Perek 13, Pasuk 21:
" וַיהוָה הֹלֵךְ לִפְנֵיהֶם יוֹמָם בְּעַמּוּד עָנָן, לַנְחֹתָם הַדֶּרֶךְ, וְלַיְלָה בְּעַמּוּד אֵשׁ, לְהָאִיר לָהֶם--לָלֶכֶת, יוֹמָם וָלָיְלָה.
And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; that they might go by day and by night:
If they traveled day and night, then wouldn't bnei Yisrael get tired?
R' Bachya says that they were were so excited to get the Torah, that they traveled day and night.
But how does this pertain to the opinion that Bnei Yisrael ran away from the mitzvot after Har Sinai (Ramban)? What happened?
Bnei Yisrael continuously complained in the desert. They wanted to go back to Egypt. There they had garlic, onions, and melons! But now that they are in the desert they dont have these foods. They remembered the food they ate in Egypt without even thinking about the fact that they were slaves there too! Even so Hashem provided bnei Yisrael with sustenance. He even protected them from the hardships of the desert and all the enemies. Hashem also caused there to be no disease, sickness, or FATIGUE in the desert. He performed almost endless miracles for Bnei Yisrael- yet they still complained.
ReplyDeleteHashem told the Jews that he treated them in the desert as if it were NOT in a desert. We can learn from this that HaShem provides us with everything we need and that our complaints only reflect on the type of people we are and act as.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI do not think it is a contradiction because in most cases, including Bnei Yisrael in this situation, people are excited at first to do something but then after a few times their excitement gets lost. We learn this lesson from Aharon Hacohen, who even after lighting the menorah in the Beit Hamikdash time after time, would still have the same excitement to do the mitzvah every single day. We can learn from Aharon to try to make our mitzvot as exciting as the first time we performed them instead of making them into a daily or weekly routine.
ReplyDeleteThe Slonimer Rebbe brings an idea regarding this pasuk. He says that "by day" refers to the times when everything is bright and going well. "By night" refers to times when life is filled with difficulties, when one might find himself in darkness. The pasuk says "To go by day and by night." This shows that one must continue seeking Hashem’s will in either situation. Even when times are hard, we need to keep going.
ReplyDeleteBut didn’t Bnei Yisrael run away from Hashem and the mitzvot (Ramban)? In tanach we see that when times are difficult, people often see running away as a solution. For example, in Yonah, he thinks that running away will solve his problem and relieve him of his responsibility. According to Ramban, Bnei Yisrael were physically distraught, explaining their actions against Hashem. They were afraid of the difficulty of the road ahead and did not appreciate the importance of what they were to receive from Har Sinai. It was hard for Bnei Yisrael to continue to seek Hashem and not turn away from him in difficult times. We can learn from the Slonimer Rebbe that even when times are difficult, we should try just as hard to turn to Hashem.
Tamar Dubin:
ReplyDeleteIbn Ezra explains they took turns traveling. not everyone was in constant motion throughout the whole trip, rather each shevet had a period of time to rest while the remaining shvatim would travel and support them- they would not have been exhuasted. so, each shevet took a time slot to sleep while the others would travel until they finally reached har sinai.
If they traveled day and night, then wouldn't bnei Yisrael get tired?
ReplyDeleteHashem shows that He has the needs of his nation in mind by traveling as a cloud by day and as a pillar of fire by night “LaLechet Yomam VaLaylah,” “so that they [Bnei Yisrael] could travel day and night” (13:21). This gives the nation the power to be able tot travel with Hashem day and nights. Also Bnei yisroel had an unconditional love for Hashem, at this point they were on their way out of Mitzraim and they witnessed many miracles.