Bringing in, Letting go
“Let the LORD, Source of the breath of all flesh, appoint someone over the community
THE GOD OF THE SPIRITS. He knows the spirits. He knows which spirit is fit.
דָּבָר אַחֵר, יִפְקֹד ה', מָשָׁל לְמֶלֶךְ שֶׁרָאָה אִשָּׁה אַחַת יְתוֹמָה, בִּקֵּשׁ לִטֹּל אוֹתָהּ לוֹ לְאִשָּׁה, שָׁלַח לְתָבְעָהּ, אָמְרָה אֵינִי כְּדַאי לְהִנָּשֵׂא לַמֶּלֶךְ, שָׁלַח לְתָבְעָהּ שֶׁבַע פְּעָמִים, וְלֹא הָיְתָה מְבַקֶּשֶׁת, לְסוֹף נִשַֹּׂאת לוֹ. לְאַחַר זְמַן כָּעַס עָלֶיהָ הַמֶּלֶךְ וּבִקֵּשׁ לְגָרְשָׁהּ, אָמְרָה אֲנִי לֹא בִקַּשְׁתִּי לְהִנָּשֵׂא לָךְ אַתָּה בִּקַּשְׁתָּ אוֹתִי, הוֹאִיל וְכָךְ גָּזַרְתָּ לְגָרְשֵׁנִי וְלִטֹּל אַחֶרֶת, אַל תַּעֲשֶׂה לָזוֹ כְּשֵׁם שֶׁעָשִׂיתָ לִי. כָּךְ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, אָמַר רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמֵנִי שִׁבְעָה יָמִים הָיָה מְפַתֵּהוּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שֶׁיֵּלֵךְ בִּשְׁלִיחוּתוֹ, וְהָיָה אוֹמֵר לוֹ (שמות ד, יג): שְׁלַח נָא בְּיַד תִּשְׁלָח, (שמות ד, י): לֹא אִישׁ דְּבָרִים אָנֹכִי גַּם מִתְּמוֹל גַּם מִשִּׁלְשֹׁם, הֲרֵי שִׁבְעָה יָמִים, לְאַחַר זְמַן פִּיְּסוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וְהָלַךְ בִּשְׁלִיחוּתוֹ וְעָשָׂה כָּל אוֹתָן הַנִּסִּים עַל יָדוֹ, בַּסּוֹף אָמַר לוֹ (במדבר כ, יב): לֹא תָבִיאוּ, אָמַר לוֹ משֶׁה רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, אֲנִי לֹא בִקַּשְׁתִּי לַהֲלֹךְ, וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר (דברים ג, כד): אַתָּה הַחִלּוֹתָ לְהַרְאוֹת אֶת עַבְדְּךָ וגו', הוֹאִיל וְכָךְ גָּזַרְתָּ עָלַי, אוֹתוֹ שֶׁיִּכָּנֵס אַל תַּעַשׂ לוֹ כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁעָשִׂיתָ לִי, אֶלָּא (במדבר כז, יז): אֲשֶׁר יֵצֵא לִפְנֵיהֶם וַאֲשֶׁר יָבֹא לִפְנֵיהֶם. אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא (במדבר כז, יח): קַח לְךָ אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן נוּן. וְעָשָׂה משֶׁה בְּטוּב עַיִן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (משלי כב, ט): טוֹב עַיִן הוּא יְבֹרָךְ. מָשָׁל לְמֶלֶךְ שֶׁאָמַר לְבֶן בֵּיתוֹ תֵּן לִפְלוֹנִי סְאָה שֶׁל חִטִּים, הָלַךְ וְנָתַן לוֹ סְאָתַיִם, אָמַר לוֹ הֲרֵי סְאָה מִשֶּׁל מֶלֶךְ וּסְאָה מִשֶּׁלִּי. כָּךְ אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמשֶׁה (במדבר כז, יח): וְסָמַכְתָּ אֶת יָדְךָ עָלָיו, יַד אַחַת, מֶה עָשָׂה (במדבר כז, כג): וַיִּסְמֹךְ אֶת יָדָיו וַיְצַוֵּהוּ, לְקַיֵּם מַה שֶּׁנֶּאֱמַר: טוֹב עַיִן הוּא יְבֹרָךְ. לְפִיכָךְ (משלי כז, יח): נֹצֵר תְּאֵנָה יֹאכַל פִּרְיָהּ, לָמָּה נִמְשְׁלָה תּוֹרָה כִּתְאֵנָה, שֶׁרֹב הָאִילָנוֹת, הַזַּיִת, הַגֶּפֶן וְהַתְּמָרָה, נִלְקָטִין כְּאַחַת, וְהַתְּאֵנָה נִלְקֶטֶת מְעַט מְעַט, כָּךְ הַתּוֹרָה הַיּוֹם לוֹמֵד מְעַט וּלְמָחָר הַרְבֵּה, לְפִי שֶׁאֵינָהּ מִתְלַמֶּדֶת לֹא בְּשָׁנָה וְלֹא בִּשְׁנָתַיִם. (במדבר כז, יח): אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר רוּחַ בּוֹ, לְפִי שֶׁאָמַר (במדבר כז, טז): אֱלֹהֵי הָרוּחֹת, שֶׁאַתָּה מַכִּיר רוּחַ כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד מִכָּל בְּרִיָה, וּתְמַנֶּה אָדָם שֶׁיֵּדַע לַהֲלֹךְ עִם כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד מֵהֶם לְפִי דַעְתּוֹ. וְסָמַכְתָּ אֶת יָדְךָ עָלָיו, כְּמַדְלִיק נֵר מִנֵּר. (במדבר כז, כ): וְנָתַתָּה מֵהוֹדְךָ, כִּמְעָרֶה מִכְּלִי לִכְלִי. וּמַה שֶּׁאָמַרְתָּ (במדבר לו, ט): וְלֹא תִסֹּב נַחֲלָה מִמַּטֶּה לְמַטֶּה אַחֵר, הַכָּבוֹד אֵינוֹ זָז מִבֵּית אָבִיךָ, שֶׁאַף יְהוֹשֻׁעַ שֶׁעוֹמֵד תַּחְתֶּיךָ (במדבר כז, כא): וְלִפְנֵי אֶלְעָזָר הַכֹּהֵן יַעֲמֹד
