Bnei Yisroel
were poised to enter Eretz Yisroel. They were tired of a diet of
manna
and wanted real food like they ate in Egypt. The Torah tells us that suddenly, "They became as complainers...." Were these legitimate complaints, or were they merely excuses for their real discontent? Why are the people described as becoming "as complainers?" Further, who initiated the complaints, the
erev rav
/mixed multitude, or the elders? Finally, why were they punished right away?
According to Rashi, the people were looking for a pretext to distance themselves from Hashem. Hashem's motivation was always for their good, whether it was to speed their arrival into Israel by consolidating the journey, or by giving them the perfect food to eat. If it was the elders who initiated the complaints, their punishment had been waiting in the wings since Har Sinai. There they ate and drank in flagrant haughtiness, disregarding the sanctity of the experience. The current complaining displayed a similar haughtiness, and therefore Hashem punished them right away. Further, as the
Ohel Moshe
writes, more was expected of the leaders than of the rest of the people, although they only thought these complaints and only Hashem heard them. Therefore they were punished without delay.
Rabbi Ezrachi notes that it is probable that both the elite of the nation and the mixed multitude complained. While the elders used the complaints to mask their real reason, to distance themselves from Hashem, the mixed multitude needed no reason. They would never be satisfied with anything. Rabbi D. Ochyan notes that when someone has everything he develops a sense of entitlement. Then, if he lacks one thing, he complains, since he has come to believe he deserves everything. With this mindset, we believe
bishvili nivra haolam
/the world was created just for me while we neglect to counterbalance it with
v'onochi afar vaefer
/and I am but dust and ashes. Both messages are valid. Each person is important, but it is also important to know one's place and that there are always people greater than oneself.
The
Sifsei Chaim
explains that Hashem gave us the Torah specifically in the wilderness where we would be dependent on Him for everything so that we would learn and practice humility and accept the yoke of heaven. Citing the Vilna Gaon, Rabbi Friedlander z"l notes that our sojourn in the desert can be likened to the fetus in its mother's womb where all its needs are provided for. It was hard to be totally dependent on Hashem, as human beings have a drive toward independence. Hashem therefore answered the complaints of
Bnei Yisroel
about the heavenly manna by raining down copious amounts of
slav
/pheasants. The
Sifsei Chaim
notes that while Hashem controlled the amount of manna each person gathered, each person could gather as much
slav
as he wanted. As the
Leavdecha Be'emet
notes, people resent authority. Sometimes they rationalize by ignoring the authority and then claiming they were ignorant of the requirement. It says in the Haggadah, "
Boruch HaMakom boruch Hu
/ Blessed is the Omnipresent One Blessed is He," The
Sifsei Chaim
explains that
HaMakom
is the way we express God's name in relation to the world, while
Hu
represents the God Who is beyond our understanding. The elders, in spite of all the miracles, glory and kindness they witnessed still felt entitlement. They recognized
HaMakom
but refused to acknowledge the
Hu
. Therefore they died.
But some people, writes Rabbi Ezrachi, need no reason to complain. It is their very nature to constantly find fault. How we view the world will determine our state of happiness, writes Rabbi Feuer quoting Rav Hutner z"l. We have the ability to train ourselves toward positivity. If we teach ourselves to bless people and even bless things regularly, we will flex the muscles of our positive outlook. It is in this vein that the custom has developed to ask for blessings from a
baal simcha
. Since joy overflows from him and he owns it, he has the power to share his joy by bestowing blessings on others.
We can banish that negative thought, writes S. Yosef, but since nature abhors a vacuum, we must replace the negative thought with a positive one, most effectively, a positive present affirmation. While each of us has both positive and negative in our lives, we undoubtedly find Hashem's kindnesses to us far outweigh the challenges He has given us.
Both the
Shem Mishmuel
and the
Baal Shem Tov
compare our need for spiritual growth to a child's learning to walk. The child may think the parent is abandoning him, not realizing that the distance is forcing him to build up his muscles an grow. Similarly, Hashem appeared to be distancing Himself from
Bnei Yisroel
by moving the
Aron Kodesh
from the center of the camp to the front, forcing
Bnei Yisroel
to move forward.
Life itself begins with great inspiration only to reach a stage of letdown writes Rabbi A. Tatz. But that is when the work, growth and achievement really take place, as the effort is extended to counter the inertia. The Torah demands that we experience Hashem in all circumstances, writes Rabbi S. Grosbard.
Contemplating the
chasadim
Hashem has bestowed upon us generates love for Him. Who is the truly rich person? One who appreciates all that Hashem does for him. The complaints of the people, notes Rabbi Fryman z"l, was symptomatic of the lack of love for and trust in Hashem. They did not think there was a reason Hashem subjected them to a tiring three day journey, for example. In this life, we should be content with our lot in all things physical, but we should continue to strive for more in the spiritual realm. As Rabbi Meislish says, Hashem gives each of us exactly what we need to fulfill our mission. When we focus on the gifts Hashem has given us rather than on what we are lacking we can attain true happiness.