There’s a lot of complaining in Parshas Beshalach. At the end of Perek 15 מה נשתה , What shall we drink? In the next Perek, after bnei Yisrael travelled for a month, וילינו כל-עדת בני-ישראל על-משה ועל-אהרון במדבר – and they complained in the Midbar. At this point it was not clear yet as to what they were complaining about. Rashi says it seems they ran out of food. (It was actually a big נס that the food lasted for a whole month, but the Torah didn’t record this miracle, because it was predicted first. Ramban).
Ramban picks up on the fact that the reason for their complaints were not mentioned in this pasuk, and suggests that perhaps the issue was במדבר – they were in the desert, far away from Egypt, it has already been a month. Where are we? What is there to look forward to? Why haven’t we been taken to a place of cities and provisions? They started to get nervous.
In Parshas Behalosecha, the Ramban also speaks at the beginning of Perek יא, and has a beautiful Yesod. ויהי העם כמתאננים – people were complaining, just like nowadays. The Ramban explains that should have been with Hashem, yet they just spoke במר נפשם – they were bitter, talking about their pains, when they should have appreciated and proclaimed all the good that Hashem had given them, with Simcha and a good heart. בשמחה ובטוב לבב.
History repeats itself. People have a tendency to kvetch and complain. They complain about their boss, their wife, their parents or their kids, sometimes it’s all 3! They complain about the President or the Prime Minister, the Mayor and the Garbage Collector. They complain about who sits next to them in shul, and who doesn’t sit next to them in shul. Complaints, complaints complaints.
One big lesson we can learn, is stop complaining, see the טוב – see the good, and B’ezrat Hashem, you will definitely feel the good, appreciate it, and Hashem will continue to bestow good upon you.
Shabbat Shalom
