Metzora - The Importance of Introspection

 

      “We are souls dressed up in sacred biochemical garments and our bodies are the instruments through which our souls play.” – Albert Einstein

 

Last week’s Torah portions, Tazria and Metzora continue to address the laws of purity which began in Shemini. In Tazria, G-d instructs Moshe about the rituals of purification for mothers following childbirth.

The second parashah (Torah portion), Metzora, focuses on the laws of tzara’at which, according to our sages, is mistakenly translated as leprosy. “It is not a physical disease,” asserts Rabbi David Rosenfeld, of Aish, “…. it can appear on innate objects like clothing and buildings which is something physical diseases can’t do. Rather,” he continues, “tzara’at is a spiritual malady.” The parashah goes on to address the laws concerning the atonement and treatment of the condition, the healing process by the High Priest and the sacrifices which the afflicted person has to offer to G-d.

The notion that tzara’at is a spiritual condition rather than physical is also proposed by Rabbi David Agmon. According to him, were tzara’at a somatic malady, it would follow that it should be named after the doctor that is sent to heal the sick person. Instead, the parashah describes the ailments that are diagnosed and treated by the High Priest through the process of purification. “What does it tell us about the spiritual attribute of leprosy?” asks Rabbi Agmon.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, ZT”L, likewise, suggests that the Rabbis “moralized the condition of tzara’at.” According to them, it was a punishment rather than a medical condition and not for any sin but for one specific sin, that of leshon hara, evil speech. This interpretation, explains Sacks, “was based on the internal evidence in the Torah itself.” The first is described in Exodus 4:6-7 where Moshe’s hand became leprous after expressing doubt the readiness of the Yisraelites to believe him. The second incident is mentioned in Numbers 12:1-15 where Miriam was struck by leprosy after denigrating Moshe.

Though tzara’at may possibly be a type of skin infection, our sages claim that it is wreaked as a Divine message and not by natural means. They explain that the term “metzora” is an acronym for “motzi leshon hara” a person who speaks disparagingly about others (Babylonian Talmud, Erkin15:1).

 The Torah does not provide a clear directive against leshon hara, evil speech, it strictly prohibits gossip, “You shall not go about spreading gossip among your people” (Leviticus 19:16). Leshon hara, is considered one of the worst transgressions of all. Maimonides, one of our greatest sages, construes it as “There is a far greater sin that falls under this prohibition [of gossip]. It is ‘the evil tongue,’ which refers to whoever speaks derogatorily of his fellow, even though he speaks the truth.” (Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Deot 7:2). Evil speech, claim our sages, kills three people – the one who says it, the one who accepts it, and the one about whom it is said. (Hilchot Deot 7:3). Nothing keeps us farthest from G-d than leshon hara, contends Ohr HaChaim (Rabbi Chaim ben Attar).

A close examination of the laws of tzara’at, its consequences and the peculiar purification process by the High Priest, as described in the parashah, reinforces the spiritual significance of the syndrome.

One of the consequences of having tzara’at requires that the contaminated individual is commanded to separate himself from the community and stay outside the camp by himself, “leave your home, go beyond the city limits and just sit alone with no one to talk to!” (Leviticus 13:46).

To an innocent bystander, this directive may seem harsh considering that the source of this ailment is spiritual, a form of punishment for sinful conduct rather than physical or contagious.

And this is the great lesson that our Rabbis wish to teach us. According to them, the process of isolation, which is consequential to leaving the camp, is meant to bring us to reflection, introspection and repentance.

Our body is our guide, our Scriptures teach us, the guide to our inner self. In the words of Job, “….in my flesh I will see G-d” (Job 19:26). Our body is the channel through which the Divine message is passed on to us. It is, as Einstein expressed in the above quote, “the instrument through which our souls play.” If part of us is impure, it tends to manifest itself physically to allow us to treat, mend and heal. Our first instinct, generally, is to blame outside factors for our ailments. The Torah instructs us to examine ourselves, search our inner self, not look at others or blame them. This is essential to commence our healing process. Remedy of the soul is the root of physical health.

Just as the Metzora cannot be part of his camp so long as he is diseased, so cannot those who sin against their fellow men and women be part of our society. Only after they wake up, amend their ways and heal can they embark on the path towards a healthy and fulfilling life for themselves and our society.

