spirit

torah portion

House
Call
with
Dr. Ruben

Wants
Vs.
Needs

T

Parshat
Bachaalotekha:
Numbers 8:1-12:16;
Zachariah 2:14-4:7

hink back to your childhood,
and I’m sure you can remem-
ber a time you received a
birthday or Chanukah gift that you
did not like. Possibly the giver of the
gift perceived your explicit or implicit
disappointment.
Now, jump ahead to adulthood, and
you realize that a polite “thank you”
would have been the best response.
Moreover, the gift that once
you wish for; it might come
disappointed you might actu-
true.”
ally have turned out to be
The wish of the Israelites
something quite useful.
is granted; they receive their
Another childhood scenar-
meat, in the form of quail;
io: You’re in the car on a fam-
but God, frustrated at the
ily vacation to a great place
Israelites’ lack of gratitude
(think Disney World); all you
for the remarkable gift they
Rabbi Elliot
can think about and speak
receive every day, strikes
about are the complaints: the Pachter
those who demanded meat
crowded conditions in the
with a fatal plague.
car, the time it takes to get
Having the benefit of hind-
there, etc.
sight, we clearly see the mes-
It is in these contexts that
sage of “Be careful what you
we should read Bamidbar (Numbers)
wish for ... “The Torah’s wisdom has
11, in which the Israelites complain
been shared in modern culture, such
about their food. What they have to
as the Tom Hanks movie Big, in which
eat is manna, a mysterious gift from
a young boy is regretfully granted
God that appeared every morning of
his wish to grow up too quickly, and
the Israelites’ 40-year journey from
The Wizard of Oz, in which Dorothy
Egypt to Canaan and provided them
dreams of traveling “over the rainbow,”
but ultimately learns that “there’s no
with necessary sustenance. The
place like home.”
Torah’s description of the manna is
The Rolling Stones’ version of the
indeed appetizing, tasting either like
wafers in honey (Exodus 16:31) or rich Torah’s message comes to us via their
famous lyrics: “You can’t always get
cream (Numbers 11:8).
what you want, but if you try some-
Manna is also identified as “bread,”
times, well, you might find you get
and some believe that it had the
what you need.”
unique quality of tasting like many
Our Jewish approach, when expe-
different things. In Exodus 16:23, as
riencing the amazing gift of life-
the Torah is first describing manna, a
sustaining food, is not to wish we had
Hebrew word appears, meaning “you
something different to eat, but rather
(plural) will bake,” but pronounced in
to express gratitude that there is food
Hebrew, “TOFU.” Now there’s a food
on our plates and in our bellies, and
that can taste like many different
to declare, prior to and following
things!
our meal, our humble appreciation
Whatever manna actually was and
through the words of berakhah, of
however it tasted, the Torah is clear
that the Israelites ought to be grateful blessing and praise to God for the
miracle of food. •
for this Divine sustenance; instead,
they complained that they wanted
Elliot Pachter is the rabbinic adviser at the
something more, namely some meat.
Frankel Jewish Academy, and Rabbi Emeritus
At this point, we witness that age-
at Congregation B’nai Moshe, both in West
old piece of advice: “Be careful what
Bloomfield.

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to leg, ankle & foot wounds?

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ϮϰϴͳϲϮϰͳϵϴϬϬ

&ŽƌŵŽƌĞŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟŽŶ͕ǀŝƐŝƚŽƵƌĐŽŶƚĂĐƚƉĂŐĞĂƚ
ŚƩƉƐ͗ͬͬĞŶĐŽŵƉĂƐƐŚĞĂůƚŚĐĂƌĞ͘ĐŽŵͬĐŽŶƚĂĐƚ

Video Consults now available with Dr. Ruben on WHATSAPP

248-672-9775

Bruce Ruben, M.D. is the Founder and Medical Director of
Encompass HealthCare & Wound Medicine, Michigan's premier
ŽƵƚƉĂƟĞŶƚ/ŶĨĞĐƟŽƵƐŝƐĞĂƐĞĂŶĚtŽƵŶĚĂƌĞĞŶƚĞƌ͘

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May 31 • 2018

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