(Swinging) At The End Of His Rope
The Midrash tells of a wicked man who set an exorbitant price for the Parah Adumah – the red heifer – he had in his barn. While they went to bring the money, he secretly worked the heifer, disqualifying it for service. The sages inspected the heifer and discovered his deception. They were very sorry, they said, but could not purchase the heifer from him. Impressed, he exclaimed ‘Blessed is the G-d of Israel!’. Then he hung himself on a tree, frustrated at losing the deal.
What is the lesson here?
Some of the kids said this teaches us how wise the sages were.
I suggest a life lesson: the man with the heifer happily swung in his hammock, enjoying himself. Then he gained a parah adumah. Then he lost it. Mathematically, he is back to where he started; enjoying life. Why hang himself?
He was frustrated losing all that money, and it was his own stupid fault. That killed him, Yes. But does it make sense to kill ones self just because you blew a chance to be even happier?? Watch out! Losing perspective can kill. We will get anything destined to us. And if we do screw up, move on. Life is too great to be failed…
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The Rock Hit
Moshe was commanded to speak to the rock, so that it may give water. He became angry at the people, and hit the rock twice instead, which then produced water.
So Hashem said that Moshe did not sanctify Him, and would die in the Desert.
Why? What was his sin??
1) Perhaps it was hitting the rock twice. If you type a command into a computer and it doesn’t react, will typing it twice help? If it didn’t go the first time, it won’t go the second time either. Giving a computer a double command doesn’t help matters. It will only slow things down, in fact. Only a physical reaction, like cracking a rock, is done with multiple blows.
Moshe hit the rock again and again. This expressed that bringing water of a rock was physical, or semi-physical; not a miracle. Removing the miracle destroyed the kiddush Hashem: “You have not sanctified Me!”
2) Rashi says that Moshe ought to have spoken to the rock, not hit it. Had he spoken the Jews would have inferred that if a rock heeds Hashem, certainly ought they. By hitting the rock, they forfeited the lesson.
The Ramban asks that for a rock to produce water on being hit is a miracle too. What difference is there between hitting a rock and speaking to it?
Two thoughts:
One: Forty years previously, Moshe hit the rock and produced water for the people. The Jews learned to live with that, soon unimpressed with the daily miracle they saw. When water was now needed again, Moshe was now instructed to speak to the rock. They hadn’t seen that miracle yet, and therefore would be impressed by it. Hitting it instead missed the opportunity.
[Moshe told the Jews that Hashem punished him because of them, for had they not been so calloused, they would have appreciated the miracle in hitting the rock, and things would have worked out.
The lesson; never cease to wonder at life’s marvels. Allow it to stay magical. Appreciate the manifold miracles we live by!]
Two: The rock responded when hit. That is merely reactive. A juvenile may not do anything on his own; others act upon him, lead him and position him via threats. An adult, by contrast, doesn’t need being pushed; rather he is tasked, and he delivers.
The Jews had been shepherded up until then. Hashem wanted to upgrade them to a new level; now they would be spoken to and they would fulfill, without threat of punishment, as the rock was to demonstrate. The Israel-Hashem relationship would enter a higher level. Yet Moshe completely blew this opportunity. Tragic.
3) Becoming angry when challenged signals insecurity. Someone completely secure responds calmly. Instead of Moshe responding coolly to their request for water, Moshe yelled at them. This exhibited suspicion that perhaps things indeed would not work out.
Had Moshe displayed absolute trust in Hashem and answered the Jews unperturbed, Moshe’s powerful, unshakable, faith would effect the people. This was lost. Hashem said to Moshe; “You didn’t trust Me, to sanctify Me before the Jewish people!”
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Stop Panic
The Jews continuously doubted Moshe and Hashem – despite sign after sign, proof upon proof, reverting back to claim that Moshe had taken them out on his own, and was only leading them to their deaths in the desert. Why did they doubt so much?
The Nation lived without security. They were always on the edge of panic, because if something went wrong, they were in the middle of nowhere. There was no plan B; no foreseeable source of help. They were far from the trust that would one day allow them to look looming disaster in the eye and not flinch. That stage would come in time; but it was still developing right now.
However, the process of doubt was a learning experience. The people were slowly gaining the backbone they needed. The learning process was to square off against death, panic again and again, until they eventually ceased to panic. Such is the process of bravery.
