Parashat Beha'alotecha
Cultivated Cravings
Parashat Beha'alotecha tells the tragic story of Kivrot Ha'ta'ava – Benei Yisrael's complaints to Moshe about the "menu" in the wilderness, and Hashem's harsh response to their complaints. We read (Bamidbar 11:4) that the Erev Rav, the riffraff that joined Benei Yisrael when they left Egypt, experienced a craving for meat, and Benei Yisrael ultimately joined them in protesting against the lack of food. They complained that they had only the Manna, and did not have the variety of meat and other foods that they enjoyed in Egypt.
The Torah describes this craving with the expression, "Hit'avu Ta'ava," which literally means, "they desired a desire." This is an unusual construction, as it repeats – at first glance unnecessarily – the word "desire." What exactly does the expression "Hit'avu Ta'ava" mean?
A person confronts two kinds of tests during his life. The first kind is tests that God sends upon a person to grant him the opportunity for spiritual growth. Life is about confronting challenges and working to overcome them. These tests are very positive and beneficial for a person. When God sends a test, He does so only because He knows that the individual is endowed with the ability to succeed, and therefore tests of this kind present the opportunity for great spiritual achievement. But there are other tests, as well – tests that a person brings upon himself. The Yetzer Ha'ra (evil inclination) often tries to convince a person to enter a situation of spiritual peril, convincing him that he will have the strength to withstand temptation and overcome the challenge. These tests are dangerous and destructive. When a person willingly brings upon himself a test to his devotion, when he instigates an encounter with the Yetzer Ha'ra, there is no guarantee that he is capable of withstanding the test.
Correspondingly, there are two kinds of cravings. Some cravings result from man's normal, natural condition. Man by nature has certain desires, such as hunger, which he instinctively feels the need to satisfy. But sometimes a person cultivates a craving, he brings upon himself a self-induced desire for something. The Romans, for example, found that they were unable to eat all the delicacies served at a meal, because their stomachs would feel full after the first several courses. They would therefore take a break in the middle of a feast to empty their stomachs through induced vomiting, so that they would again feel hungry and enjoy more food. This is a "cultivated craving." They did not feel hungry, but they wanted to feel hungry. They cultivated a desire for more food, so that they could enjoy more.
This is what the Torah means when it describes that the riffraff among Benei Yisrael "desired a desire." They were not hungry. The Manna was sufficient to feed and nourish them, and fill their stomachs. But they wanted to feel hungry, they longed for the experience of desiring food and then satiating their appetites.
Why would somebody cultivate a craving? What motivates a person who feels content to bring a feeling of desire and need upon himself?
The answer, as the Rambam explains, is in one word: boredom. A person who experiences boredom is in need of some excitement. There is a vacuum within him, and he looks for stimulation. The incident of Kivrot Ha'ta'ava occurred just after Benei Yisrael's departure from Mount Sinai, where they had spent nearly a year studying Torah and learning about God's commandments. Now, as they traveled, a certain feeling of boredom set in, and they began looking for cravings. They needed something to fill the vacuum created by their departure from Sinai, and so they brought upon themselves a desire for meat.
Statistics consistently reveal a sharp rise in crime during the summer months. People have more free time on their hands, and so they begin looking for trouble, they cultivate a craving for "excitement" in the form of mischief. For a Jew, the relaxed atmosphere of summer poses a difficult challenge. One must ensure to fill the vacuum created by this laidback atmosphere with Torah study. While certainly it is important for a person to allocate time for relaxation and enjoyment, he must avoid the experience of boredom that triggers the need to cultivate cravings, to bring upon himself additional tests and challenges. Torah is the antidote to the vacuum that so often develops during the summer. It is therefore critical to maintain a certain degree of intensity in one's Torah study even during the summer, so that he will not feel the need to cultivate dangerous cravings and desires.
