06/02/2026
Parashat Beha'alotecha - Beginning the Journey to the Promised Land
- By Rabbi Michael Asher
Parashat Beha'alotecha takes place at a moment of tremendous promise in the story of the Jewish people.
The Exodus from Egypt is behind them. They have stood together at Mount Sinai and received the Torah. The sin of the Golden Calf has been forgiven. The Mishkan has been built, God's presence dwells among them, the tribes have been organized, the Levites dedicated, and the camp arranged around holiness.
After nearly a year at Sinai, everything is finally ready. The cloud lifts. The people begin to move. If we were writing the story ourselves, this is probably where the triumphant music would begin.
Instead, things start to unravel almost immediately. In some ways, it reminds me of a family preparing for along-awaited cross-country vacation. For months everyone plans the trip. The route is mapped out. The hotel reservations are made. The car is packed. Everyone talks about how wonderful it is going to be at Bubbe’s house.
Then, two hours into the drive, someone is hungry. Someone else is bored. One child wants a different seat. Another is asking, "Are we there yet?" The air conditioning isn't working quite right. Traffic is worse than expected. Before long, the trip that everyone anticipated with excitement begins to feel very different from the trip they imagined. Soon there is a revolt going on in the family station wagon.
That is parashat Beha'alotecha. The Israelites have finally begun their journey to the Promised Land, but the reality of travel through the wilderness is harder than the dream. The people grow tired of manna and begin longing for the foods they remember from Egypt. Fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic fill their thoughts. The Torah tells us that families stand weeping at the entrances to their tents desiring a steak dinner.
What is striking is how quickly the complaint spreads. The issue is no longer food. It becomes a communal mood. Dissatisfaction feeds upon itself until it affects the entire camp. Even Moses, one of the greatest leaders in history, becomes overwhelmed by the burden of holding the community together.
God's response is interesting. He does not simply tell the people to stop complaining. Instead, He appoints seventy elders to help Moses carry the load of the kvetching. Leadership is shared. Responsibility is shared. The community must learn that no one person can carry everyone else's frustrations alone.
Perhaps that is one of the deepest lessons of the parashat. The challenge was never getting out of Egypt. The challenge was learning how to travel and live together. Beha'alotecha reminds us that holiness is not created during the moments when everything goes according to plan. Holiness is created when a community encounters disappointment, frustration, and ordinary human weakness — and chooses to continue the journey together anyway.
In many ways, we are still on the journey that began in this week's parashat. The Jewish people are still traveling through history toward the better world that God calls us to build. Along the way, we face disagreements, frustrations, uncertainties, and challenges that can test our unity.
The lessons of Beha'alotecha remain as relevant today as they were in the wilderness thousands of years ago. We need patience with one another. We need shalom within our communities and our people. We need to keep our eyes on the larger purpose and not allow temporary frustrations to distract us from the journey itself. May we continue the journey together, guided by Torah, strengthened by one another, and committed to building communities of peace, purpose, and holiness.
Shavuah Tov,
Rabbi Michael Asher