A brave man fears danger. Only a fool does not. But the brave can face danger and not flinch. That happens when one learns to handle fear. And it always involves a learning period – when one does not handle fear well at all…
The path to the lake goes through the mud. It always does.
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…And Is It Kosher?
“If you give this nation to me, I will consecrate their cities” [- the Jews’ vow on the eve of war].
Where did this concept come from?
The Midrash teaches that Yaakov originated it. (It states here ‘Vayidor Yisroel’ – a reference and hint to Grandfather Yisroel). Yaakov had vowed: ‘If Hashem will be with me and return me to my father;’s home, give me clothes to wear and food to eat, – then Hashem will be my God and this stone will be an alter, and all that He will give me I will tithe for Him’.
Yaakov had made a conditional vow – If Hashem does this, then I will do that: a deal with Hashem. One may cut a ‘deal’ with Him.
(I wonder if this applies to anything other than tzeddaka. Tzeddaka is considered ‘lending Hashem’ – something Hashem takes as a personal debt and favor; something He will repay. But other mitzvos are for our own good, to help us gain olam habah or greatness. What leverage do we have there – “Uh, Hashem, I’ll do a mitzvah for my own good and you give me xyz in return, okay?” Perhaps the concept only applies to Tzeddaka or other Hashem-directed mitzvos.)
There is an issue with this: The Mishna teaches that we ought to do mitzvos for their own sake – not for reward. Moreover, someone giving charity only so that his son recover from illness, – if indeed that’s his only intention – is deemed a sinner in the gemarah. Is there a difference between someone giving money so that his son recover, and someone making a vow on condition of victory?
The Rishonim answer that if there was an upfront condition to the vow, as in the case of Yaakov and the Jewish people, where they clearly stipulated that they vowed only on condition of Hashem helping them, then its ok. There was no a-priori obligation to give that tzeddaka, so it would be alright to stipulate a condition on ones giving. However the fellow donating so that his son recover had not stipulated the recovery as a condition to the vow, (his son’s recovery was only the stated goal, the impetus for giving) therefore regret of the vow when his son dies is backtracking on his promise. He is therefore considered a sinner.
Today, it has been popularized to donate money to charity for a specific dividend, such as finding a mate or meriting children. As per above, this may be permitted.
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In Quest Of imPerfection
A Parah Aduma must be totally red. Therefore, says Rashi, two black or white hairs disqualify it. Well, if it needs to be totally red, why doesn’t even one hair disqualify it?
There is no perfection. Just as one off is acceptable in gematria, so too is one black hair acceptable in a Parah Aduma. Nothing is perfect. Only significant imperfection counts; two hairs.
So your spouse/kids/boss is imperfect? Welcome to the club…
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Non-Compete Clause
The Jewish People to Edom: ‘From your brother Israel: You know the great hardship we endured; Our fathers descended to Egypt, and lived there awhile, but Egypt turned on us. We called out to Hashem, G-d of our fathers, who answered us by sending a messenger to redeem us from Egypt. We are now at Kadesh, at your borders’. Nice, but what was the point in all this?
Approaching Edom, the Jews chose not to be confrontational. They described how they had not enjoyed much success, rather they were beaten up. Edom need not be jealous, to say the least. They positioned themselves as nebechs, redeemed only through the grace of G-d. This caught their Edomite relatives up to their triumphant situation while yet maintaining their position as a non-competitor, not a threat.
We would do well to follow this. Life is not all about competition!
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Spin Doctors
The Jews protested to Moshe ‘We wish we had died with our brothers, before Hashem! Why did you you take Hashem’s People out to die in this desert!? Why did you take us out of Egypt to bring us to this place – not a place of seed, fig, grape or pomegranate? There is not even water to drink!’
That last line is pretty clear – no water. But whats this about grapes and pomegranates? Did the Jews think they had arrived at the Promised Land, and they were therefore disappointed? Who proposed that they had reached the finish line??
Later on is a similar story: the Jews, says the pashah, were tired of travel – “the Nation’s spirit was short with the road”. They complained that there is ‘no bread and no water, and we are sick of this light bread [=Mon]’ There was Mon and there was the Well of Miriam. What’s to complain about?!?
Its called Spin. Telling half the story. Like saying a man was hurt at work, and neglecting to mention the small matter that his work was making bombs and that he was hurt when one went off prematurely.
The Jews did not lie – Moshe did take them out of a fruitful land, Egypt, -[never mind what they enjoyed of it] – and brought them to this desolate place – [never mind that it was not the end destination] – and Yes, there was no bread or lakes out in the desert [although there was the Mon and Well to take their place] – it was all spin…!