Is Being a Stiff-Necked People Bad?

 

   

“And G-d said to Moses, I have seen this people and indeed it is a stiff-necked people!” Exodus 32:9

There are a few themes in last week’s Parashah, “Ki Tisa.” One of them dwells on the grave and calamitous episode of the “golden calf.” In His rage at Am Yisrael, G-d promises to punish it for this sordid affair. “Now therefore,” He tells Moshe, “let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them, and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation” (Exodus 32:10). Am Yisrael, according to G-d, clings to idolatry and are not ready to commit themselves to the covenant they entered with G-d.

Moshe tries to soothe G-d’s anger and pleads with Him to forgive Am Yisrael. “Lord,” he said, “if I have found favour in your eyes, then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin and take us as your inheritance" (Exodus 34:8-9).

Rabbi Sacks, ZT”L, suggests that Moshe’s words may sound somewhat odd. Moshe cites as a reason for G-d remaining with the Yisraelites the very trait that G-d had previously given for wishing to abandon them.

 In other words, in both quotes, the term “stiff-necked” is used to portray Am Yisrael. In both, this quality is used as an excuse for two opposing goals. How is it possible that Moshe raises specifically the stubbornness of the Yisraelites, their obstinacy as a rationale for the resumption of G-d’s presence in their midst?

Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira, also known as the “Piasetzno Rabbi” (1889-1943) was, likewise, bewildered by the same issue. He offers his own understanding of the use of the term. In his view, being “stiff-necked” is one of the greatest qualities one could possess. In his view, anyone who is not “stiff-necked” is fickle and insecure. …No one knows what the outcome might be when, G-d forbid, that person will not be able to withstand a calamitous trial (which relates to the decision to abandon the Jewish faith). On the other hand, per the Piasetzno Rabbi, the stiff-necked individual is an honest person. If that person decides to worship G-d, one can rest assure that he would adhere to his decision. The more "stiff-necked" he is, the more likely he will withstand that same trial (Aish Kodesh, Parashat Noah).

Being “stiff-necked” means being stubborn. It also means being dedicated and committed to a certain cause. To be “stiff-necked” means that one can meet their obligations and duties against all odds. When the pressure rises and the burden gets heavier, one can rely on a stiff-necked person to do what he is expected to do.

On the other hand, as the Piasetzno Rabbi contends, one who is not “stiff-necked” is like a leaf blown away in the wind. One day, he says that he will be by your side, but what will happen, asks the Rabbi, if on the following day, he faces hardships that he himself cannot handle? Moshe’s argument, asserts the Rabbi, was as thus: “Yes, Am Yisrael is a stiff-necked nation. They stubbornly cling to idolatry. However, you, G-d should know that when they fully commit themselves to you, they will never leave you. Their commitment to the Covenant is absolute.” In other words, explains Zecharia Robof, in his article, “A Stiff-Necked Nation in Times of Crisis,” no matter how much the Children of Yisrael suffer, their stubbornness means that they will never give up on their love for you. Now, they are “stiff-necked” in their rebelliousness, but the day will come when they will be, likewise, “stiff-necked” in their loyalty. The gentiles will order them to convert, but they will refuse. They will suffer humiliations, persecutions and torture because of their beliefs, yet they will continue to adhere to the Covenant that their forefathers undertook with G-d..

Am Yisrael and the Jewish People, as history has shown, has, on more than one occasion, reverted to the old ways of their ancestors in the Sinai desert. Yet as hard as it has been for them to withstand the temptation of idolatry and the absence of a physical image of G-d, it has been just as hard, if not harder, for them to forsake their ancestral Covenant with G-d. In the words of R.Isaac ben Redifa who said them in the name of R.Ami, “you might think that this [“stiff-necked”] is a negative attribute, but in fact, it is praiseworthy, for it means: ‘Either be a Jew or prepare to be hanged’” (Beitza 25b;Shemot Rabbah 42:9).

Jewish survival throughout history, despite the catastrophes that befell our People, is the result of two important factors. One is our insistence to maintain our “stiff-necked” attribute when it comes to the desire of nations, by way of pogroms, crusades, Inquisition or any other attempt to annihilate our faith. The second is the everlasting promise that has accompanied Am Yisrael on our journey through the ages, “The Eternal of Yisrael shall never lie.”

