This week’s parsha finds us ensconced in the desert, poised to enter Eretz Yisrael. The soldiers have been counted, the camp has been organized, the cloud has moved away from Har Sinai and the anticipation is palpable. Tragically, and almost without warning, everything begins to go terribly wrong, the plans and preparations are unraveling, and by the end of next week’s parsha, Bnei Yisrael have been sentenced to a 40-year term in the desert. One of the episodes that, in both language and content, encapsulates this process is that of the “asafsuf”—those individuals who seem to instigate the “we want meat” hysteria.
Perek 11, pasuk 4 begins with: “V’ha’asafsuf asher b’kirbo hitavu ta’avah.” (And the asafsuf that were in its midst brought upon themselves a desire.) It is unclear who these people were. Rashi explains that this is another term for the eirav rav—the rabble that tagged along with Bnei Yisrael when they left Mitzrayim. These are the people who joined us due to fear that was inspired by the might of our God. We know that worshipping Hashem out of fear alone is not enough to maintain our devotion. The Ramban writes in Sefer Devarim 6:16 regarding the prohibition of testing God: “It is inappropriate [for someone] to serve Hashem conditionally; perhaps, in his [life of] serving Hashem and living according to the Torah, he will experience pain or tragedy [and therefore decide to abandon Hashem and Torah life”].
The word “asafsuf” seems to be a compound of asaf (gathered) and sof (end): those who gathered at the end. We can also derive from Rashi on 11:1 on the words “b’ktzeh hamachaneh” (at the edge of the camp) that the “end” refers to a conceptual rather than geographical space. Therefore, those “gathered to the end” could be those in Bnei Yisrael who were at one extreme or another—those whose own faith was constantly challenged or the leaders of Bnei Yisrael. Leadership creates its own challenges; to quote Spiderman: “With great power comes great responsibility.” The Mishnah in Pirkei Avot repeatedly cautions us to eschew positions of power and leadership, as they have concomitant dangers of distraction from Torah values at the least and arrogance at the worst.
In either case, these asafsuf “hitavu ta’avah”—they brought upon themselves a desire. It is worth noting that the verb form of “ta’av”(desired) is in its reflexive, rather than its simple form; the people did not simply desire a desire, they created one and brought it on themselves. Some of the parshanim (see Ramban on 11:1) conclude that it was this “complaining where there was no legitimate cause for the complaint” that was the impetus for both God’s anger and His punishments.
What is fascinating, however, is that before Hashem carries out the punishment of meat “coming out of their noses,” He issues a command to Moshe using the same root as asafsuf” “Asfah li shiv’im ish” (11:21)—“Gather to [or for] me 70 men.” These 70 will be the ones who are assigned to help Moshe manage, educate and generally deal with the people; they are the ones known as the zikainim or the Sanhedrin. (Whether these were the same elders as had been summoned in Egypt or a new group is a subject for debate both in the Talmud and in the mefarshim, but it is not relevant here.) It seems that we have a process that is potent for both pernicious and positive ends. The book of Bamidbar is about Bnei Yisrael as a nation, as opposed to Shemot, whose protagonists are primarily Moshe and God (see Ramban’s introductions to both books). The episodes of Bamidbar involve different individuals (the sotah, the nazir, Pinchas), groups of individuals (Korach v’adato, the meraglim) and the community (the encampment, the division of the nachala). It is about the dynamic relationship between the individual and the community and the two of these with God/the Mishkan/the Torah. The post-Eden world that we inhabit, according to the Rambam (Maimonides) in his Moreh Nevuchim (Guide for the Perplexed) is one in which there are no clear-cut truths and falsehoods Rather, we perceive all reality through the lens of tov (good) and ra (evil), which are both intrinsically relative. The “asaf,” the coming-together process, can be to foment trouble, as in the asafsuf, or to organize Divinely inspired leadership and living, as in the zikainim and the travels of the camp, led and protected by the Shechinah. In both cases, the entire nation has to deal with the consequences.
May we always be blessed with Divinely inspired leadership and be able to lead inspired, Torah-centered lives.
By Leah Herzog, M.Ed.
Leah Herzog is a Tanach instructor and co-director of Israel guidance at Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls.
