Parashas Masei: The Journey from Boring to Interesting

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Artwork: Prairie Stream, by Titus Lunter

Parashas Masei: The Journey from Boring to Interesting

Whether we choose to admit it or not, certain sections in Torah have a reputation for being rather "boring" for the average student. A few examples that come to mind are: 

• Terumah/Tetzaveh (Shemos Chapters 25-28), which details the construction of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) and the vestments of the Kohanim
• Vayakhel/Pekudei (Shemos Chapters 36-39), which is a repetition of the same material
• Tzav/Shemini (Vayikra Chapters 8-9), which recounts the special korbanos (sacrifices) and procedures of inaugurating the Mishkan and consecrating the Kohanim - both of which happened only once, and have relatively little connection to the rest of the sacrificial order
• Bamidbar (Bamidbar Chapters 1-4), which lists the names and numbers of Bnei Yisrael, the organization of the camp, and the duties of the Leviim

One of the most "boring" chapters of them all is - you guessed it - the beginning of Parashas Masei (Bamidbar 33), which dryly recounts the journeys and sojourns of Bnei Yisrael during their 40 years in the Wilderness. Here's an excerpt, just to give you a sample of the flavor:

Bnei Yisrael traveled from Raamses and encamped in Sukkos. They journeyed from Sukkos and encamped in Eisam, which is on the edge of the Wilderness. They journeyed from Eisam and it turned back to Pi ha'Chiros, which is before Baal Tzefon, and they encamped before Migdol. They journeyed from before ha'Chiros and passed through the midst of the Sea toward the Wilderness; they went on a three-day trip in the Wilderness of Eisam, and they encamped in Marah. They journeyed from Marah and arrived at Elim; in Elim there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they encamped there.

And this goes on for a grand total of 56 pesukim! The meforshim (commentators) have little to offer for sections like these. Even Rashi remains silent on many of these pesukim. 

However, while it may be true that "the words of Torah are poor in one place and rich in another" [1], this doesn't mean that one can assess the "poverty" or "wealth" of a section of Torah based on first impressions. There are areas of Torah which appear "poor" but turn out to be incredibly "rich," if you know where and how to look.

Personally, I have found that with each year of learning that goes by, another "boring" area of Chumash opens up to me, and I realize how many ideas there are beneath the surface. For example, I used to find it dull and tedious to read about the construction of the klei ha'Mikdash (vessels of the Holy Temple), but now I can't wait to learn more about them! I thought I'd never find the organization of the camp to be a fascinating topic, but one year it just lit up, thanks to the framework provided by a certain commentator. 

With this in mind, I set out to examine the first chapter of Parashas Masei to see if maybe this year I might find something valuable that had eluded me in the past. Thanks to the Ralbag, the search was a success!

Let's take another look at part of the excerpt that I cited above, with some key terms underlined:

They journeyed from before ha'Chiros and passed through the midst of the Sea toward the Wilderness; they went on a three-day trip in the Wilderness of Eisam, and they encamped in Marah. They journeyed from Marah and arrived at Elim; in Elim there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they encamped there.

The Ralbag [2] addresses the question: Why this itinerary? We know that Hashem didn't always take Bnei Yisrael on the most direct path, and that the destinations were often planned based on what would be best for Bnei Yisrael's development at that time. 

Ralbag offers an answer based on the information provided earlier in the Chumash (Shemos 15:22-27), in the initial account of this journey. Let's review the relevant pesukim:

Moshe caused Israel to journey from the Sea of Reeds and they went out to the Wilderness of Shur; they went for a three-day period in the Wilderness, but they did not find water. They came to Marah, but they could not drink the waters of Marah because they were bitter; therefore they named it Marah. The people complained against Moshe, saying, "What shall we drink?" He cried out to Hashem, and Hashem showed him a tree; he threw it into the water and the water became sweet ... They arrived at Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date-palms; they encamped there by the water.

Here is the Ralbag's explanation of this progression:

Here is what I think about why it mentioned their finding of this water in this way: Hashem did this in order to show them that the tovos (goods) will come to them in degrees, proportionate to their closeness to Him. It first mentions that they initially went for three days in the desert without water. Afterwards they found water at Marah, but it was bitter, and they needed Hashem to sweeten it. And after that, Hashem brought them to a place where they found water in abundance, along with fruit trees. This undoubtedly caused the hearts of the people to be drawn to His service.

