B'haalot'cha, when you go up, which is this week's Torah parashah, has special significance for my family. My father-in-law, Daniel (z'l) and my beloved husband, David (z'l) both read this portion for their b’nei mitzvah. This was not a coincidence. However, several decades later, my daughter, Ilana, read the same parashah for her bat mitzvah. Why is this special? First, because we did not know that Daniel and David had read the same parashah. Second, because Ilana chose this parashah out of six others choices for her bat mitzvah date. And lastly, because David made a promise of marriage to me by giving me a necklace the weekend of Ilana's bat mitzvah.
Three major themes emerge as the Israelites journey toward the Promised Land. The first theme is about the tabernacle. The rituals and special laws, the Levites’ role, and the Passover offering laws are laid out for the Isralites. Second, the Israelites learn instructions for traveling using the trumpet and the cloud as signals. Lastly, the Israelites challenge Moses' leadership with the help of his siblings - Aaron, and Miriam. Miriam is punished because of her complaints against Moses' wife, Tzippora, and by challenging Moses' role as the person through whom God speaks. How did the Torah understand and respond to complaints? How is this parashah relevant to us today?
Why did Miriam and Aaron speak out publicly against Moses because of his marriage to Tzippora? There are many families where one person speaks out against a member for a variety of reasons. Miriam and Aaron question their brother's integrity. Moses appears to be patient, caring, and extremely modest as a leader. He had open communication with God whenever he had a question about his leadership or the Israelites. In this case, Miriam and Aaron attempt to claim equal footing with Moses. God punishes Miriam, not Aaron, with a skin disease because of her complaints. She recovers only due to Moses' pleading and prayers. But is this why she recovers? There is much more here about how the Israelites valued and loved Miriam. Her brothers plead for her, as Aaron pleads with Moses and then Moses prays to God to reverse their sister's punishment. While Miriam was kept out of the camp for a full week, the Israelites do not abandon her. Rather they did not leave camp until Miriam was readmitted seven days later. Why was Miriam punished and not Aaron? The Rabbis believed that Miriam was responsible for initiating the critical conversation about Moses' wife. Miriam slandered Moses' wife behind his back.
Slander and gossip is very common in our society - schools, businesses, homes, synagogues, hospitals, etc. Nehama Leibowitz said, “The desire to make the great person small, to blacken the reputation of the famous, to belittle the character of the good person, and minimize any symptom of human greatness is prevalent among the small-minded, those who prey on human weakness, those who themselves fail to achieve any heights of greatness or heroism". How many times do we find ourselves jealous of someone else - actions, job, personality trait, economic status, etc.? When a friend is superior in deeds, instead of spreading lies to diminish her reputation or stir up opinions of others against that person, remember what happened to Miriam and Aaron when they spoke against Moses.
What did Moses, Aaron, and the Israelites do while Miriam was out of the camp? Numbers Chapter 12:13 says "El na r'fa na la" “Please heal her”. Rashi says: “Why did Moses not pray at length? So that the Israelites should not say, ‘His sister is in distress, yet he stands and prolongs his prayer.’” [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:13, Tanchuma Tzav 13] (Another interpretation: So that Israel should not say, “For his sister he prays at length, but for our sake he does not pray at length.”) - [Midrash Aggadah, Yalkut Shim’oni, Midrash Lekach Tov.] God reveals the duration of Miriam's exile to the wilderness of disease. Her loved ones only have to wait out a time of uncertainty. They were told that all will be well. However, the people did not march on until Miriam was readmitted. When we have a loved one who is ill or in needing healing, life does not go on with any sense of normalcy. Not only does the ill person need healing, but also the caretaker. Moses' wisdom abides. The essence of what we seek is still found in his direct and eternal prayer. “El na r'fa na la; God! Please! Heal! Her!”
One of the central Jewish prayers for those who are ill or recovering from illness is the Mi Shebeirach. The name is taken from its first two Hebrew words. It prays for physical cure as well as spiritual healing, asking for blessing, compassion, and strength within the community of others facing illnesses as well.
When we pray for others, our traditional prayers for healing enable us to feel less helpless in the face of things we have no control over. Reform synagogues around the country have made this prayer a minhag, a custom. Some say it after the Torah Service, some say it every week or on Fridays and Saturday mornings. The Mi Shebereich prayer had its origins in Babylonia, as a means to bless the congregation. It asked God to hear prayers. Usually the prayer was found in the Rabbi's manual. There are versions of the prayer for bar/bat mitzvahs, weddings, Torah aliyah, traveling to Israel. Today we hear these words and we think of serious and life-threatening illnesses and painful conditions. This is what Moses, Aaron and the Israelites were doing when they prayed for Miriam. This is what we should do not only for our loved ones and friends, but for everyone who loves, who needs, and who cares. We call upon God for courage and strength, when we do not have enough of our own. We pray to God for renewal of body and spirit, for blessing and healing. We are not praying to God for healing, but to be part of the healing process. We are seeking a way to deal with the illness and pain. It brings us closer to the community.
Sometimes, music heals when the words fail us. Debbie Friedman was the first composer to set these words to music. The melody became so popular that it is used all over the world in all denominations of Judaism. Many composers have written interpretive Mi Shebeirach prayers with melodies and messages that come out of their need for healing, and add to the reservoir of hope and Jewish musical options for spirituality.
- Debbie Friedman Mi Shebeirach
Craig TaubmanEl Na R'fa Na -
- Lisa Levine Mi Shebeirach
Leon Sher Heal Us Now -
Benjie Ellen Schiller Mi Shebeirach -
We all need healing at some time in our lives. We need to heal our souls and our bodies, our minds, and our hearts, and even our world from afflictions. But it comes from Moses, who forgave his sister but also prayed for her healing. If Moses can do that, we should be able to do the same.
Cantor Annice Benamy is WRJ 1st Vice President of Atlantic District. She currently is a WRJ Board member and sits on the Israel Education and Advocacy Committee and Social Justice Committee. She is a member of Temple Sinai of Bergen County in Tenafly, New Jersey. She is cantor at the Reform Temple of Putnam Valley, in Putnam Valley, New York.
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