Beha'alotcha

I’d like to start this weeks Dvar' Torah with a number of prayers.

אלוהים אלהי ישראל עושה נפלאות

God, the God of Israel does wonders

’ברוך הגבר אשר יבטח בה

Blessed is the man who trusts in God.

אל נא רפא נא לה

Please God, please heal her.

These prayers all have something in common. They are all made up of 5 words. Prayers are interesting things. They can be beseeching, thankful, or even poetry. The Talmud defines prayer as “the service of the heart”, reminding us that it is our personal conversation with God.

The meaning of all prayers however fall into one of two categories. The first two of the prayers above are prayers of thanks. And in this weeks sedra, the last prayer quoted, is a powerful plea, a prayer of request by Moses.

When his sister Miriam is stricken with tzara'at, Moses prays a short but effective one-line healing prayer: אל נא רפא נא לה, el na, refa na la -- "please, God, heal her.”

As the Children of Israel continued on their journey through the wilderness, Aaron and Miriam step forward and challenge Moses' leadership. God orders them to approach the Tent, and they learn the consequences of rebelling against God's chosen leader. Miriam is stricken with leprosy, and Aaron is left to plead her cause before his brother Moses, the very man whose authority they have questioned. How ironic it is that it is Moses alone who has the power to pray to God to heal the sin of his sister.

Moses faces a moral dilemma in the face of Aaron's plea. It is noted by the editors of the Etz Hayim Torah and Commentary:

"Moses is caught in a dilemma. On the one hand, Miriam had spoken openly against him and deserved to be punished. On the other hand, as his sister, she evoked his compassion. The result is this terse prayer ("O God, pray heal her"). Its brevity seems to reveal Moses' lack of enthusiasm and minimal compliance with Aaron's plea" (Etz Hayim, p. 825)

According to this commentary, Moses' five-word Hebrew prayer (El na refa na la) reflects his ambivalence about interceding on his sister Miriam's behalf. He cannot allow her to remain in this terrible condition, afflicted with a horrible skin disease. Nor can he pray wholeheartedly on behalf of a woman who has just spread malicious gossip and slander about him. Hence the terse, half- hearted appeal to God to heal his sister.

And yet, I want to propose another interpretation. Although we have prayers that are extremely long and some of our psalms are pages in length. We don’t alway need to repeat ourselves to show the depth of our feelings.

Just think of the 3 little words, I love you.

When Moses asks God for healing for Miriam, he spoke directly from his soul with the plea of his heart.

And sometimes, there simply isn’t the need for anything more.

In today’s consumer driven society, full of instant gratification, we see daily the leaning towards more. Bigger. Better. But bigger is not always better and more is not always necessary.

We have to create our own culture, one where just enough and not too much can help guide us in our thoughts and daily choices. Embracing simplicity in a world of hustle can help give us peace along with the state of mindfulness we can find in prayer.

We have beautiful prayers, psalms and I personally have found comfort in the repetition within our liturgy.

But sometimes, in simplicity, simply a few words are prayer enough.

שמע ישראל ה׳ אלהינו ה׳ אחד

Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.

Shabbat Shalom