Ralbag is referring to the universally held position among the Rishonim (as far as I know) that each person receives hashgachah pratis (personal Divine providence) in proportion to his or her closeness to Hashem. The further away from Hashem a person is, the more his or her life is governed by the laws of nature. The closer that person is, the more the tovos in his or her life are "ordered" by Hashem. 

Hashem demonstrated this idea to Bnei Yisrael by guiding them through an increasing level of hashgachic assistance: first they had no water, then they had poor quality water that Hashem helped them improve, and finally they were given water in abundance. The same type of progression can be expected for ALL tovos, as one continues drawing closer and closer to Hashem.

When I read the Ralbag's commentary and realized that he was able to see a lesson about hashgachah in these pesukim which were seemingly devoid of ideas, I thought to myself, "Wow! I wonder what other great ideas are hiding in other seemingly idea-less pesukim, just waiting to be discovered?" 

I was reminded of Shlomo ha'Melech's mashal (analogy) in Mishlei: "if you search for it as if it were hidden treasures - then you will understand fear of Hashem, and discover the knowledge of God" (Mishlei 2:4-5). No self-respecting treasure hunter would superficially glance at an area of land, shrug his shoulders, and say, "Well, looks like there's no treasure here," and then move on. Real treasure can be found in the most inconspicuous, ordinary, boring of places, and can only be found by those who are willing to dig where no one else is digging.

The Rambam enumerates Torah min ha'Shamayim (Torah from Heaven) as the eighth of his Thirteen Fundamental Principles of Judaism. In his initial presentation of this principle [3] the Rambam adds something that we wouldn't expect:

And there is no difference between, “And the sons of Cham were Cush and Mitzrayim and Put and Canaan” (Bereishis 10:6) or “And his wife’s name was Mehetavel, the daughter of Matred” (ibid. 39:39) and “I am Hashem” (Shemos 20:2) or “Hear, O Israel, Hashem is our God, Hashem is One” (Devarim 6:4) – all is from the mouth of the Almighty and all of the Torah of Hashem is perfect, pure, holy, and true. 

And, in the eyes of the Sages, there was no greater heretic and rebel as Menashe, for he believed that in the Torah there are grain and chaff and that these accounts and narratives have no value at all, and that Moshe said them on his own. And this is the meaning of the statement “the Torah is not from heaven” which the Sages understand to refer to one who asserts that the whole Torah in its entirety is from the Holy One, blessed is He, excepting a particular verse which (he maintains) was not uttered by Holy One, blessed is He, but by Moshe himself, and concerning such a person it is said, “For he has despised the word of Hashem” (Bamidbar 15:31) - may He be exalted over the speech of the heretics. 

Rather within every letter of the Torah there is wisdom and wonders for him to whom God has given understanding. And its ultimate wisdom cannot be grasped, “the measure thereof is longer than the earth and broader than the sea” (Iyov 11:9). And man has but to follow in the footsteps of David, the anointed one of the God of Yaakov, who prayed, “Open my eyes that I may behold wonders from Your Torah” (Tehilim 119:18).

According to the Rambam, the yesod (fundamental principle) of Torah min ha'Shamayim isn't limited to the belief that Hashem authored the Torah. More than that, Torah min ha'Shamayim includes a conviction that every part of the Torah is infused with wondrous chochmah (wisdom) - even the seemingly "boring" parts. There is no "chaff."

It is parshiyos like Masei that really put this yesod to the test. When the time to learn these parshiyos rolls around, it behooves us to follow Shlomo's approach and "search for it as if it were hidden treasure," while taking a note from David and beseeching Hashem to "open our eyes that we may behold wonders from His Torah."

[1] Talmud Yerushalmi Rosh ha'Shanah 3

[2] Rabbeinu Levi ben Gershom (Ralbag / Gersonides) Commentary on Sefer Bamidbar 33:8-9
[3] Rabbeinu Moshe ben Maimon (Rambam / Maimonides), Commentary on the Mishnah: Introduction to Perek Chelek