And when you want to complain, when things are not going well and you want to find problems, you will. If you are sick of travel and out of water, you will notice that there is no bread or water, and that the area is pretty arid….
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Miracle Dynamics
“Does a snake kill or a snake revive?? No, rather when the Jews looked up at the [copper] snake they turned to Hashem, and were then healed” – Mishna, Rosh Hashana.
This is puzzling: Hashem promised the miracle; whoever looks at the snake will be healed. How can we ask how a snake heals, if it was actually Hashem; do we doubt His abilities??? (See Maharal and Akeda)
One thought is that pure miracles almost never happen. Usually Hashem uses some method of induction. For instance, when He brought boils on the Egyptians He told Moshe to take oven-dust and throw it over the Egypt. Certainly that Moshe could throw that much dust and spread it over the entire country is incredible, but the miracle is rooted in physical cause and effect. Hashem merely helped it happen. The dust caused boils, and Moshe threw it over the country. In other words, indeed, an Egyptian hiding under his blanket did not get boils!
Or another example; splitting the sea. Moshe was told to hit the sea and split it. Had he not hit it, it would not split. There was always a natural element that anchored the miracle to this world. And the reason for this is that Hashem keeps this world natural – He will not overtly act in it.
The snake had no natural element; a person would see it and be healed. This just doesn’t happen. The Mishna asked how did this miracle happen. The answer is that it made people repent. Repentance is always an influencing factor. Then the nes made some sense.
The takeaway here is to keep miracles anchored in the natural world, if we want them to happen. Take some pills, even if you don’t believe they will work. They will anchor the miracle in Nature, and allow Hashem to heal you.
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Whats Your Request?
The Jews asked Moshe to beseech Hashem to remove the serpents that were killing them. In response, however, Hashem suggested something else: create a serpent and place it upon a staff, and all those who were bitten will gaze upon it and be cured. That was certainly not what they had requested!!
Sometimes the answer we receive is not what we want. We have a neighbor that causes us trouble. We would like either to move away or that he move away. Sometimes its not the answer. The answer is to cope with him.
The Jews were told that the snakes were not leaving. Instead, they were given a tool to cope with the snakes’ bite. Sometimes that’s the way the ball rolls…
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The Compleate Complainer
The Jews complained about the lack of water and said to Moshe ‘and why have you taken us from Egypt to this evil place; no plants or figs or grapevines, and no water to drink!’
Hashem responded by directing Moshe to speak to the stone and having it provide water. What about the other complaint – that this was a G-d forsaken, desolate, area?
This was never the issue. When a man is distressed he will complain of many things, yet only one is the cause of his problem. Resolve that and all is well. Important!
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Understanding G-d
The Torah contains the mitzvah of Parah Adumah, an enigma. Shlomo, the wisest of men, referred to this precept, saying “I thought to be wise, but I know that much wisdom is beyond me.” Some understand this as a general reflection – “I thought I understood the Mitzvos, but on encountering this one, which is utterly incomprehensible, I now understand that even the others were beyond my comprehension.”
Is it unsettling that human intelligence is to naught before G-d’s?
On the contrary, it is most satisfying. Some say over in the name of the Rebbe of Kotzk “I don’t need a G-d that I can understand.” For what poor excuse of a G-d is it, when we can understand Him and His decisions?? Indeed, we feel safe and confident only by knowing that our G-d is vastly more understanding that we can ever be!
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Response-Able
After Miriam died, the Well disappeared. Presumably it was immediate. The Jews complained to Moshe, because they had no water to drink. Moshe was instructed to take his staff and talk to the rock, but instead he berated the Jews and hit the rock, twice. And he was told that s a result he will not merit leading the Jews into Israel, rather he will die in the desert, and Yehoshua will take his place.
We are not told about Moshe’s emotional state. Was he in the depths of grief, mourning his beloved sister, when the people gathered round to demand water? Was he depressed? Was he coping? And lastly, does it matter?
Indeed, throughout the Torah we find little talk of emotions, and perhaps that is because it is secondary to action – it’s how we act that matters, more than our spirit and heart. This world is principally an arena for action, and that’s what ultimately counts.
We need to know this. We may sympathize with suicides and criminals, and perhaps understand what drove them to their actions. But we cannot condone nor accept their actions. So long as one is in control of himself, he is totally responsible for what he does, no matter the stress he is under…