Behaalotecha
In this week’s Torah portion, Moses has his hands full as the Israelites complain about the menu in the wilderness. They want meat, according to the book of Numbers, and they want it now. They get their meat, which makes them sick, and then they complain about that. But, in another passage, it becomes clear that Moses can’t do his job alone. So, God deputizes seventy elders to help Moses deal with the Israelites’ issues and concerns.
Much has been written about this portion of our Torah. As I studied it this week, I realized that it has a valuable lesson to teach us as citizens, community members, and even in our own families. There is a difference between complaining and constructive criticism. Complaining cites grievances without offering solutions and attacks “the other” as wrong, often without considering circumstances, extenuating or otherwise. Constructive criticism recognizes diverse opinions and solutions, puts forth alternatives to leadership, and hangs in there, loyally, to work the issue through, knowing that there are times when one’s ideas are not going to be selected, even if there are compelling arguments for them.
Our Israelite ancestors are whining and complaining this week, in the very worst way possible. But, clearly, there were those who saw that Moses was overworked, including God, and constructively suggest he get assistance in dealing with the day to day operations of guiding the children of Israel through the wilderness.
May we all take the lessons of this week’s portion to heart. May we be part of the solution, not the problem, at home, in the work place, in our community, in our world, and even here in our congregation. May we do our part to repair what is broken, from hearts to lives, motivated by our desire to leave this world better than we found it.
God did not create us to agree all of the time, but we were given the ability to voice our concerns respectfully, and then to become part of the solution. Constructive critics change the world. We need more of them.
Shabbat Shalom.
Rabbi Perlin