The Ananei Hakavod Teach Us to Learn Torah and Do Miztvos in All Conditions

This dvar Torah was adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher Frand’s Commuter Chavrusah Tapes on the weekly portion: # 196, Vegetarianism. Good Shabbos!

There is a very interesting Ramban in this week’s parsha. The Torah says that the pattern of the Jewish nation travelling and camping in the midbar (wilderness) was dependent upon the movement of the Ananei Hakavod (Clouds of Glory) that accompanied them. The Ramban comments that it was not uncommon for the Jews to arrive at an absolutely undesirable place in the midbar. At times, they wanted to leave a place immediately, but they would need to stay because the Ananei Hakavod stopped over the Mishkan (Tabernacle). At other times, they arrived at a lovely place, exhausted, and wishing to stay for a long time. Often, after only two or three days in such places, the Ananei Hakavod began to move and they continued their travels.

The Ramban adds that sometimes they would come to a spot, the Ananei Hakavod would stop, and they would all unpack. Then, the next morning, after they finished unpacking all of their belongings, the Ananei Hakavod would move and they would need to repack and start travelling all over again.

Imagine such an experience! We know what is involved in going on a trip. Everything is loaded into the station wagon. With great effort, even more may be tied down on the roof. When we finally arrive at our destination, we want to stay at least for a couple of weeks!

This is the meaning of the pasuk (verse), “When the Ananei Hakavod lingered upon the Mishkan many days, the Children of Israel would maintain the charge of Hashem and would not journey” (Bamidbar 9:19). The travels were not easy. They were a tremendous test.

However, there is an obvious question. Hashem is not a capricious puppeteer who demands that people “jump” for no reason. What was the point of making the sojourn in the midbar so arbitrary and so burdensome?

Rav Dessler offers a very interesting insight in his sefer Michtav Me’Eliyahu (Volume 4). Rav Dessler explains that the time in the midbar was the period during which the Jews received the Torah. Perhaps Hashem was trying to teach us the lesson that we must learn Torah and perform mitzvos in spite of any outside conditions. Many of us say, “If only we had a little more free time” or “If only we did not need to worry so much about making a living…” “If only we did not need to worry about our children” — “Oh boy, would we be able to sit and learn Torah and daven (pray) like we should daven, without rushing through!”

As a Rebbe in the yeshiva, I must, from time to time, chastise a bachur (young man) when he is not performing up to par. I often hear excuses like: “I am busy with school work” or “I am having trouble with shidduchim” (dating) — if only I had my shidduch and if only I had finished college — oh boy would I be able to sit and learn!” But life does not work like that. Life is always full of disturbances. We are not living in Gan Eden (the Garden of Eden). There are financial challenges. There are challenges with parents, challenges with children. There are always challenges!

That is what the Torah is teaching us through the travels in the midbar. Life in the midbar was not easy. It was no picnic. But life must continue. In other words, we must continue learning and living as honest and dignified Jews, in spite of the surrounding conditions.

Anyone who has ever read the history of the Mir Yeshiva during World War II is amazed. The Mir Yeshiva fled from Mir, Poland to Russia and across Russia to Kobe, Japan and from Kobe to Shanghai, China. They were young men — single and married — who did not know what the next day would bring. Bochrim (young men) were separated from their families. They did not know if their families were alive or dead. They did not know if they would ever get out of the morass; and if they would get out, if they would ever get married.

Any “Mirrer talmid” (student at the Mir Yeshiva) from that time period can tell you that in the worst days of Shanghai, the yeshiva continued; the sedarim (regular schedule of hours for learning Torah) were maintained, people learned and people wrote Torah sefarim. People learned Torah in the worst of conditions.

Baruch Hashem (thank G-d), we have relatively easy lives. Our parents lived through much more difficult conditions than we can ever imagine. They learned Torah and performed mitzvos, in spite of the tough conditions. This is the lesson of the Ananei Hakavod — even when everything not is provided on a silver platter, we must continue our lives. Torah and mitzvos must continue.

Transcribed by David Twersky; Jerusalem [email protected]

Edited by Dovid Hoffman; Baltimore, MD [email protected]

This week’s write-up is adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissochar Frand’s Commuter Chavrusah Series on the weekly Torah portion. A listing of the halachic portions for Parshas Beha’aloscha is provided below:

• 015 Reinstituting the S’micha
• 060 Waiting Between Meat and Milk: Adults and Children
• 104 The Seven-Branched Menorah
• 149 Bringing the Sefer Torah to a Temporary Minyan
• 196 Vegetarianism
• 242 Military Service and Potential Halachic Problems
• 286 When Do We Stand in Honor Of a Sefer Torah?
• 332 Tefilas Tashlumin: Making Up a Missed Davening
• 376 Davening For A Choleh
• 420 Fish and Meat
• 464 Honoring Levi’im
• 508 The City of Yericho
• 552 Kavod Sefer Torah Vs Kavod Talmid Chochom
• 596 Sitting on Top of Seforim
• 640 Lox and Cream Cheese
• 684 Kissing A Sister
• 728 Lechem Mishna Revisited
• 772 Simchas Shabbos – Is There Such a Thing?
• 816 Niduy – Excommunication
• 860 Standing For A Sefer Torah On Simchas Torah
• 904 Women and Birchas HaGomel
• 948 The Ba’al Shacharis Who Forgot Maariv
• 991 The Shabbos Bar Mitzva in the Good ‘Ole Summertime
• 1035 Davening that the Suffering Patient Should Die – Permitted or Not?
• 1079 Does A Grandfather Have To Pay For His Grandson’s Tuition?
• 1122 Meat and Fish – Must You Have A Separate Fish Pot?
• 1164 Davening For A Choleh: Must You Mention Father’s or Mother’s Name?
• 1252 The Dilemma of the Baalas T’shuva at her Non-Frum Brother’s Wedding
• 1296 Should You Daven for the Same Choleh Over and Over Again?
• 1340 Bringing a Sefer Torah to the House of an Avail or Temporary Minyan
• 1384 Can You Be Mechallel Shabbos To Send A Kevital To A Rebbe?
• 1428 Health Care Professionals – Treating and Touching People of Opposite Gender: Problem?
• 1472 Davening for a Choleh: Should You Use the Person’s Father’s Name or Mother’s Name?
• 1516 Pets on Shabbos – Are they Muktzeh?
• 1558 MeShebairach for a Sick Person on Shabbos -Not As Simple As You May Think

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Date: June 12, 2025

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