Parshas Chukas - Real Responsibility

Thoughts on the Parsha
Parshas Chukas

Real Responsibility

By: Daniel Listhaus

וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל משֶׁה עֲשֵׂה לְךָ שָׂרָף וְשִׂים אֹתוֹ עַל נֵס וְהָיָה כָּל הַנָּשׁוּךְ וְרָאָה אֹתוֹ וָחָי: וַיַּעַשׂ משֶׁה נְחַשׁ נְחשֶׁת וַיְשִׂמֵהוּ עַל הַנֵּס וְהָיָה אִם נָשַׁךְ הַנָּחָשׁ אֶת אִישׁ וְהִבִּיט אֶל נְחַשׁ הַנְּחשֶׁת וָחָי

“Hashem said to Moshe, 'Make yourself a burning one and place it on a pole, and it will be that anyone who had been bitten will look at it and live. Moshe made a snake of copper and placed it on the pole; so it was that if the snake bit a man, he would stare at the copper snake and live.”

-Chukas 21:8-9

As hard as it is to believe, we read through this week's parsha only to find that the B'nei Yisroel once again complained about their experience in the midbar (desert), saying that they remembered their time in Mitzrayim being more pleasureful than their current situation. In response to this, Hashem sent burning nechashim (snakes) to bite those who had complained. This was followed by the B'nei Yisroel doing teshuva (repentance) and approaching Moshe to ask him to please daven on their behalf. Moshe did so and Hashem gave him instructions to build a snake on a pole. Anyone who looked up at the model would be cured from his snake bite.¹

Rashi² is bothered that the passuk (verse) specifies that the snake that Moshe built was made of copper, yet nowhere in the passukim does it say that Hashem commanded him to make it of any specific material. Rashi writes that Moshe thought to himself that because the word for snake (nachash) is the same as the root for copper (ne'cho'shes), he realized that that was the material Hashem expected him to use with which to construct the snake.³

On the surface this whole story passes under the radar. After all, it sounds like yet another classic chapter of the B'nei Yisroel in the midbar (desert). They complained, they got punished, Moshe davened to Hashem, and the day was saved. However, there is an extremely important fact here which gets overlooked but is very worthwhile to focus on and think about.

In the time-line of this parsha, immediately prior to this episode with the copper snake, was the story of Moshe hitting the rock. Something that Moshe and Aharon did at that particular point was considered a cheit (sin), and because of their tremendous closeness with Hashem, much was expected of them and the repercussions were heartbreaking. It was decreed that Moshe and Aharon were to die in the midbar and not be allowed to enter Eretz Yisroel. It is impossible to fathom what it must have felt like for Moshe rabbeinu. After taking B'nei Yisroel out of Mitzrayim, receiving the Torah, and always being there to save the day for B'nei Yisroel, Hashem told him that he will not be able to enter Eretz Yisroel. All his life's work had been to prepare B'nei Yisroel to fulfill the mitzvos in Eretz Yisroel, and all of the sudden, because of what was seemingly a small misunderstanding, Hashem took away Moshe's life-long dream.

Most people after having gone through such a traumatic time would be completely beside themselves. Whether the response would be suicide, ultimate depression, or rebellion, one thing is for sure – chances would be pretty slim that a person in such a circumstance would ever have the same relationship with the one who took away his life's dream from him. Yet, not only did Moshe rabbeinu continue his role of leader over the very people who he could have easily blamed as being the primary cause of him losing his dream of entering Eretz Yisroel, and not only did he even daven on their behalf, he even maintained the same exact relationship with Hashem that he was able to understand clearly the material that Hashem intended he use for the nachash without it having to be explicitly communicated.

It is quite interesting how different the roles of a Jewish religious is from a regular government politician. When it comes to the political headlines, they either read that someone is running for some government position, or that a certain politician is shirking his responsibility. Yet, in Chumash and Tanach we find that the righteous religious leaders never ran for office, but rather ran away from office⁴, as the Mishna⁵ says, “Despise lordliness and stay away from government”. And when it comes to responsibility, even after having all his dreams swept away for a minor mistake because of a stressful moment, Moshe rabbeinu's responsibility did not waiver one iota. His responsibility of taking care of B'nei Yisroel was completely unaffected, and his close relationship with Hashem, with his deep understating of what Hashem wanted of him, remained fully in tact.

Although this precise level of responsibility may be unrealistic to be expected of us, the concept is definitely something that we must strive for to the best of our ability. We learn from Moshe that anger or a distance in relationship from Hashem is completely improper no matter what happens. We must keep in mind that beyond the goals we set for ourselves, and more important than anything that could happen to us, is the absolute necessity to remain unwavering from our emunah (trust) and bitachon (faith) in Hashem.

1See Rashi Bamidbar 21:8 who brings from the gemara Rosh Hashanah 29a that obviously a copper snake has no power to heal. Rather, the intent was that the B'nei Yisroel would look up to the sky to Hashem and subject their heart to Him.

2Bamidbar 21:9

3See Ramban 21:9 who offers a possible explanation as to what Moshe's exact calculation was.

4Moshe rabbeinu was very reluctant to accepting the position of manhig (leader) kk'lal Yisroel. Also, Shaul HaMelech was very reluctant to accept becoming king.

5Pirkei Avos 1:10