Our world has been increasingly dominated by negative speech. Online communication has fueled the inability to engage in dialogue with people who think differently, alongside societal trends of “cancel culture” and “post-truth.” At the same time, the Torah teaches that speech is a gift given only to human beings, as seen in Targum Onkelos, who calls Adam in Bereshit “a speaking spirit.” Parshat Beha’alotcha highlights the power of speech to influence others, for both good and bad.

The parsha begins on a hopeful note. The pinnacle of Bnei Yisrael’s preparation to enter the land is expressed in the words we recite on Shabbat morning, “ויהי בנסוע הארון.” Immediately following this, is the story of the “mitonenim,” (bitter complainers) who spread unrest among the people by “complaining evil in the ears of Hashem.” To make this turning point even sharper, the previous verses are bracketed by two upside down letter “nuns.” Perhaps signaling that from this point on their lives would take a significant downturn.

The Ha’amek Davar teaches that the “mitonenim” start a downward spiral of faith for the generation in the desert. They had the greatest divine providence, yet, the provocateurs spread criticism which culminated with the spies who sowed negativity among the whole nation. Rashi comments that the words, “complaining evil in the ears of Hashem,” indicate that they were looking only for a pretext to provoke and stir up hatred, they had no valid criticisms. Hence, the strong punishment by God.

The potential power and pitfalls of speech is a theme which begins in our parsha and runs through sefer Bamidbar. In contrast, when Moshe recounts the travails of the Jewish people in the desert in the opening of Devarim, he models positive, constructive speech. Rashi teaches that Moshe changes the names of places to protect the dignity of Israel. How can we follow Moshe’s example in the way we communicate today? Shabbat Shalom -Karen Miller Jackson