Parashat Beha’alotekha: Jealousy (Kinah) in the Camp

Torah: Numb 8:1-12:16

Haftarah: Zech 2:14-4:7

Brit Chadashah: 1 Cor 10:6-13, Rev 11:1-19

Main Points:

Setting up the lampstand.

Procedure for cleansing the Levites.

Levitical term of service.

Passover is celebrated.

Israel led by pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night.

Silver trumpets made to signal the camp.

On the second year, in the second month and 20th day Israel leaves the Mountain.

The fire of the LORD in Taberah due to the people complaining.

Manna is sent to feed the people.

Seventy elders appointed to help Moses.

In Kibroth-Hattaavah, quail were sent due to complaints of the people followed by a plague.

Miriam and Aaron speak against Moses and God intervenes.

In the book of Numbers chapter eleven, God tells Moses to gather seventy elders and assemble them around the Tabernacle. They would help Moses bear the burden for the Children of Israel. In Numb 11:26-29 two men, Eldad and Medad were selected and registered, possibly as alternates. They did not go to the Tabernacle with the seventy elders but remained in the camp. When the Spirit of the Lord descended on the elders gathered around the tabernacle, the spirit also came on Eldad and Medad who remained in the camp and they prophesied as well. When Moses was told that Eldad and Medad prophesied in the camp, Joshua responded and asked Moses to stop them. Moses responded, “are you jealous for my sake?”. Joshua was trying to be protective of Moses’ leadership which was not necessarily a bad thing, but we can see that the concept of jealousy was already brewing in the camp. In the next chapter (Numb 12:1-3), Miriam and Aaron took issue with Moses and tried to usurp his leadership. Jealousy was abounding and as a result, divisive conflicts were being created. 

Jealousy and envy are often used interchangeably in scripture but are a little different in our modern thinking. At its core, jealousy is a form of anger (Prov 6:34).  In relationships, jealousy can be connected to a real loss such as when our spouse’s or children’s time, presence, or attention is diverted away from us. This can happen in normal places in life such as child raising, work demands, or church involvement. All of these demand a lot of time and attention and can distract us. When things get out of balance, jealousy can be triggered, and problems begin to surface. Jealousy is a normal response to infidelity, whether it is real or suspected. Jealousy can also be a response when we are simply worried about the prospect of losing something or someone. Some forms of jealousy can be purely situational, some are sexual, and some are connected to our workplace, opportunities in life, or may be focused on family rivalries. 

Biblically, jealousy is used in the sense of the exclusivity of something being violated (like a relationship, specifically a marriage covenant). Generally, jealousy is triggered when something that we feel should belong to us or is due to us, is given or taken by another. Jealousy is personal and usually has a sense of protectiveness to it. It is interesting that jealous and zealous come from the same Hebrew root word. This word relationship holds the idea of a person’s most consuming passions being expressed (see SoS 8:6, Prov 27:4). This is why scripture specifically links jealousy and conflict (Rom 13:13) due to the raw anger that is involved.  

Why do we have this emotion called jealousy? Because God has it. In Ex 20:5 (also Ex 34:14) the Lord is a jealous God. God’s jealousy (kinah), comes from God wanting his people to love him exclusively and not hold anything as a rival to his love or person. Most of the usage of the term jealousy in the Tanach is aimed at God’s jealousy over us. In 2 Cor 11:2, Paul referred to his godly jealousy. We can’t say that jealousy is all bad. Some of it was meant to help us understand the importance God places on our relationship with him. Whether it is good or bad depends on where it is and how far we allow it to go. It is ok to be jealous in terms of being inspired by another’s godly deeds, closeness to God, or divine visitation (experience).

In Jewish thinking, jealousy is considered a needed force in the world because it gives us a passion for what is important to us, but is also closely linked to envy and covetousness (as will be discussed). Good jealousy leads us to excel spiritually and personally, but bad jealousy will alienate us from our relationships, family, and community. In this view, bad jealousy is a root emotion that abides at the core of most human conflict. 