Ner Tamid (Perpetual Light)

 

                                      “Command the Yisraelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the                                             illumination of the perpetual light.”  - Exodus 27:2

Throughout history and across cultures, the notion of Light is one of the most universal and central symbols. Unlike darkness, which is associated with evil, suffering and the unknown, Light, conveys goodness, hope and spirituality.

The concept of Light runs like a golden thread in Judaism, its tradition and commandments and captures an immense role and significance in our Jewish culture. It is almost impossible to fathom Judaism without the notion of Light and candles which are used for various functions such as holy days celebrations and as commemoration and other special occasions.

G-d’s directive regarding Ner Tamid, above, was given to Moshe as part of the commandment to construct the Tabernacle, the portable earthly dwelling of G-d which was used by Am Yisrael throughout their wanderings in the desert until the conquest of Canaan. The instructions to assemble the Tabernacle such as its measurements, listing the vessels and their roles, the garb of the priests or the performance of the rituals, also include detailed guidelines surrounding the precepts and affiliated role and purpose of Ner Tamid (Leviticus 6:5-6).

Upon the erection of Solomon’s Temple, all rituals and religious duties, including those surrounding Ner Tamid, were relocated and placed in it. After the destruction of the Temple, the tradition of Ner Tamid was shifted to the synagogue where it is placed in front of Aron haKodesh, Ark of the Holy, where the Torah scrolls are kept.

The theme of Light can be spotted in various places along our Tana”ch and symbolizes different quality. For instance, the term is an important component of the constitutive and well-known idiomatic phrases concerning our calling as a People. Our destiny to be a “Light unto the Nations” is proclaimed by the prophet Isaiah (42:6). The role that G-d has fated for us, as a “Nation of Priests,” according to Isaiah, was to represent Him to the world by our meritorious lifestyle and by becoming a beau ideal to humanity.

For King Solomon, though, Light symbolizes the Spirit of Man as he suggests in Proverbs 20:27: “The human spirit is the lamp of G-d that sheds light on one’s inmost being.” For others, such as Erica Brown, the light of the Ner Tamid is a reminder of “the flame that burned but did not consume the burning bush where Moses received his calling.” (“The perpetual flame: Thoughts on Parashat Tzav”. The Torah Leadership, March 30, 2023).

The absence of Light, on the other hand, is used as a form of punishment, in our Jewish scriptures. In the Babylonian Talmud, Megillah tractate, for instance, Rabbi Yosi (1st century) quotes one of the curses that Moshe warned Am Yisrael against, lest they move away from their Covenant with G-d, “At midday you will grope about like a blind person in the dark” (Deuteronomy 28:29). In its literal meaning, this curse denotes that even at noon, when it is expected to be light, darkness shall prevail.

Rabbi Yossi, however, recounts the following story which helps us understand this verse differently and in a more positive, uplifting and optimistic manner. As he was leaving the prayer house, one evening, shares with us Rabbi Yosi, he met a blind man. The blind man held a burning torch which spread a bright light.

Rather surprised, Rabbi Yosi stopped and asked the man for the purpose of holding the torch. After all, if the man is blind, then day and night should look the same as far as his blindness was concerned.

The blind man explained that so long as he was holding the burning torch, people could see him and save him from getting hurt. The torch, asserted the blind and wise man, was not to show him the way, but rather to ensure that others noticed him and came to his rescue. For him the burning flame of the torch provided Faith and Trust. It was a holy fire.

It is this kind of “holy fires” that Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, ZT”L is referring to in his column in The Times, “Somehow faith outlives every attempt to destroy it. Its symbol is not the fierce fire that burned synagogues and sacred scrolls and murdered lives. It is the fragile flame we, together with our children and grandchildren, light in our homes, singing G-d’s story, sustained by our hope.” (“The Flame of Faith that has Survived all Tyranny,” The Times, December 19, 2008).

May the Perpetual Light of the Ner Tamid continue to shine over us all and point us in the right direction where we can bind with our fellow men and women and, together, continue to bask in the glory of Hope and Wisdom that it spreads for the benefit of us all.

 

Happy Purim, dear Am Yisrael 

The Fourth Sin

The following article is a translation of a Facebook post written in Hebrew, by Avi Portugheis

"For three sins of Damascus, even for four, I will not relent..." (Amos 1:3). Meaning: sinned many sins, yet the last one tipped the scale.

