Rabbi Frand on Parshas Chukas-Balak
These divrei Torah were adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher
Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Tapes on the weekly portion: Tape #379, The
Jewish "Shabbos Goy".
Good Shabbos!
The Link Between Para Adumah And The Death Of The Righteous
Immediately after discussing the use of Para Adumah [Red Heifer] ashes to
purify a person who came into contact with the dead, the Torah tells us of
the death of Miriam [Bamidbar 20:1]. The Talmud says [Moed Katan 28a] that
the juxtaposition of these two parshios teaches that "Just as the Para
Adumah atones, so too the death of a righteous person atones".
What common denominator between Para Adumah and the death of the righteous
provides atonement for the world? We must note that the Gemarah, in making
the comparison between the two, is not relating to the purification
dimension (Tahara) of Para Adumah. Rather, the Gemarah is relating to the
atonement (Kapara) that Para Adumah provides.
We must first examine the aspect of Para Adumah from which its atonement
emerges. The Kapara of Para Adumah emerges from the fact that Para Adumah
is a challenge to our faith (Emunah). Our Sages tell us that the Para
Adumah was a cause for our being mocked by the gentiles. They used it to
challenge our beliefs. They taunted us that it was a form of magic and
witchcraft. How does it work? Why does it work? It is very strange. The
whole set of laws associated with it are so paradoxical that it tests our
very faith in the Divinity of the commandments. [The one upon whom the
ashes are sprinkled is purified, but the one who sprinkles the ashes is
rendered impure! This is so unfathomable that even the wisest of men, King
Solomon, could not perceive its reasoning.]
Therefore, when the Jews observe the ritual of Para Adumah, they are in
effect saying, "We trust G-d". It might not make any sense to us, but we
are going to do it anyway. [N.B. Judaism does not demand belief without
reason in the fundamentals, e.g. G-d and the Giving of the Torah -- on the
contrary. But once a person accepts that G-d gave the Torah, it becomes
incumbent upon the person to follow its Laws whether or not he or she
understands each individual detail.] There are many things in life that do
not add up and do not make any sense. We earn atonement as a result of the
very fact that we are nonetheless prepared to follow G-d's teaching.
In this week's parsha, klal yisroel [the Congregation of Israel] had reached
the end of the 40 years of sojourn in the wilderness. For the last 40 years
they had the Well because of Miriam. As far as we know, Miriam only did one
thing wrong in her life. She once spoke Lashon Hara [gossip] about her
brother. She was immediately punished for that act.
Therefore, they could have wondered why Miriam had to die in the
wilderness without being able to enter Eretz Yisroel. After all, she
committed only one sin, and had already been punished for it. And yet...
"And Miriam died there and she was buried there".
"But it's not fair!" Why wasn't she allowed to go into Eretz Yisroel? It
does not make any sense. However, the death of the righteous atones. If a
righteous person dies, we may ask ourselves why it happened. We wonder "this
does not make any sense - he was such a good person!" However, ultimately,
we accept the death of the righteous with the same simple faith with which
we accept the laws of Para Adumah. We are prepared to continue our lives
with the same dedication to G-d and His Torah, despite our unanswered
questions as to why things are the way that they are. This is the source of
atonement that comes from the death of the righteous.
The recital of "Tziduk HaDin" [accepting upon ourselves the righteousness of
G-d's Judgement], by saying "Hatzur Tummim Pu'u'lo -- The Rock, his actions
are perfect", despite all our questions and latent doubts, is a tremendous
atonement for us. And that is the linkage between the Red Heifer and the
death of the righteous.
Taking Note of Even Small A Measure of Progress
Moshe Rabbeinu was denied entrance into the Land of Israel as a result of
the incident that is known as the "Waters of Merivah". All of the Torah
commentaries try to discover what Moshe did wrong. Rashi's well-known
interpretation is that Moshe hit the rock instead of speaking to it. The
Rambam in his "Eight Chapters" explains that Moshe sinned when he publicly
lost his temper and said "Listen here you rebels (shimu nah ha'morim), shall
we bring forth water for you from this rock?" [Bamidbar 20:10]. It is as if
Moshe lost his patience with his flock and addressed them in too sharp a
manner.
We need to analyze the Rambam's explanation. Moshe Rabbeinu had a very
legitimate reason to be angry. From a historical perspective, it certainly
must have been frustrating. This was the second incident regarding this
"Well". The same thing happened forty years earlier.
Moshe Rabbeinu could justifiably say, "I have had it with these people!
They have not come an iota closer to belief in G-d after forty years under
my tutelage." Was it not understandable that Moshe needed to "let off a
little steam" at them under such frustrating circumstances? And yet, the
Rambam says that this was held against him. He should not have lost his
patience.
In order to gain a better understanding of the Rambam's interpretation, it
helps to note a subtle contrast between the two incidents in which the
Children of Israel complained about lack of water.
Regarding the first incident in Parshas B'Shalach [Shmos 17:3], the
complaint was phrased as follows: "The people thirsted there for water, and
the people complained against Moshe and said 'Why is this that you have
brought us up from Egypt to kill me and my children and my livestock through
thirst?'"
Here in Parshas Chukas [Bamidbar 20:4] the complaint was "And why have you
brought the congregation of Hashem to this wilderness to die there, we and
our animals?" The texts are almost identical - except for one word. In
Parshas B'Shalach the charge was that Moshe brought them into the wilderness
to KILL them. In Chukas, they only charged that he brought them there to
DIE. In other words, in Parshas B'Shalach they were charging Moshe with
murder. Here they are only charging him with negligence -- they would die in
the wilderness because they had no water. However, they did not complain
that Moshe was trying to KILL them.
This is a subtle but very significant difference. This does represent
"progress" on their part. If forty years earlier they accused their leader
of being a murderer and now they were somewhat more respectful in how they
talked to him, that is a step forward. According to the Rambam, Moshe was
punished for failing to take note of this subtle, miniscule difference.
Moshe should have appreciated that difference. He should not have spoken
down to them as "rebellious ones".
There is a great lesson here. These are tremendous words of encouragement
for anyone who is in the teaching profession -- or anyone who is in the
'parenting business'. Sometimes we may tell something to our child at age 10
and then need to repeat it to them when they are 15. They appear to be at
the exact same level that they were at five years ago. We can give
instructions to students at the beginning of the year and we do not
necessarily notice progress. At the end of the school year, the students
will still sometimes act incorrectly without constant correcting. However,
this is a misperception on our part. We sometimes need to be on the lookout
for such a small thing as the way something is articulated, and even for the
body language of the way something is said. Even a subtle change in attitude
can be called progress. That is a level of progress that should be
appreciated, not summarily dismissed.
This is difficult. It is frustrating. We want to see major progress. We want
to see overnight dramatic change. But it does not always happen like that.
Progress comes in incremental steps. This is something that Moshe Rabbeinu
had to recognize and his failure to recognize it by losing his temper with
the words "Shimu nah ha'Morim" is perhaps the reason that -- for all his
greatness -- he was held accountable.
This week's write-up is adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher
Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Torah Tapes on the weekly Torah portion (# 379).
The corresponding halachic portion for this tape is: The Jewish "Shabbos
Goy". The complete list of halachic portions for this parsha from the
Commuter Chavrusah Series are:
Also Available: Mesorah / Artscroll has published a collection of Rabbi Frand's essays. The book is entitled:
and is available through your local Hebrew book store or from Project Genesis, 1-410-654-1799.
