Behaalotcha

📜 The Story

'Behaalotcha' means 'when you light.' God told Aaron, the High Priest, how to light the seven lamps of the golden Menorah in the Tabernacle, so that their light would shine toward the front.

The Levites, the tribe chosen to serve in the Tabernacle, were purified and given their holy job. Then God gave a gift called Pesach Sheni, a 'Second Passover,' one month later. It was for anyone who could not bring the Passover offering on time, because they were impure or far away. God wants to give people a second chance to do a mitzvah (commandment).

God's cloud rested over the Tabernacle and guided the Israelites through the desert. When the cloud lifted, the people packed up and traveled. When the cloud stopped, they stopped too and set up camp. Two silver trumpets were made to call the people together and to signal when it was time to move.

Then some people complained about the manna. They cried for meat and remembered the food they had in Egypt. Moses felt that leading the whole nation by himself was too hard, so God told him to choose seventy elders to help him. God gave these elders some of Moses' spirit. Two men, Eldad and Medad, began to prophesy in the camp.

At the end of the parsha, Miriam and Aaron spoke about Moses in a way they should not have, and Miriam got tzaraat, a skin disease. The whole camp waited seven days for her before traveling on, out of love and respect. The Torah says that Moses was the humblest man on earth.