Musar על במדבר 11:33

The Torah writes in 11,33, הבשר עודנו בין שניהם טרם יכרת, ואף ה' וכו'. "The meat was still between their teeth, had not been chewed up yet, when the anger of the Lord was kindled, etc." We know that the world is based on תורה ועבודה, Torah study and service of the Lord. I have found an interesting commentary by the Rekanati on Song of Songs 6,6. We find in that verse that the teeth are described as שכולם מתאימות, "all of them like twins,” and in the next half of the verse ושכלה אין בהם, "none of them has suffered a bereavement.” The overall description is that of a flock of ewes which these teeth are compared to. A similar verse in Song of Songs 4,2, compares these teeth to a flock that has come up from being well washed. The verses are understood to describe aspects of Torah and Avodah. When Abraham had asked G–d: “How will I know that I will inherit it? (Genesis 15,8), he was told that the merit of the sacrifices or even the recital of the sacrificial service when there is no Temple would ensure that G–d could fulfil His promise (compare Megillah 31b). It is a scientific fact that every Jew has 32 teeth, 16 upper ones and 16 lower ones. The statement that שניך כעדר הרחלים, "your teeth are like a flock of ewes,” refers to the 16 public offerings consisting of sheep that were offered in the holy Temple every week, 12 on weekdays and the regular 2 plus an extra 2 on the Sabbath. This is what we call עבודה.