BEHAALOTCHA Part 3

Shalom, Shalom. We continue our focus upon the PARASHAT BEHAALOTCHA by placing our ATTENTION on the following passage found in the SIDRAH, it is written, “There were men who had been contaminated by a human corpse and could not make the pesach-offering on that day; so they approached Moses and Aaron on that day. Those men said to him, We are contaminated through a human corpse; why should we be diminished by not offering HaShem’s offering in its appointed time among the Children of Israel?” (Numbers 9:6,7) In this scenario, it is disclosed that there were some Jewish men that had become TAMEI (contaminated) by coming in contact with a corpse. We may assume that their contact with the CORPSE was the result of KEEPING a MITZVAH (commandment) concerning the CORPSE, being aware that the TIME had come for the observation of PESACH, yea, TALMUD Shabbos 127a states, “These are the precepts whose fruits a person enjoys in This World, but whose principle remains intact for him in the World to Come. They are the honor due to father and mother, acts of kindness, early attendance at the house of study morning and evening, hospitality to guests, visiting the sick, providing for a bride, ESCORTING THE DEAD, absorption in prayer, bringing peace between man and his fellow - and the study of Torah is equivalent to them all.” No doubt the thought was ESCORTING THE DEAD will merit fruit in OLAM as well as OLAM HABA, but will it be undermined by the EMET that it will make us TAMEI during the time we are to make the PESACH OFFERING? Both events are of HASHEM, thus how are they to be perceived?

It is important to note that all events that HASHEM has predetermined for our experience are GOOD. On the other hand, HASHEM does not CHANGE, i.e. G-d is IMMUTABLE. Therefore there is never a TIME when G-d will BESTOW upon us a BAD EVENT. The experience of a BAD EVENT is an ERROR in PERCEPTION. In the UNIVERSE OF BECOMING, the INFOLDMENT THEREOF, i.e. the MANY BECOMING ONE, is the result of CORRECTING ERRONEOUS PERCEPTION, yea, it is the ERROR in PERCEPTION that effects the experience of DISUNITY and causes suffering. Thus with G-d only BESTOWING GOOD EVENTS upon His children, it is not G-d that needs to be changed to bring about the experience of BLESSING, but rather our perception of the EVENT. This is what is being illustrated in this portion of the SIDRAH.

The perception of the men was that their CONTAMINATION would give rise to being diminished because of not being able to offer the PESACH offering at its appointed time. The counsel of HASHEM concerning this MATTER was to make the offering on the second month, on the fourteenth day in the afternoon. In other words, it was something that DID NOT require HASHEM changing but rather a change of the PERSPECTIVE held by those men. Likewise, what may appear as a BAD EVENT in our lives does not require a change in HASHEM, yea, delights are in His right hand for eternity.” (Psalm 16:11), but rather we must change our PERCEPTION by employing TORAH, MITZVOT and TEFILAH which give rise to experiencing the BLESSING BEING BESTOWED UPON US.