For the three since of Aharon Barak  and the fourth one, I will not relent.

1. The first, the Camp David Accords with Menachem Begin, Sadat and Carter. There, Barak worded the treaty, against the wish of Begin. Begin insisted that it states: "The legal rights of Yisraeli Arabs and their just needs."

Barak's version, translated into English said, "The legitimate rights of the Palestinian people."

True, it does say, " the Palestinian people, but all the world's commentators, except for Begin, understood it to mean, the "Palestinian People" and this is where it all began. 

Begin, somewhat naive and somewhat stupid, admired the judicial system, believed that thanks to it, Ben-Gurion had spared him. 

In Aharon Barak, he saw a prodigy.

Moreover, as a result of the cleansing he conducted in the ruling Labour part, he enabled Begin's desired victory. Begin did not understand that he was, in fact, riding on the back of a tiger, whose megalomanic instinct will eventually devoure the Knesset, the government and eventually the state.

2. The second sin, the estsblishment of the apartheid regime: the judicial reform tbat Barak created in which the clear and simple law which the average citizen understands, accepts and follows, into a shapeless, amorphic thing,  whereby only the judge understands and can determine its content regardless of the language of the law. "Interpretation is not merely linguistics, the judge has to regard the law as it would be worded in the present, by the reasonable legislator." 

Who is a reasonable legislator? - trust the judge that he knows. That is how an apartheid state was created, where the Right cannot demonstrate and the Left can, where any message of the Right is incitement and that of the Left is enlightenment, where those with Jewish morality are "children of darkness" and those with a Marxist one are "children of light," where "a Buzaglo (an example of a Sephardic name) is the opposite of the enlightened Man."

3. The third crime, loss of trust in the Court:  where the advancement of Barak's megalomanic aspirations cannot exist under the criticism of thinking, wise colleagues. 

He, therefore, made sure that the courts, in general, and the Supreme Court, in particular, will be composed of below average and downward people who would not oppose him. Through the seniority system, he could dictate twenty years ahead  who would be the presiding supreme court judges and thus ensure that it would not consist, G-d forbid, of wise people. (This is Fogelman's struggle, these days. He was promised the Supreme Court presidency, he was well behaved and even agreed to go along with the "Apropim Rule" (see below).

4. The fourth sin, the unrelenting one. It is the abduction of the ruling ability of the sovereign. The Supreme Court robbed the rights of the Knesset and the govetnment but left them with the responsibility. It gave unreasonable power to, unlike that which exists in other democracies, to "gate keepers" who amount to nothing but "politrukes" similar to those that existed in the Commumist regime of the former Soviet Union.

The result, the Court, nowadays, has become the ememy of the People. The People has enlisted to fight an existential war from without and, at the same time, those from within, including the Court which keeps putting sticks in the wheels of the war.

"And the fourth one, I shall not relent." The flight of the judges from the courtroom to avoid the wrath of the protesting crowd, moving the military AG (the one who ordered the arrest of the soldiers who were falsely accused, as the report of a world acclaimed Professor Pikarsky proves, of raping a Nukhbah terrorist), to a secret residence, are just the beginning. 

There will come the day, in the not too far future, when the wearers of the black robes will be dragged in the city streets.

This is not an incitement, it is merely an interpretation, or if you wish, a wake up call.

https://ekw.co.il/en/contract-interpretation-in-light-of-new-judgment-by-the-supreme-court/#:~:text=In%20addition%2C%20the%20Apropim%20Judgment,of%20the%20contract%20and%20its

Va’etchanan - The Answer to the “Why” of Jewish Existence

 

“Those who have a “why” to live, can bear with almost any “how.” – Victor J. Frankl

 “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” – Mark Twain

Va’etchanan, this week’s Torah portion is the second portion in the book of Deuteronomy (3:23-7:11). Moshe continues his final sermon to Am Yisrael. He shares with them how he pleaded (Va’etchanan) with G-d to allow him to enter the Promised Land and sums up some of the key milestones along their journey through the desert.

“Remember the day at Mount Sinai when G-d spoke to you out of the midst of fire,” Moshe reminds them. That day, in our Jewish history, is what Mark Twain refers to, in the above quote, as “one of the two most important days” in our life as a People. It was the day Am Yisrael and the Jewish Nation were born, the day we became a “A kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation unto G-d.” (Exodus 19:6).