16 Another interpretation of (Numb. 27:16) “Let the Lord, appoint”: A parable: A king saw an orphan woman [and] sought to take her for him as a wife. He sent to seek her. She said, “I am not worthy to marry the king.” He sent to seek her seven times, but she did not allow it. In the end she married him. After a time, the king was angry with her and sought to divorce her. She said, “I did not seek to be married to you; you sought me. Since this is so and you have decreed to divorce me and to take another, do not do to that one like what you did to me.” So is it with the Holy One, blessed be He: R. Samuel the son of Nahmani said, “The Holy One, blessed be He, tried for seven days to persuade Moses from the midst of the burning bush, but Moses replied, (in Exod. 4:13), ‘Send please, whomever you will send’; (ibid. 4:10) ‘I am not a man of words, neither yesterday nor the day before.’ This indicates seven days. After time, the Holy One, blessed be He persuaded him; and he went as His agent; and He did all of those miracles through him. In the end, He said to him (in Numb. 20:12), ‘You shall not bring.’ Moses said, ‘Master of the world, (as in Deut. 3:24), “You who let Your servant see the first works of Your greatness, etc.” Since this is so [and] You have decreed against me, do not do like what You did to me to the one that will go in. Rather (as in Numb. 27:17), ‘Who shall go out before them and come in before them.’” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, (in Numb. 27:18) “Take Joshua bin Nun.” And Moses did [it] with a generous eye, as stated (Prov. 22:9), “The generous man is blessed.” A parable: A king said to one of his household, “Give so and so a seah of wheat.” He went and agave him two seah. He said to him, “One seah is from the king and one seah is from me.” So did the Holy One, blessed be He say to Moses (in Numb. 27:18), “And lay your hand upon him” – one hand. What did he do? (In Numb 27:23) “He laid his hands upon him and commissioned him,” to fulfill that which is stated (Prov. 22:9), “The generous man is blessed.” Therefore (as in Prov. 27:18), “He who tends a fig tree will enjoy its fruit.” And why is the Torah compared to a fig tree? Since [the fruit of] most trees – the olive tree, the grapevine, the date palm – is gathered [all] at once, but the fig tree is gathered a little [at a time]. And so too is the Torah. Today he studies a little and tomorrow he studies much; as it is not taught in a year, nor in two. (Numb. 27:18) “A man with the spirit of God with him”: Since you said (in Numb. 27:16), “’The God of the spirits of all flesh,’ since You know each and every one, one should be appointed who knows how to proceed with each and every one of them according to his temperament”; [so then (in Numb. 27:18, cont.),] “and lay your hand upon him,” like one who lights a candle from a candle. (Numb 27:20) “Invest him with your majesty,” like one who pours from one vessel to another vessel. Concerning that which I said to you (in Numb. 36:9), “So the inheritance will not move around from one tribe to another,” this glory will not move from the house of your father, as even Joshua who will arise in your place (according to Numb. 27:19), “shall stand in front of Elazar the priest” (nephew of Moses).