Notable "Nunns"
Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein
Parshat Beha'alotch has a unique feature not found anywhere else in the Torah. Offset by two inverted נ/nunn letters are two verses that seem put of place here, so much so that many commentaries suggest this passage actually forms a sixth book of the Torah. The letters themselves serve as parenthesis that seem to indicate as much. Why does the Torah include this passage in this place, and what is the significance of the inverted letters?
In Outlook and Insight, Rabbi Leff cites the Gemarra and suggests that indeed this passage is meant as a separation, as a break between three negative episodes in which Bnei Yisroel sinned. The first was in their rush to leave Har Sinai, happy to not be receiving any more mitzvoth and parting from Hashem's presence. The second was in complaining at the speed of their travel. Third, to be recorded after these verses, was their complaint about the special manna that was their diet. To break the pattern, the Torah inserts these verse here.
Rabbi Soloveitchick offers a completely different perspective. Rabbi Soloveitchick believes these verses actually to be in their proper place. Bnei Yisroel were meant to enter Eretz Yisroel immediately after receiving the Torah. This was to be that all important day. They were set to march forward, and the aron kodesh would rise and lead them. But the plan was derailed and turned upside down, and the nunns were inverted to indicate the inversion of the plan.
Bnei Yisroel themselves seem to have muddled their priorities, writes Rabbi Leff. They ran away from Hashem's presence at Sinai and from Torah, but they didn’t rush to enter Eretz Yisroel. נאמנות /faithfulness should be consistent. Bnei Yisroel, in running away from Hashem but not running to Eretz Yisroel were being inconsistent in their faith, hence the letter symbolizing faithfulness is inverted.
Rabbi Leff cites an earlier example of a similar inconsistency. When Yosef wanted to imprison Binyamin, the brothers pleaded, "If we return without our youngest brother, our father will die." Yosef, unable to constrain himself further, blurted out, "I am Yosef; is my father still alive?" Why were you not concerned about my father when you sold me to the Midianites? Our troubles arise from the rationalization of our inconsistencies. Our inconsistent faith leads us to make improper choices, whether about the spies long ago, or about our priorities today.
In Halekach Vehalebuv Rabbi Schorr cites a medrash in which Shimon ben Pazi opines that the verse that most encapsulates Torah is, "One sheep you will bring in the morning and one sheep every afternoon." This is the Tamid offering, tamid, consistent. Our service to Hakodosh Boruch Hu must be consistent and maintain its integrity throughout.
Toras Chesed cites the Kli Yakar who often comments on the homiletic meaning in the use of particular words. He notes that what we name Hebrew letters are words with meaning themselves. The letter nunn is an Aramaic word meaning fish. Bnei Yisroel were going to complain about the manna, waxing nostalgic about the fish they ate freely in Egypt, and inverting it from the food of their enslavement.
But fish are afraid of fishermen. When a sly fox suggests they flee from the fishermen by coming ashore, the fish reply that they are still safer in their natural habitat, breathing through the water, than on the dry land where it is impossible for them to stay alive at all. Similarly, Bnei Yisroel can remain alive only within their natural habitat, the Torah. Bnei Yisroel should have realized this and not have run away from Sinai.
Who were these complainers about the manna? Our commentators pick up on the unusual form of the word. They were not complainers, but rather "like complainers." As Rabbi David Cohen notes, citing the Meshech Chochmah, they were rabblerousers looking for an excuse to complain. They were dissatisfied with the manna because it was the lofty bread of angels. It was ethereal, and did not produce the physical reactions to real, earthly food. The complaint about the manna was actually a complaint about Torah law in general. They were upset over the limitations the Torah put on their desires, not only about food, but also about whom they could marry, for example. This is the turning point of Sefer Bamidbar. Until now, Bnei Yisroel were surviving on a spiritual level in the desert. When they would enter Eretz Yisroel, they would live on the natural plane, providing their own food, for example. This paragraph is the coda separating the two dimensions.
We ran from Sinai, continues Rabbi Cohen in Meirosh Tzurim, because we wanted to retain our powerful physicality, keeping our animal nature superior to the godlike spirit within us. Through Torah discipline, we would control our animalistic behavior and become godlike.