On that first important day, we also declared in one unanimous voice, “we shall do, and we shall harken.”

By proclaiming these words, our People, composed of a former community of tribes, most of whom were illiterate slaves, unconditionally accepted and affirmed the “what” and the “how” of our Jewish Moral Code of Law. We took upon ourselves the burden of the Mitzvot and how to follow them. I doubt many, if any, understood what they meant and “why” it was important to follow and obey them.

For the forty years of wandering in the desert, Bnei Yisrael were repeatedly taught the “what” and the “how.” During that period, though, Moshe does not dwell as much on the core of the reasons behind the mitzvot, on the “why,” or what the ancient Greeks call Telos.

As Frankl suggests above and as many of us have learned in life, knowing the “why” facilitates and eventually enables us to overcome the harshest of obstacles and hurdles posed before us on our odyssey through life. The search for the meaning of our existence requires us to discover what Twain defines as “the second most important day of our life,” the day we discover the “why.”

In his article, “The Power of Why,” Rabbi Sacks also addresses the relevance of the “why” in our life. He shares with us a TED talk by Simon Sinek, an English American author and inspirational speaker. In it, Sinek asked, “How do great leaders inspire action? What made people like Martin Luther Kind and Steve Jobs stand out from their contemporaries who may have been no less gifted, no less qualified. Sinek’s answer, tells us Sacks, is “Most people talk about the what. Some people talk about the how. Great leaders, though, start with the why. This is what makes them transformative.”

Moshe, undoubtedly, understood the importance of the concept.  Unlike other sermons delivered by him, in the past, his final farewell not only stresses the duty to follow the commandments, but it also unveils a new facet of them, thus reinforcing their solemnity. It reveals to Am Yisrael, the universal “why” behind the Mitzvot.

Though on other occasions, in the past, the decree to follow the Torah was backed by the “why,” it was, generally, in the form of personal, individual and even national rewards for following them or subsequent punishment for disobeying them. For instance, the personal merit that is attached to the Fifth Commandment which requires us to honour our mother and father, promises the granting of a long life by G-d. Likewise, as a nation, we are warned against the dire consequences of any deviation from the Law as well as promised the rewards that await us for complying with it.

However, in Moshe’s “Swan Song,” in Va’etchana,” we learn about a much bigger and more significant reason for adhering to the One G-d and His commandments. This one is a universal “why” which ascribes the importance of preserving Jewish existence and survival. “Observe them carefully for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about them and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord, our G-d is near us whenever we pray to him? And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?”  (Deuteronomy 4:6-8).

This is the big “why,” behind the “what” and the “how” that we were given in Mount Sinai. It is not merely for the gain of Bnei Yisrael as individuals, or as members of a Nation but it is also a universal benefit. It is the “why” that serves to fulfill the exceptionally enormous role that we were destined to play as “a Holy Nation unto G-d,” in the history of mankind.

May we, Am Yisrael and the Jewish People be comforted on this Shabbat Nachamu and be worthy of the role that G-d and history have allotted to us.

Shabbat Shalom

The Essence of Jewish Existence

 

 

“A People that dwells alone; not reckoned among the nations.” – Numbers 23:9

 

The verse above is from this week’s Torah portion, Balak (Numbers 22:2-25:9). It is named after the king of the Moabites who retains a sorcerer by the name of Bilaam to curse Am Yisrael. Many believe that due to certain events that occurred prior to Bilaam’s speech, the latter ended up blessing Bnei Yisrael. Others believe that he cursed them.

At first glance, this verse which describes the relationship between Am Yisrael and the nations of the world, seems paradoxical. The persisting anti-semitism and ongoing isolation of Yisrael, especially in today’s world, demonstrate that this is an accurate reflection of reality. On the other hand, however, a bird’s eye view of world history indicates that the Jewish People have been involved in world affairs and contributed immensely to humanity and world civilization.

When examining the interpretation of this verse by rabbis and Torah scholars, it seems that it has evolved in an interesting way over the ages.

Rash”i, one of the earlier commentators  (1040-1105) interprets this verse through working with the literal translation of the Hebrew. In his view, Bilaam is predicting the future of Bnei Yisrael. According to him, Bilaam’s words imply, “You are distinguished (dwell apart) by your Torah traditions, and because of them you will not suffer the fate (be reckoned) of extinction but will survive and prosper.”

