Beha’alotcha
Bill Cloud
The third reading from the book of Numbers and the thirty-sixth reading from the Torah is called Beha'alotcha (בהעלותך), a which means "When you ascend." In Leviticus 8, the Torah teaches of the consecration of the Kohenim. In Numbers 8, the Torah teaches of the consecration of the Levi’im (Levites) as they assume the position of the “firstborn” of Israel.
In this torah portion we also learn of the Pesach sheni (second Passover) and its possible connection to a second exodus. Most notable in this portion is the murmuring against Moses and the lust for the food of Egypt. In this story we see how the Creator often grants His people what they wish but in order that they might discover that what they wanted was not what they needed