12 Jun 2025 Behaaloscha 5785: Tikkun Ha’Middos & the Silver Trumpets

In this week’s parsha, Parshas Behaaloscha, many fascinating events are recorded. Among the many topics in the parsha, are some of the following: The parsha begins with the command to Aharon to light the menorah in the Mishkan, which was lit every evening of the year. The Torah teaches us about the mitzvah of Korban Pesach Sheni, brought on 14 Iyar, by those who were tamei l’nefesh adam on Pesach b’zmano. Hashem commands Moshe regarding the construction of the chatzotzros (silver trumpets), to be used for communication with the people. The Cloud lifts up on 20 Iyar of the 2nd year, and for the first time since their arrival at Sinai, the nation begins to travel. Moshe invites Yisro to join them on this ‘final’ journey to the Holy Land, for “in three days we will enter the land!” And in perek יא, the nation begins to complain, desire, and weep over different “troubles” that were vexing them in the desert. Moshe tells Hashem he cannot carry the people alone, to which G-d provides him with seventy elders to assist. Meat – in the form of slav – is brought in for the nation. Finally, Miriam and Aharon speak lashon harah about Moshe and the wife that he took, and separated from.

In regard to the silver trumpets, Hashem commands Moshe:

עֲשֵׂה לְךָ, שְׁתֵּי חֲצוֹצְרֹת כֶּסֶף—מִקְשָׁה, תַּעֲשֶׂה אֹתָם; וְהָיוּ לְךָ לְמִקְרָא הָעֵדָה, וּלְמַסַּע אֶת–הַמַּחֲנוֹת

“Make for yourself two trumpets of silver, beaten you shall make them, and they shall be for you to call the assembly and to journey the camps; and when you sound a long blast with them, the entire assembly shall assemble to you at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting” (Bamidbar 10:2-3)… And when you gather together the assembly, you shall sound a long blast, and not short blasts (v.7)…”

These special chatzotzros were used for communication with the people – in times of calling, travel, holy days, war, and for assembly (10:1-10). One specific group who was called to assembly by the trumpets were the nisiim, the tribal princes. The pasuk says:

וְאִם–בְּאַחַת, יִתְקָעוּ—וְנוֹעֲדוּ אֵלֶיךָ הַנְּשִׂיאִים, רָאשֵׁי אַלְפֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

And if with one of them they shall blast, then the princes, the heads of the thousands of Israel, shall convene to you (10:4).

On the summoning of the princes by the blast of the chatzotzros, Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Twerski z’l writes, “One of the commentaries remarks that for gathering all the Israelites, it was obviously necessary to do so by sounding the trumpets. But why were trumpets necessary for assembling the tribal leaders? There were just a few of them, and they could have easily been called by sending a messenger.

“The answer is that if they had been invited by messenger, each tribal leader might want to know if he was the first one called, or just where he was in the list of the twelve tribes. If he found out that others were called before him, he might feel offended. Why was the other tribe given priority?

“Envy has plagued us since creation. Cain killed Abel because G-d favored his offering over Cain’s. Korbach fomented a rebellion against Moshe that had disastrous consequences because he was envious that his cousin was made tribal chief rather than he.

“One might think that these incidents would have taught us the folly of envy and of desiring greater recognition than others. Yet, we persist in harboring these petty feelings … The Baal Shem Tov said that the world is a mirror. Inasmuch as we tend to be oblivious of our own character failings, G-d shows us them in other people. He expects us to have the insight that the faults we see in others are really our own.

“Alas! Not too many people take advantage of this guide to self-awareness. We may see others as being over-sensitive and feeling slighted, yet we may be the same way. True, human nature may not have changed since time immemorial, but that does not preclude our changing ourselves. If we can set aside pettiness, we will be happier and more respected than the people who demand respect” (Twerski on Chumash, p.296-297).

In order to dispel (and prevent) any negative feelings between the tribal princes, they too would be summoned with the trumpets. This would negate the possibility of friction between them vying for positions of greatness, and measuring their perceived worth against someone else’s. What a powerful and important lesson this is for our own avodas Hashem and our job to rectify our own character traits.

The Sages teach us: רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר הַקַּפָּר אוֹמֵר, הַקִּנְאָה וְהַתַּאֲוָה וְהַכָּבוֹד, מוֹצִיאִין אֶת הָאָדָם מִן הָעוֹלָם – Jealousy, lust and the desire for honor remove a person from the world (Mishnah Avos 4:21).

Rav Aharon Lichtenstein zt’l explains, “Chazal expressed very strong words about envy: ‘Envy, lust and honor remove a person from this world.’ This refers to a person who has a passionate, sometimes obsessive, quest for the object of his lust or envy. One might interpret the mishna to mean that these remove a person from the World to Come. But I think that anyone who knows people who are totally consumed by envy, lust and honor realizes that such people have effectively removed themselves from ‘this world’ as well. Even if there are circumstances where envy is not formally prohibited, it nevertheless is to be avoided since it is a bad character trait” By His Light, Character & Values in the Service of G-d, p.204-205).

It is an avodah of a lifetime to work on character improvement and to be mesaken our middos. But for the sake of our neshamos, our avodas Hashem, our interpersonal relationships, our quality of life in this world, and our eternal portion in the next world, it must be done.

As a great person once said to me, “Michal, just because something is difficult for me, does it mean I should not work on it?”

May Hashem give us the kochos to succeed on the path we choose and desire, as better Jews, people and servants of G-d.

בברכת בשורות טובות ושבת שלום,

Michal