Eight hundred years later, Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehudah Berlin (Netziv), likewise, dwells on this very perplexing verse. In his view, this verse should be read thus: “If a People is content to be alone, faithful to its distinctive identity, then it will be able to dwell in peace. But if Jews, seek to be like any other nations, the nations will not consider them worthy of respect” (Haamek Davar to Numbers 23:9). Every other nation that went into exile, adopted the customs of the dominant culture, was respected and accepted as equal. That, however, was not the case with the Jews. When they sought to fuse with the native people, they were renounced and became more isolated. In other words, Netziv is not advocating total segregation but rather avoiding assimilation. Both, he believes, are impossible.

 Netziv’s analysis bears great significance considering that it was made in Russia, in the latter part of the nineteenth century. It was a period when many Jews were assimilating, some converting to Christianity. At the same time, anti-semitism not only did not diminish but rather erupted in the form of violence as evidenced by the many pogroms that occured in many places in 1881.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (1808-1888) offers a modern angle to interpreting this verse. Utilizing the Hebrew text, he distinguishes between a “People” (am) and “nation” (goy). The first is a sociological entity, composed of groups or tribes of common origin that share the same code of conduct and collective memories. The second is a political one. That, according to Hirsch, means that Yisrael “will live in an insulated land without much intercourse with other nations. Its People will preserve “its ‘internal’ national mission as a national social body, as a nation among the nation that will not seek its greatness to impress others by his strength and heroism.” Am Yisreal will live in Eretz Yisrael, will conduct limited affairs with other nations, with no desire to compete with them, and will focus on its historical role. (commentary to Numbers 23:9).

Rabbi Sacks (1948-2020) is also puzzled by this verse. “How are we to understand Bilaam’s words?” he asks, when commenting on this ambivalent verse. Unlike some thinkers, who claim that Bilaam ended up blessing Bnei Yisrael, Rabbi Sacks claims that this verse is “not a blessing but a curse.”

In his book Future Tense, Rabbi Sacks shares his perspective on this verse. There, he recounts a meeting with an Yisraeli diplomat, in 2001, shortly before the now ignominious UN’s Conference against Racism in Durban.  During the conversation, the latter tried to calm the attendees by suggesting that it had always been our Jewish fate while quoting Bilaam’s phrase. “Hearing this verse in that context,” shares with us Sacks, “….I suddenly saw how dangerous this phrase is and how close it runs the risk of being a self-fulfilled prophecy. If you define yourself as the People that dwells alone, you are likely to find yourself alone. That is not a safe place to be.”

Rabbi Sacks reminds us that the Talmud claims, in Sanhedrin (105b), that “all the blessings with which Bilaam blessed the Jewish People turned into curses with the sole exception of the ‘How good are your tents, Jacob phrase, your homes, O Yisrael’ (Numbers 24:5). He goes on to add that “the Rabbis suggested that Bilaam was deliberately ambiguous in what he said, so that his words could be understood as blessings but also had another and darker meaning.”

Whether we believe that Bilaam cursed or blessed Am Yisrael, one fact remains clear. The verse shows the distinct character of the Jewish People. Despite its isolation, the Jewish People have remained defiant, determined and continued to choose life. Despite all the hardships and the suffering, we have endured by the greatest empires and other powers, we have outlasted them all!

Am Yisrael Chai

Shabbat Shalom

Chukat- a Lesson in Faith and Obedience

 

This week’s Torah portion, Chukat (Bamidbar,19-22:1), covers several topics. In this article, I will address two of them. Both surround the issues of Obedience and Faith.

The first is the enigmatic topic of Parah Adumah (Red Heifer). The second is one of the most famous and probably just as enigmatic stories of the Torah, Moshe’s violation of G-d’s command when he strikes the rock to draw water, instead of speaking to it.

The portion opens with the words, “And this is Chukat Ha’torah (the decree of the Torah). Rabbi Shlomo Katz expresses bewilderment at this verse and justifiably so. According to him, “Torah means ‘teaching,’ while ‘chukah’ means ‘a decree that we do not understand.’ This,” he continues “makes ‘Chukat HaTorah’ an oxymoron-a ‘teaching’ that cannot be understood.” Isn’t one of the goals of teaching to explain, in a logical way, that which is meant to be taught?

