What Is The Desire

There are a lot of different events in Behaloscha.  A common denominator that runs through many of them is that one's desire defines the activity.  On the positive side we have Aharon feeling bad about missing out on the chanukah of the Mishkan and the tamei people missing out on korban pesach.  That desire does not go unnoticed and Aharon receives the lighting of the menorah and the tamei people bring about the parsha of pesach sheni.  

On the flip side, the Ramban identifies the פרעניות before the parsha of ויהי בנסוע as the possuk of ויסעו מהר ה and he quotes Chazal say כתינוק הבורח מבית הספר.  The Ballei Mussar point out that the issue is not the Klal Yisrael left to early, they only traveled based upon the command of Hashem, the issue is the attitude Klal Yisrael had to rush away from Sinai to not possibly receive more mitzvot.  The Ramban says it may be due to this, Klal Yisrael did not immediately enter into Eretz Yisrael.    

ויהי העם כמתאוננים Rashi says אֵין מִתְאוֹנְנִים אֶלָּא לְשׁוֹן עֲלִילָה — מְבַקְּשִׁים עֲלִילָה הֵיאַךְ לִפְרֹשׁ מֵאַחֲרֵי הַמָּקוֹם, they were looking for a way how to turn away from Hashem.  Rashi says a similar idea 4 pessukim later on the words, וַיָּשֻׁ֣בוּ וַיִּבְכּ֗וּ גַּ֚ם בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ מִ֥י יַֽאֲכִלֵ֖נוּ בָּשָֽׂר, says Rashi, וְכִי לֹא הָיָה לָהֶם בָּשָׂר? וַהֲלֹא כְּבָר נֶאֱמַר "וְגַם עֵרֶב רַב עָלָה אִתָּם וְצֹאן וּבָקָר" וְגוֹ' (שמות י"ב), וְאִם תֹּאמַר אֲכָלוּם, וַהֲלֹא בִּכְנִיסָתָן לָאָרֶץ נֶאֱמַר "וּמִקְנֶה רַב הָיָה לִבְנֵי רְאוּבֵן" וְגוֹ' (במדבר ל"ב)? אֶלָּא שֶׁמְּבַקְשִׁים עֲלִילָה.  Rav Yerucham says Rashi is telling us that what inspired these complaints was really that there desire was to go against Hashem.  The complaints were not legitimate, they were just a coverup to comply with their desire to rebel against Hashem.