Parshat Beha’alotcha marks a dramatic turning point in Bnei Yisrael’s journey through the desert. The commentaries find deep significance in this moment — not only within the biblical narrative, but for all time.

At the height of the nation’s preparations to enter the Land of Israel, we read: “When the Ark would journey, Moshe said, ‘Arise, God, and let Your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate You flee before You.’ And when it rested, he would say, ‘Return, God, to the myriad thousands of Israel.’” Immediately after these verses comes the troubling episode of the mitonenim — bitter complainers who sow unrest among the people. Notably, these two verses are bracketed by two inverted letter “nuns,” and Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi famously taught that this section constitutes “a book unto itself.”

The Ha’amek Davar sees this as the beginning of the generation’s spiritual decline. Despite witnessing the greatest divine providence, the mitonenim spark a cycle of criticism and complaint that ultimately leads to the sin of the spies — and the decree that this generation would not enter the Land. These two verses, then, become a symbolic dividing line: before and after. Before — hope, preparation, and purpose. After — a tragic unraveling of faith and commitment.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch offers a more hopeful reading. He suggests that these two verses are placed here because they capture the eternal rhythm of Jewish history: there will always be enemies and haters. But when we lead with the Aron Kodesh — when we are rooted in our identity, faith, and values — our adversaries are scattered, and we find our way back: back to God, to one another, and to our connection with the Land of Israel.

This, the parsha reminds us, remains our challenge today: to stay strong and faithful despite the haters from without and the voices of discord from within. Shabbat Shalom and Am Yisrael Chai -Karen Miller Jackson