The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.
R' Frand began by quoting the Apter Rav who is often mentioned by the name of his Sefer - Ohev Yisrael. He famously said that every parsha in the Torah has an aspect of Ahavas Yisrael. R' Frand mentioned a story that he said may be apocryphal wherein the Ohev Yisrael's chassidim asked him where Ahavas Yisrael is mentioned in Parshas Balak. He answered - its in the name of the Parsha as it is an acronym for V'Ahavta L'Reacha Camocha. They asked - but V'Ahavta begins with a Vuv and Camocha with a Chuf? He then responded that if you are so midakdek you will never come to Ahavas Yisrael.
R' Frand said that he used that as an introduction because he similarly feels that the concept of HaKaras HaTov can be found in every parsha in the Torah and that it is a fundamental underlying concept. R' Frand quoted the Medrash Tanchuma which details a conversation between the Jews and Hashem about the Menorah. After Hashem asked the Jews to light the Menorah they responded - Hashem you are the light of the world. Why do you need our light? Hashem responded - I want to give you an opportunity to repay the favor and to be Makir Tov.
The Medrash then uses the Mashal of a blind man and a sighted man who are walking through the forest with the sighted man leading the way. When they reach the home they are travelling to, the sighted man asked the blind man to light the candle. He responded - you led us through the forest - I could not have gotten here without you, so why are you asking me to light the candle? He answered - because I wanted to give you an opportunity to give back and be Makir Tov.
R' Frand quoted the Brisker Rav who observed that a person can have many flaws. But if the person cannot recognize the good done for him by others, he has a flaw in his humanity.
R' Frand quoted Devarim 32:6 where the Torah states - הַ לְיהֹוָה֙ תִּגְמְלוּ־זֹ֔את עַ֥ם נָבָ֖ל וְלֹ֣א חָכָ֑ם. R' Frand asked what is a נָבָ֖ל? He said that an animal while alive is an animal, but after death is a Neveilah - this is a person or a nation which is disgraceful because it does not recognize what Hashem does for them.
R' Frand observed that Beha'alosecha is the beginning of the series of stories of the Jews' troubles in Sefer Bamidbar. In Bamidbar 11:1 the Torah states - וַיְהִ֤י הָעָם֙ כְּמִתְאֹ֣נְנִ֔ים רַ֖ע - the nation was complaining and Hashem responded by punishing the Jews. The Ramban explains that this occurred because the Jews should have been rejoicing for all the good that had been done for them, but instead they complained. If one views the pesukim about the manna where they were complaining, there is a curious insertion in 11:7-8 of the wonder of the manna and all of its magical properties. This was Hashem interjecting in the Jews narrative - see how wonderful the manna is? But they kept complaining.
R' Frand observed that the concept of HaKaras HaTov is found at the end of the parsha as well. The Jews wait for Miriam after she becomes afflicted with Tzara'as. Rashi explains that the Jews waited for Miriam in the zechus of her waiting and watching Moshe after he was put in the basket.
R' Frand then quoted an amazing Medrash which states that when Moshe was told by Hashem to leave Yisro and go back to Egypt in order to take the Jews out, Moshe said to Hashem that he could not immediately do it. He said that he first needed to ask Yisro's permission as Yisro had taken him in like a father.
R' Frand asked - who owed who? Who got the better end of the deal? Moshe got the former high priest of Midyan as his father in law, but Yisro got Moshe as a son in law! And at the time, Yisro could not find someone for his daughters as he was shunned for leaving the priesthood of idol worshippers. But still, Moshe found it more important to honor his father in law and show his appreciation for what Yisro had done for him, before answering Hashem's call to lead the Jews.
R' Frand observed that often someone does something nice for another and the recipient brushes it off with the rationalization - he was already going my way, or he gets paid to do this. Its important to always recognize the good that someone else has done for you.
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