It has been noted that the first commandment (Ex 20:3, Thou shalt have no other Gods before me) and the last commandment (Ex 20:17, Thou shalt not covet) are linked concepts. The idea of God arraigning the first and last as he did was to convey the idea that he was the provider of all things. He blesses us, keeps us, leads us, provides for us, and gives us purpose. We do not need to desire another’s place, blessings, material goods, or opportunities. Some Jewish thinkers hold that the last commandment (to not covet) is actually the foundational issue of all the commandments. Because the concepts are linked, the first commandment (to love God above all else) is the first biblical intervention we have to stop the negative expression of this emotion and embrace the positive part of it. The last commandment (to not covet) is the culmination of the mitzvot to love our neighbor. Additionaly, scripture gives simple instructions about some negative forms of jealousy/envy. We are not to envy the man of violence (Prov 3:31), wrongdoers (Ps 37:1-3), evil men (Prov 24:1), the arrogant (Ps 73:1-28), or sinners (Prov 23:7). All of these gain at the expense of others.

Yeshua listed envy/jealousy as one of the things that defile a person (Mk 7:21-22). As a gateway emotion, envy can lead us to strife, self-seeking behaviors, and confusion (James 3: 14, 16). It has been described as a rottenness to the bones (Prov 14:30), a product of carnality (2 Cor 3:3), and a vexation of the spirit (Eccl 4:4). Envy is listed as a work of the flesh in Gal 5:19-21, 26. Envy, in our modern thinking, is a discontentment or resentment that comes when we compare what we have to what others have. When our minds and emotions begin to crave something someone else has and we begin to react emotionally, envy/jealousy is the culprit. 

A close cousin to envy is covetousness. This is the next step in the process where envy promotes lust, jealousy promotes mistreatment and misjudgment of others, then a covetous attitude begins to plan and take action to defraud or deprive others of what belongs to them. Note that in Mark 10:19 Yeshua recited the tenth commandment and translated the word covet as defraud. In 1 Cor 7:5 Paul used this same word to describe one spouse withholding sex from the other and promoted mutual consideration between spouses. In other places, it was used to indicate that one person was going to cheat another (1 Thess 4:6). 

Some people have a pervading sense of jealousy that makes its way into most parts of their lives. The jealous-spirited person has a constant flow of emotion that suspects people of wrongdoing and can poison relationships. The root of the jealous-spirited person normally revolves around issues of insecurities, low self-esteem, fear, trust issues, or a competitive spirit. The person with a jealous spirit is normally insecure, has been hurt or violated in past relationships, or is fearful and constantly looking for the next bad thing to happen. The jealous-spirited person is one who normally lives feeling like they are deprived, violated, or about to be either. They have issues with constantly fearing betrayal and having an untrusting nature. 

Another variation of the jealous-spirited person revolves around how we are competitive by nature and want to be seen as competent leaders. We wear a mask and promote a self-image that is too perfectionistic and we are constantly looking for ways to support it or advance it. When someone has gifts, blessings, or opportunities that would benefit our ideal sense of self, we tend to want what they have. We get angry and offended about another's place and feel that we need what someone else has to be complete, but someone else received it, and we feel wronged somehow. Our emotions toward the person can result in feelings of anger, loss, inadequacy, and ultimately result in depression. In this way, we set ourselves up for failure and suffer from the baggage that jealousy brings.

When jealousy is triggered, specific thoughts follow. Sometimes thoughts or memories come first and trigger emotions. When jealous emotions are wrongly triggered by normal behavior, learn to pause before the emotions get too far. Destress, clear the mind, stop the hyper-monitoring, begin to direct the thought process and ask the right questions of yourself. Practice being aware of assumptions and look for alternative ways to understand and feel. A lot of jealous feelings come from automatic responses that assume a person will reexperience negative things. Our response to insecurity, fear, and bad histories tends to repeat itself the same way. When we are aware of where jealous feelings originate and the pattern that normally plays out, we can see it for what it is, a reaction from our fears and insecurities.

Shalom,

Rav Calev

Next Feasts

Rosh Hashanah begins at sunset, Sept 22nd and ends at sunset on Sept 24th.

Yom Kippur begins at sunset, Oct 1st and ends at sunset on Oct 2nd.

Sukkot begins at sunset, Oct 6th and ends at sunset on Oct 13th.

Hebrew words to know:

Chamad- Covet

Kinah- Jealousy

Kinat Sofrim- A positive form of jealousy. This is one that helps us aspire to greater spirituality and closeness with God without begrudging our fellow man of his opportunities, experiences, and successes. Often used to refer to Torah scholars inspiring learning to other scholars. Literally, it means “envy of the scribes”.