{"id":173135,"date":"2022-06-15T14:18:46","date_gmt":"2022-06-15T18:18:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/?p=173135"},"modified":"2022-06-15T14:18:46","modified_gmt":"2022-06-15T18:18:46","slug":"acting-in-our-higher-selves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/acting-in-our-higher-selves\/","title":{"rendered":"Acting in Our Higher Selves"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Rabbi Valerie Joseph<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Rabbi Valerie Joseph<\/p>\n

Parshat Beha\u2019alotcha<\/p>\n

A lot happens in this week\u2019s Parshat Beha\u2019alotcha.<\/p>\n

G-d tells Moses to assign his brother Aaron to \u201clift up\u201d and light the golden menorah;<\/p>\n

The Levites purify themselves as they begin their service in the Tabernacle;<\/p>\n

Pesach Sheni, a second Passover, is created for those who couldn\u2019t partake in the first Passover offering;<\/p>\n

A cloud cover covers the Israelite camp and lifts when they are to continue on their journey;<\/p>\n

Silver trumpets are made to call the people to assembly;<\/p>\n

The Israelites complain about the taste of manna and wish for meat; prophets prophesize;
\nMiriam and Aaron are stricken by Tzaraat<\/em> (skin disease) after Miriam speaks lashon hara<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The last event \u2014 Miriam\u2019s sudden illness \u2014 brings forward a remarkable response by Moses as he recites one of the shortest prayers in the Torah:<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Moshe cried unto the Lord, saying, \u2018Please God, heal her (Miriam), I beseech you\u201d (Numbers 12:13).<\/p>\n

In \u201cEl Na Refah Na Lah,\u201d we learn greatness from this simple and humble act by Moses. Just a few sentences earlier his sister (and Aaron his brother) had spoken against him; the siblings accuse their brother of making a poor choice in marriage. It was an act that could have started a rebellion among the grumbling masses and angered G-d so much that he called a family meeting and struck Miriam with Tzaraat as punishment.<\/p>\n

Many of us would have reacted as G-d did, with anger. But Moses, the self-effacing leader, had forgiven Miriam already, and his behavior provided enlightenment and a model of behavior. Moses then responds to G-d\u2019s punishment with forgiveness and prayer for her well-being, her refuah shlemah<\/em> (complete healing). Perhaps he remembered with gratitude that as a young girl:<\/p>\n

Miriam in her greatness saved his infant life, an event that was instrumental in Moses growing up in the home of Pharoah\u2019s daughter and initiating the Exodus;<\/p>\n

Sparked the enthusiasm and appreciation of the Israelites by leading the dancing with timbrels after walking through the Red Sea;<\/p>\n

Created the well that bears her name, which provided fresh water in the desert for the Israelites.<\/p>\n

The custom of praying for the sick comes from this parshah.<\/p>\n

Among the many actions that we can admire in Moses, one of the most significant \u2014 and one which we can emulate to this day \u2014 is holding the sick in our thoughts and prayers by reciting a mi sheberach<\/em> (prayer for healing).<\/p>\n

\u201cSo Miriam was shut out of camp seven days; and the people did not march on until Miriam was readmitted\u201d (Numbers 12:15).<\/p>\n

Equally important, for seven days the Israelites stopped in their tracks. Arguments, complaints and disagreements were set aside. The delay must have seemed interminable. The Israelites did not journey on, despite their constant impatience and complaints in other matters during 40 years in the desert.<\/p>\n

In turn, Miriam was given veneration due to her, and the community\u2019s supportive willingness to stay brought honor in the eyes of G-d not only to an ill sister but also to her family member, Moses.<\/p>\n

In reading the text, we see and understand what the Torah considers most important in life. When the community \u2014 including Moses \u2014 cries out for healing, the power of their love and connection to each other comes to the forefront. While it\u2019s not possible to know if prayer works or G-d exists, \u201cNinety percent (range 84-90%) of medical schools have courses or content on spirituality and health (S&H)\u201d (G. Lucchetti, 2012).<\/p>\n

We know that Moses lived a long life of 120 years, and Miriam lived a long life also. There may be many reasons for this, but one common explanation is that their lives were extended by virtue of humbleness in the face of interpersonal conflicts.<\/p>\n

In the Talmud, there is a discussion on why certain rabbis lived long lives.
\n\u201cRabbi Nehunya ben Hakana was asked by his disciples: Why were you blessed with longevity? He said to them: \u2018In my days, I never attained veneration at my fellow\u2019s degradation. Nor did my fellow\u2019s curse go up with me upon my bed. And I was openhanded with my money\u2019\u201d (Talmud Megillah 28).<\/p>\n

Another sage, Rabbi Zeira, cites similar virtues for growing quite old:
\n\u201cRabbi Zeira was asked by his disciples: Why were you blessed with longevity? He said to them, \u2018In my days, I was never angry inside my house. Nor did I ever walk ahead of someone who was greater than me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Quite a few more rabbis cite that their meriting a long life is not only due to Torah study, but also being generous, charitable, respectful, forgiving, not holding on to anger, and kind to others.<\/p>\n

May we all be reminded of what is dear to us and treasure those moments. JE<\/p>\n

Rabbi Valerie Joseph is a National Association of Veterans Affairs Chaplains and Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains certified retired Veteran\u2019s Hospital chaplain. The Board of Rabbis of Greater Philadelphia is proud to provide diverse perspectives on Torah commentary for the Jewish Exponent. The opinions expressed in this column are the author\u2019s own and do not reflect the view of the Board of Rabbis.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A lot happens in this week\u2019s Parshat Beha\u2019alotcha.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13119,"featured_media":173141,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,39],"tags":[],"section":[14014],"coauthors":[3545],"yoast_head":"\nActing in Our Higher Selves - Jewish Exponent<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/acting-in-our-higher-selves\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Acting in Our Higher Selves - Jewish Exponent\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A lot happens in this week\u2019s Parshat Beha\u2019alotcha.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/acting-in-our-higher-selves\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Jewish Exponent\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/jewishexponent\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-06-15T18:18:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Valerie-Joseph.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1066\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"- -\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@jewishexponent\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@jewishexponent\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"- -\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/acting-in-our-higher-selves\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/acting-in-our-higher-selves\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"- -\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2b4dcb6e7c4cff9f4475dac4c089f655\"},\"headline\":\"Acting in Our Higher Selves\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-06-15T18:18:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-06-15T18:18:46+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/acting-in-our-higher-selves\/\"},\"wordCount\":878,\"commentCount\":1,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/acting-in-our-higher-selves\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Valerie-Joseph.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Judaism\",\"Torah Portion\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/acting-in-our-higher-selves\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/acting-in-our-higher-selves\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.jewishexponent.com\/acting-in-our-higher-selves\/\",\"name\":\"Acting in Our Higher Selves - 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