Shabbat Table Topics – Parashat Behaalotekha/0/en

Shabbat Table Topics – Parashat Behaalotekha

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Miracles in the Wilderness: The Selav

After the nation complains about their tedious diet of manna, Hashem provides them with Selav.  They gluttonously devour it, and with the "meat still between their teeth" Hashem smites them.

• Though most identify the selav as quail, a minority opinion asserts that it refers to fish.  What proofs can be brought for each position? How might each identification illuminate the Biblical account?  For elaboration, see שְׂלָו – Fish or Fowl
• How supernatural an existence did the Children of Israel live in the desert?  The nation's compalin of having only manna to eat, would suggest that

Miryam's Speech: Gossip or Challenge to Authority?

How is Miryam and Aharon's critique of Moshe to be understood?  Was this simply idle and misguided chatter, or did they have a fundamental disagreement with his behavior leading them question his authority as leader?

• The Sifre views Miryam and Aharon as intending no harm, and in fact trying to improve Moshe's family life by encouraging the resumption of normal relations between Moshe and Zipporah.  R"Y Bekhor Shor, instead, presents the siblings as bothered by what they perceived as hubris in Moshe's decision to marry a non-Israelite.  Modern scholars cast  Miryam and Aharon in an even more negative light, suggesting that they were contesting Moshe's leadership and claiming to be his equals.  Debate the various positions, pointing out the pros and cons of each.  See Miryam's Critique of Moshe and his Cushite Marriage.
• Was intermarriage prohibited at this point in history?  Is it a Biblical prohibition at all?  Even if not, was not marrying an Israelite the ideal, and Miryam and Aharon thus somewhat justified in their complaint?
• Is it always wrong to speak about another? What if your intentions are to help the other? If you truly find another's actions troubling, is it problematic to consult a third party about their behavior before approaching the person yourself?