(Numbers 10:1-13:16)

(Haftara: Jeremiah 46:13-28)

1. [10:19] “And God brought a very strong west wind which removed the locusts…” The plagues are obvious miracles. Why does God sometimes use natural means to bring them or remove them? They should also be removed through miracles.
2. [12:9] The Passover lamb was supposed to be eaten roasted and one was not allowed to break its bones. In addition to this one was supposed to eat it quickly, with one’s shoes on and a staff in one’s hand. What effect would all of these detailed commandments have on the Israelites?
3. [12:11] “…and you shall eat it in haste…” “Haste” or “energy” is a value in a Torah way of life. There is even an opinion that if a commandment is not done with alertness and liveliness, one has not fulfilled the commandment. Why should one’s frame of mind affect whether one has fulfilled the commandment?
4. [12:22] “…Let no man leave his house until the morning.” God did not command this to Moshe. Moshe added it himself. Why did Moshe make this up?
5. [12:24] “Keep it as a law forever”. What makes these laws and ceremonies fit to be passed on forever through the generations.

Commentary

[10:9 ] “And Moshe said, ‘With our youth and with our old, we will go…”

If a person brings with him his youthfulness, then he can also grow spiritually in his old age. Through his youth, he can also be in the category of “going” even in his old age.

–R. Elimelech of Lizhensk, the Noam Elimelech, Poland, (1717-1786).

This study page is dedicated to the memory of Sarah Bella bat Yitzchak Kummer, Chaim Yosef Yechiel ben Eliyahu Kummer and Eliyahu and Margaret Kummer