“And they journeyed from the mountain of Hashem a three-day distance.” (Beha’aloscha 10:33)
The Gemara in Shabbos 116a says that this verse is an allusion to the fact that Klall Yisrael strayed from their relationship with Hashem. Rashi (there) writes that within the next three days they cultivated their craving for meat (as in 11:4). The Ramban writes that their attitude in leaving their encampment at Sinai was as “a child running out of school.” That is to say, they left Mount Sinai – the place where they learned Hashem’s holy Torah – in excitement that the “class” was over.
The Chasam Sofer brings all of this together. He explains that had Klall Yisrael not thrown off the yolk of Torah and fled “like a child running out of school,” they never would have developed their infamous craving for meat. As the Mishna (Avos 3:5) says: “Whoever throws off the yoke of Torah, they place the yoke of drech eretz upon him.” Derech eretz here can refer to physical desires.
This led to an unfortunate chain of events. Klal Yisrael was supposed to go straight from Matan Torah into Eretz Yisrael. Yet, because of the attitude with which they left Mount Sinai, they developed this craving for meat. Because of their craving for meat, they were delayed for 30 days while many fell dead. This delay allowed the opportunity for Miriam to speak lashon harah about Moshe Rabbeinu, causing a further delay of seven days while waiting for her purification. The episode of the meraglim, the spies, followed, due to which the fate of that generation was sealed. They were to die out over the course of the next 40 years, never to reach Eretz Yisrael. It was during that time that Moshe Rabbeinu himself was denied the opportunity to enter Eretz Yisrael because of the episode of the hitting of the rock. We know that had Moshe Rabbeinu entered Eretz Yisrael, there never would have been a churban, the destruction of our Holy Temple, and the exile that ensued.
What is clear from all of this is that Judaism is not only about learning Torah and doing mitzvos, irrelevant to one’s intentions and attitude. Chovos halevavos, duties of the heart, are certainly vital. This point is especially important to those of us who are learning in yeshiva in a “zman,” or semester, format. Usually around this time in the zman one’s mind can wander to his summer plans and the thought “When will this be over already?” can surface. We need to take this message which these parshios are teaching us to heart. It is because this very attitude that we live here in galus all these years later.
May we merit that through our effort to turn our thoughts and minds to true serving of Hashem, that we earn the privilege to greet Moshiach speedily in our days.