In this week's Parsha we have two Pesukim that are unique in the whole Torah. They have an upside down letter 'nun' before and after in the Sefer Torah.
The Pesukim are 'Vayehi binso'a ha'aron' and 'uvenucho yomar'. These are the Pesukim we say in Shul when taking out and returning the Sefer Torah.
The Midrash asks why are these Pesukim with an upside down letter 'nun' before and after?
The Midrash answers that these Pesukim aren't written in their correct place. Moshe Rabbeinu wrote them here in order to make a change of topic between the topic before and the topic after.
Beforehand the Parsha speaks about how Klal Yisrael left Har Sinai. Chazal explain that they didn't leave in the correct way. Instead of being disappointed that they were leaving such a holy place where they received the Torah, they left happily like a child that runs out of class. Our Rabbis tell us that Klal Yisrael were punished for this and they never merited to enter Eretz Yisrael.
Afterwards the Parsha speaks about the Jews complaining about the 'mann' - the Heavenly food that came down every day. They didn't want such a strange food, they wanted something more proper. The Jews complained that they remembered the fish, the squash, the watermelons, the leeks, the onions and the garlic they had in Mitzrayim. Hashem gave them the 'slav' - a kind of poultry in a very large quantity. Unfortunately, the Jews were punished and many died.
The Midrash explains that in order to give breathing space between the two sins and punishments, the Torah put these two Pesukim as a break.
Although this Midrash requires a deeper explanation, it still teaches us a message. When Hashem does punish us, He still does so with kindness. He doesn't do it all in one shot, He gives us a break for us to be able to handle it a little easier.
A man came to Rav Yankel Galinsky with a problem.
"We had the Yom Tov of Pesach, the 49 days of sefiras ha'omer counting the days to Shevuos and receiving the Torah and we have had the Yom Tov of Shevuos. Altogether, over seven weeks that should be used for elevation, and after Shevuos life's back to normal, just as we were before Pesach."
