Questions on Parshas Behaaloscha to think about and discuss:

1. What is the connection between Parshas Behaaloscha and the haftora?
2. What famous pesukim, verses, in davening are found in our parsha and why do we use them in davening?
3. What was the argument between Miriam and Moshe?
4. When Moshe said he did not want to lead the people alone, he was told to gather seventy elders. What is the significance of this number of seventy?
5. What does Korach’s rebellion have to do with Parshas Behaaloscha?
6. What in Parshas Behaaloscha is to be remembered every day?
7. Why did the Menorah need to have a step? It was 18 tefochim tall and the height of a person to their head is 3 amos (where each ama has 6 tefochim) making a person taller than 18 tefochim?
8. Why is the parsha that discusses the Menorah mentioned three times (in Parshas Tezave, Parshas Emor and Parshas Behaaloscha)?
9. What lies behind the seemingly strange process of preparing the Leviyim for their service?
10. What is the difference in criteria for the Kohanim and the Leviyim?
11. What were the different stages of service during the life of a Levi?
12. What lies behind the parsha of Pesach Sheini that comes into our parsha?
13. Why was the tribe of Don given the title – Miaseif Likol Hamachanos, literally the gather for all the camps?
14. How are we to understand the episode of the Asafsuf, the people who wanted meat? What was wrong with the Mon?
15. How are we to understand Moshe’s seemingly questioning statement of doubting Hashem being able to provide enough food for so many people (11:21-22)?
16. Who were Eldod and Maydod who were two people who started prophesying inside the camp? Which tribes were they from?
17. How does the episode with Miriam saying Loshon Hora about Moshe come into Parshas Behaalosecha?
18. Unusually, Rashi in Parshas Behaalosecha brings a gematria, numerical value. Where?
19. Miriam told over the Loshon Hora and Aaron accepted it. The Chofetz Chaim brings that both the teller and receiver transgress this prohibition. Why then do we find that only Miriam got tzoraas and not also Aaron?
20. Did Miriam go through the usual purification process of the Metzorah or not? The pesukim, verses, do not mention anything.
21. Miriam got tzoraas. How long did it take until the tzoraas went away? Moshe davened that she should have a refua, healing. Did this help straight away? If she was a Metzorah Muchlet, a definite metzorah,  and then the tzoraas heals, she can re-enter the camp straight away after the Kohen’s, priest’s, pronouncement. She simply needs to wait outside her tent for seven days. What then are the seven days that Miriam was locked up for?

Questions on the parsha of travelling – Numbers, 9:15-10:28:

1. When travelling the posuk, verse, mentions one cloud that led the way. How does this fit together with the seven clouds that surrounded the Jews, the clouds of glory that we remember by the festival of Sukkos?
2. What was the process and formation for travelling?
3. Moshe was told to make two silver trumpets that were to be blown by the Kohanim, priest. Why trumpets instead of the shofar and why the need for two? Why made from silver instead of gold?
4. They blew two types of sounds from the trumpets – a tekia and shevorim. What is the difference between these two sounds and why were they used for different jobs?
5. What lesson can we learn from the way they travelled?

Questions on the parsha of Vayihi Binsoya Ho’oron – Numbers, 10:35-36:

1. What are the unusual letters found in Parshas Behaaloscha and why specifically these letters?
2. Why is this parsha found particularly in this place in the Torah?

Ideas for answers on the general parsha:

1. The haftora discusses the Menorah and this is linked to the beginning of Parshas Behaaloscha that talks about the Menorah. This is the same haftora that is read on (the first) Shabbos Chanuka. (Why out of all the topics discussed in Parshas Behaaloscha do we pick the menorah to read about in the haftora?)
2. The pesukim of Vayihi Binsoya Ho’oron. The first one is said in shul when opening the Oron, ark, to remove the Sefer Torah and the second possuk, verse, is said when taking the Sefer Torah back to be placed in the Oron, ark.
5. At the beginning of Parshas Behaaloscha it mentions the process of preparing the Leviyim that involved totally shaving them. Korach’s wife complained and use this to stoke her husband into starting his rebellion against the leadership of Moshe. (See Gemora Sanhedrin 110a)
6. After davening most siddurim list six remembrances one of which is that of the episode of Miriam and the tzoraas she received for speaking bad against Moshe.
7. There are many answers why the Menorah needed a step. Only the main part of the Menorah was 18 tefochim but then there were the actual candle part that made it taller than a person. Alternatively the height of a person of 3 amos is calculated using the conversion of one ama equals five tefochim. This means a person was smaller than the menorah (Imrei Shefer). There was always the possibility of a small kohen that needed to light the menorah (Taz in Divrei Dovid). For the actual lighting the person was tall enough. The step was only needed for Hatovas Haneirois, the cleaning of the candles where the person needed to be able to look inside from on top and needed this height.(Gur Aryeh/Nachalas Yakov)
9. They were several steps in the process. Firstly, there was the sprinkling of the ashes of the Pora Aduma, the red heifer. Since now they would serve in the Mishkon, Tabernacle, they needed to ensure they were pure from contact with dead people. To guarantee this pure state they were sprinkled. (Rivosh) Next was shaving off their hair. This was to send the message that like hair is extra to the body and can be a source of desire, in their service they had to limit extra physical desires (Abarbanel). Lastly, was the washing of their clothes and some say tevila, immersion in water. This was like the Jews were instructed before Matan Torah, the receiving of the Torah, when they were told to sanctify themselves and it involved this.
10. Blemishes invalidate a Kohen to work in the Mishkon, Tabernacle, while the Leviyim’s invalidation is based on age. (Rashi, 8:24)
11. In the parsha it tells us that from twenty-five to thirty the Levi would learn the work. From thirty to fifty he would do the actual carrying of the vessels on his shoulders. From fifty onwards he could close the gates, sing and load up the wagons. (Rashi, 8:24)
12. See my thoughts on Pesach Sheini.
13. Rashi (10:25) explains that any objects lost by the other tribes were found and gathered in by the tribe of Don since they travelled behind all the others. The Chizkuni adds that they did this also to all other people from other tribes. People who walked slower.
14. Mon was a spiritual food. These people, some say they were the Eirev Rav, were not on such a high spiritual level and therefore they desired more physical food. Hence they asked for meat. Their punishment was because they had plenty of their own animals that they could have slaughtered for meat. This showed that in addition they were looking just to complain.
15. Of course Moshe knew that Hashem can do whatever he wants. There are two ways in which Hashem connects to the world – the revealed way of teva, nature, and the miraculous pathway that is usually hidden. Moshe was expressing that since these people were sinners they therefore would be dealt with the teva, natural pathway. In this natural pathway that does not incorporate miracles, Moshe expressed doubt how the people would be provided for. (Rabbeinu Bichai)
16. Eldod and Maydod were selected as part of the seventy people designated to become prophets. Because of their humility thinking they were not worthy and therefore remained in the camp. Rabbeinu Bichai says that they were the leaders mentioned to take the Jews into Eretz Yisroel, Israel. Eldod was Elidod Ben Kisloin of the tribe of Binyomin (34:21) and Maydod was Kumiel Ben Shofton of the tribe of Efrayim (34:24). (See another two opinions in Targum Yonason (11:26) and slightly different version on Tosfas Al HaTorah.)
17. When Eldod and Maydod were prophesying in the camp, people went out to see them. Miriam was standing next to here sister-in-law, Tzipora, Moshe’s wife. She heard Tzipora sighing and exclaiming woe to the wives of these prophets since now they would have to separate from their husbands like Moshe had done from her. This episode is therefore a follow on from the parsha that discusses Eldod and Maydod.
18. Rashi on (12:1).
19. There is an argument if Aaron actually did have tzoraas – see Gemora Shabbos 97a.
21. It seems that Moshe’s tefilla, prayer, healed her tzoraas immediately. Her locking up for seven days was not due to her being a meztorah but was due to being binizifa, put under a form of ex-communication. This explains the need to have her locked up and the period of seven days.

Ideas for answers on the parsha of travelling – Numbers, 9:15-10:28:

1. The implication here is that the one cloud mentioned here is part of the seven clouds of glory. There were six clouds in six directions and these were for the benefit of the Jews. However, the seventh cloud was not for their protection, rather it was there for revealing the Shechina, Divine Presence. It is the seventh cloud that is mentioned by itself that is mentioned in the posuk in our parsha.
3. Trumpets are straight while shofars are usually bent. These demonstrate the state of mind a person should be in – straight and open or submissive. (See Gemora Rosha Hashana 26b) With the travelling, the trumpets were used as a means for summoning people. The trumpets suffice for this. Although there were two trumpets, to summon the Nesiyim, leaders, only one was blown to demonstrate they were unique. Two were blown to call the people and to show honour to the many, two were blown. Silver was used since in hebrew it can mean to desire to come close. These trumpets were calling the people to come close and follow after Hashem in the form of the messenger of the Cloud.
4. Tekia is a straight, strong and continuous sound indicating mercy while Shevorim is a broken sound made out of many small sounds representing din, judgement.
5. The Jews did not know what would be from one moment to the next. The Cloud could move any second or stay put for a long time. This is a lesson for us in exile. We just have to follow Hashem’s directions that can come suddenly even though we do not understand them. Sometimes people keep on moving to different places or can stay put for long periods of time. The main thing is to realise that Hashem is directing our pathway in life.

Ideas for answers on the parsha of Vayihi Binsoya Ho’oron – Numbers, 10:35-36:

1. The unusual letters are the reversed נ’s that surround this parsha. They come at the beginning and end to show that this parsha is separate from the rest of Sefer Bamidbar. This letter is chosen since it has the numerical number of fifty to indicate that it’s right place is fifty parshious away. The reversal of this letter shows us in which direction to count fifty parshious, namely before. (This is according to the opinion of Rabbon Shimon Ben Gamliel – Shabbos 116a.) (Baal Haturim, 10:35)
2. There is an argument if this is the right place or not (Gemora Shabbos 115b-116a). Rebbi says that here is the right place where it talks about travelling. The inverted letters are just to separate this parsha to act as a barrier between punishments.