. In such a value system, a person is always one who walks. By contrast, in a value system

whose source is man, there is nowhere

to walk to. The values are "at eye level." Such values are sometimes attained and life loses its meaning, and thus the person becomes one who stands.

In addition to values that have changed, we also see examples of values that have been exhausted; we have arrived at them

(supposedly?!), and thereby they have been emptied of their content (Zionism is an excellent example of this).

Values whose foundation lies in man

(=humanistic values) come to an end or change, and therefore do not enable a person to be one who walks.

When the values are "walking," the person is "standing," and when the person is "walking," the values "stand." Only

the journeying of the Ark and the presence of a Tabernacle within the camp—eternal values—enable us to be in the category of "those who journey."

Have a peaceful Sabbath

This may be deposited for ritual burial in any synagogue or yeshiva. Comments and responses are welcome.

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[1] In Rashi on the section "When the Ark set out," he cites the Talmudic statement that this section is not found

in its proper place. It was moved from its place in order to separate between two calamities. The section "When the Ark set out" also

is itself "journeying according to the Lord’s command."

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