Hashem created everything in balance, immorality versus the desire for Torah. And everything can be used for either of these purposes. Our speech, for example, that capacity that raises us above the animals and comes from deep within us, can be used positively or negatively. Music that comes from the very core of our being can elevate us so that our souls transcend our physical presence. Conversely, music can draw us down into an abyss of physical depravity. Hashem enables us to derive pleasure through both. Will we channel our desire toward Torah and chesed, or to physicality. There is no common ground. One or the other will fill the vacuum.
When Bnei Yisroel were running away from Torah and Sinai, they were creating a vacuum. They needed to fill the desire without using the spirituality they were now rejecting. We need to fill our desire with spirituality. Fish themselves, nunn translated, could be positive or negative. On the one hand, their rapid reproduction could represent unbridled sexuality or it could represent the desire for children. But when Yaakov was blessing his grandsons, "May you proliferate abundantly like fish within the land," Yaakov was also referring to a different characteristic of fish. Although fish are completely surrounded by water, when Hashem sends rain from heaven, fish rise to the surface to hungrily drink the water from above. So should we, Bnei Yisroel, constantly desire the "living water" of Torah from above.
Referencing several psukim/verses, the Zohar, tells us that two nunns represent the glory of God. As Rabbi Moshe Shapiro explains in Mima'amakim, the two nunns represent the sun and the moon. As the two nunns face each other, the moon reflecting the light of the sun, so do we turn to Hakodosh Boruch Hu to reflect His light. The two nunns face each other as did the cherubim on the aron kodesh who face each other through the power of the luchot, the Torah within.
Nunn further represents Hashem's presence over Bnei Yisroel as the Torah was given to us on the fiftieth day after redemption. The nunn has the numerical value of fifty. We are capable of achieving 49 levels of the Torah. Even Moshe Rabbenu could achieve only 49 levels during his lifetime. Therefore Moshe is buried on נבוא /בוא 50 Mount, for it was only after his death that he was able to reach that 50th level of Torah.
When Yaakov Avinu saw the power of nunn, he blessed the grandchildren that their relationship with Hakodosh Boruch Hu should continue to grow and proliferate. And, since no ayin horo/evil eye can penetrate the water, we should be like fish that no evil eye should affect us.
When Bnei Yisroel turned away from Sinai, Hashem also turned away, reversing the nunns, but not leaving us completely.
If the nunn represents Hashem's presence, why did King David omit a verse for nunn from the alphabetically arranged verses of Psalm 145, Ashrei? While many commentators suggest that the letter stands for נופל /fall, why single out this letter for omission? All letters have both positive and negative connotations. Rabbi Shapiro notes that nunn also represents connection. Rabbi Shapiro suggests that King David foresaw that the relationship between Bnei Yisroel and Hakodosh Boruch Hu would be broken, would falter.
When the two nunns are together, they support each other, forming the letter samech/support. However, when Hashem removes His support from above, the bottom half, representing Bnei Yisroel falls, and from that fall Bnei Yisroel will not get up. Therefore King David connected the would be verse for nunn to the verse for samech, as the verse says, "Somech Hashem lechol hanoflim/Hashem supports all those who fall," indicating that Hashem will never leave us.
During the Priestly Blessing, part of the daily liturgy in Eretz Yisroel, the Kohanim form the fingers of their hands into the letter nunn, bringing God's presence down to bless Bnei Yisroel. We can also bring down God's presence by reciting 100 brachot/blessings daily, 100 being the sum of the two nunns, each numerically equivalent to 50.
The Shvilei Pinchas adds another layer of meaning to the letters of nunn and samech. The Shvilei Pinchas observes that when we put the two letters together, we get נס /miracle. When we rely on the One above for support during our challenges, we will not fall. If we take One away, we will miss the support and never reach the level of miracle. We should never despair in life.
In the future, all the tzadikim/righteous will form a circle around Hakodosh Boruch Hu. A circle is the shape of a samech. If you look back, in retrospect you will see that all was for the good, and you will feel the full support of Hashem. Do not stop at one nunn, at the despair of falling. Complete the circle with the second nunn.
So this passage, separated by the two nunns, first alludes to what could have been, what should have been, Bnei Yisroel entering Eretz Yisroel, but wasn't. Nevertheless, we are encouraged never to give up hope. Although we live in a natural world, the supernatural nature of Hashem, although hidden, is nevertheless present. We live in a world of two nunns, a world where Hashem somech noflim/ supports those who are falling. That message, although seemingly separated from the rest of the text, is a deep message embedded in all of the Torah.