The first statute that this portion presents is the law of the “Parah Adumah.” G-d speaks to Moshe, “Tell the Yisraelites to bring you a red heifer without defect or blemish and that has never been under the yoke.” The animal is then slaughtered, burned and its ashes, mixed with other ingredients, are used to purify a few kinds of contaminations which the Torah addresses in various places.

Scholars, Jewish as well as non-Jewish, throughout the ages, have debated this decree. No one, however, could understand it. Even king Solomon, the wisest of all men, who, according to Midrash Tanchumah, Chukat 6, grasped the entire Torah, studied this Mitzvah, examined and queried it, did not understand it. This, the Midrash explains, is what Solomon meant when he wrote, “I said I could become wise, but it is beyond me” (Kohelet 7:23).

When citing this Mitzvah, Jeff Seidel explains that within “the precepts of the Torah, we find ‘statutes’ (such as the red cow), which at first glance we define as ‘commandments of obedience,’ which, although apparently have no logic (as we find in not killing and not stealing), we must fulfill them because that is what G-d commanded.”

In his exposition on Rash”i’s Torah commentary, Gur Aryeh, Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel, known as Mahara”l of Prague, asserts that when performing a Mitzvah, it does not matter whether one understands it or not. What is of utmost importance is that it is performed properly.

My most favourite Rabbi, Jonathan Sacks, ZT’L, also commented on this perplexing issue. The “law of the Red Heifer,” he emphasizes, “became a classical example of a chok, a ‘statute,’ often understood as a law that has no reason, or at least none we can understand.”

Here come the questions that are begging to be asked. Why then has G-d given Am Yisrael a Mitzvah such as the Parah Adumah, one that they cannot comprehend? Would it not have been better had He given us Mitzvot that we could all comprehend and thus perform them all?

Rabbi Mendi Kaminker has offered some answers to these tormenting questions. He bases them on the Hasidic doctrine. According to this creed, this is a cardinal principle in the relationship between G-d and us. We must perform Mitzvot out of devotion and obedience to G-d even if we do not grasp them because this is His will. Furthermore, explains Rabbi Karminer, when it comes to Mitzvot that we do understand, we should not observe them merely because we do know their underlying reason, but rather aspire to reach the G-dly component which is above our rationale. In other words, obedience is the bedrock of our faith in G-d.

The second topic that I wish to address is Moshe’s insubordination of G-d’s command.

Am Yisrael, fearing that their water supply will deplete, complain to G-d and Moshe, “Why did you bring us up from Egypt to die in this wilderness, for there is no food and no water, and our soul is disgusted with the insubstantial food?” (Bamidbar 20:5))

G-d instructs Moshe and Aharon to approach one of the rocks and speak to it in order to draw water. “Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water.” (Bamidbar 20:8). Since the rock which Moshe approaches is indistinguishable from its surrounding ones, the Yisraelites, who did not notice it, begin to grumble and challenge Moses while doubting G-d’s command. Naturally, Moshe loses his temper in the face of their impatience and lack of faith, irately hits the rock with his staff instead of speaking to it, as G-d commanded him.

Though the goal is achieved, and Bnei Yisrael are able to quench their thirst, their anger at Moshe, causes Moshe and Aharon to disobey G-d’s command. What the Yisraelites failed to understand is that had they spoken to the rock, then the miracle would have been much more meaningful in forging a cohesive bond between Am Yisrael and G-d. As a result of their disobedience, Moshe and Aharon were punished and banned from entering the Promised Land.

How is it possible that Bnei Yisrael, just as in the case of the sin of the spies, after witnessing all of G-d’s great and powerful deeds, still casted doubt and complained against Him and against Moshe?

Rabbi Dov Meir Rubman, ZT”L suggests that “there is no rational explanation for their behaviour. A thinking man,” he believes, “could not have acted as they did.” What the Yisraelites failed to understand was that had Moshe spoken to the rock instead of hitting it, then the miracle would have been much more meaningful and could have contributed greatly to forging a cohesive bond between Am Yisrael and G-d.

 

Unfortunately, their irrational behaviour pointed yet again to disobedience and lack of faith which led to dire consequences for their leaders, Moshe and Aharon.