Parshas Chukas - One Strike and You're Out!

~ Thoughts on The Parsha ~

Parshas Chukas

One Strike and You're Out!

By: Daniel Listhaus

וַיִּקַּח משֶׁה אֶת הַמַּטֶּה מִלִּפְנֵי ה' כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּהוּ: וַיַּקְהִלוּ משֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן אֶת הַקָּהָל אֶל פְּנֵי הַסָּלַע וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם שִׁמְעוּ נָא הַמֹּרִים הֲמִן הַסֶּלַע הַזֶּה נוֹצִיא לָכֶם מָיִם: וַיָּרֶם משֶׁה אֶת יָדוֹ וַיַּךְ אֶת הַסֶּלַע בְּמַטֵּהוּ פַּעֲמָיִם וַיֵּצְאוּ מַיִם רַבִּים וַתֵּשְׁתְּ הָעֵדָה וּבְעִירָם: וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל משֶׁה וְאֶל אַהֲרֹן יַעַן לֹא הֶאֱמַנְתֶּם בִּי לְהַקְדִּישֵׁנִי לְעֵינֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לָכֵן לֹא תָבִיאוּ אֶת הַקָּהָל הַזֶּה אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי לָהֶם

“Moshe took the staff from before Hashem, as He had commanded him. Moshe and Aharon gathered the congregation before the rock and he said to them, “Listen now, rebels, shall we bring forth water for you from this rock? Then Moshe raised his arm and struck the rock with his staff twice; abundant water came forth and the assembly and their animals drank. Hashem said to Moshe and Aharon, 'Because you did not believe in Me to sanctify Me in the eyes of the Children of Israel, therefore, you will not bring this congregation to the Land that I have given them.'”

-Chukas 20:9-12

            Rashi[1] informs us that the ever-flowing well of water which the Jews had in the desert for forty years was there only through the merit of Miriam. Therefore, when Miriam died, the waters ceased . At that point, the Jews immediately swarmed Moshe and Aharon complaining that they were going to die of thirst in the desert and it would have been better had they remained in Mitzrayim. Moshe and Aharon davened (prayed) to Hashem on their behalf and Hashem told Moshe to take his stick and gather everyone in front of a rock and then speak to it to bring water forth.[2] However, as the passuk (verse) describes, Moshe struck the rock instead of speaking to it and for this slight deviation in Hashem's commandment, he was punished by not being able to be a part of the culmination of all his efforts as the leader, bringing the B'nei Yisroel into Eretz Yisroel.

            It is so hard for us to understand how it could be that despite everything Moshe rabbeinu did leading B'nei Yisroel through the midbar (desert), that Hashem not allow him to enter Eretz Yisroel because of a seemingly small misunderstanding. The Ohr Hachaim[3] compiles a list of ten explanations to try to understand what Moshe did wrong. He first brings the opinion of Rashi[4] that Moshe's mistake was that he hit the rock as opposed to speaking to it. He then brings the opinion of the Ibn Ezra who maintains ins that the sin was not in the hitting of the rock as opposed to speaking to it, but rather that Moshe's mistake was not having the proper kavanah (focused thoughts) when he hit the rock which required him to have to hit it a second time. Another possibility is that leaving aside his kavanah, Moshe should have only hit it once and definitely not twice. Another possible explanation is that perhaps the sin of Moshe was that he did not sing a shirah (song of praise) on the event of water flowing from the rock. And the list goes on. Each explanation in the Ohr HaChaim's compilation is essentially  a slightly different form of Moshe rabbeinu barely sinning. So what did he do that was really so bad?

            The Kli Yakar[5] points out that no matter which approach one takes, the fundamental mistake Moshe rabbeinu was punished for was not as much about what he did, but rather what he could have done. Had Moshe rabbeinu spoken to the rock and the rock would have just listened and brought forth water – a tremendous kiddush Hashem would have been made. At that moment a kal v'chomeir would have been lodged into the minds of everyone present that if this rock, which is just a rock, listens and obeys the commands of Hashem so diligently, so much more so must we who have brains and the ability to think, be wary to carry out the commandments of Hashem meticulously. Moshe's hitting the rock instead of speaking to the rock allowed only for a watered-down[6] version of this logic to be learned from and therefore he was severely punished.

            If we stop to think about this, it is absolutely mind-boggling. It is true that Moshe hit the rock instead of speaking to it, and perhaps it is even true that that watered-down the potential lesson that could have been learned. However, there is no doubt that a tremendous miracle occurred in the presence of the whole nation. They saw an incredible feat occur before their very eyes. Certainly it boosted their belief in Hashem and motivated them to listen better to Hashem and Moshe. So why indeed was Moshe punished so severely?

            We see from this episode the severity of not achieving our fullest when it comes to making a  kiddush Hashem. It is true that even with Moshe hitting the rock, tremendous lessons could be learned, but Moshe could have done more to publicize kavod shamayim, and he neglected to do so.

It is no secret that the summer is a very challenging time in terms of keeping our standards. For some, it is a free-for-all time when all the restrictions of the year fall away and we have the opportunity to do things we would never be caught dead doing in our own communities or yeshivos. For others, it may not be a free-for-all, but yet may still be a time where although standards are kept, they are not necessarily kept as high. We must remember, though, that the term kiddush Hashem means more than just not acting like an animal in public. Moshe's punishment for not creating as much a kiddush Hashem as he could have, occurred at a time when a tremendous kiddush shamayim was made. Kiddush Hashem is relevant in our behaving properly and being careful with the way we speak, dress, and act in front of the world, in front of the community where we spend the summer, in front of the new friends we make who do not even necessarily know where we are personally holding to be able to judge us, and even in private. As banim l'makom, we must be careful with the ways we conduct ourselves all year-round.

            May Hashem help us and all of k'lal yisroel not only stay away from chas v'shalom causing a chilul Hashem, but to even help us maintain the proper standards of kiddush shamayim. With such a zechus, may we experience of summer of ultimate kiddush Hashem with the arrival of mashiach and the third Beis Hamikdash, instead of mourning in galus for the destruction of the first and second Batei Mikdashos.

---

[1]    Rashi Bamidbar 20:2

[2]    Bamidbar 20:8

[3]    Bamidbar 20:8

[4]    Rashi Bamidbar (20:11)

[5]    Bamidbar 20:8

[6]    Excuse the pun

Parshas Korach - Favors are Easily Forgotten

Thoughts on The Parsha

Parshas Korach

Favors are Easily Forgotten

By: Daniel Listhaus

וַיִּקַּח קֹרַח בֶּן יִצְהָר בֶּן קְהָת בֶּן לֵוִי וְדָתָן וַאֲבִירָם בְּנֵי אֱלִיאָב וְאוֹן בֶּן פֶּלֶת בְּנֵי רְאוּבֵן

“Korach son of Yitzhar son of Kehas son of Levi separated himself, with Dasan and Aviram, sons of Eliav, and On son of Peles, sons of Reuvein.”

-Korach 16:1

Rashi¹ explains that what instigated Korach's argument with Moshe was the fact that he was jealous because Moshe appointed Elitzaphan ben Uziel as a nassi (literally: prince) over the B'nei Kehas.² Korach based his argument on what he assumed was logical. He assessed the situation and realized that Levi's son Kehas had four sons: Amram, Yitzhar, Chevron, and Uziel. Amram's two sons – Moshe and Aharon – assumed the two top positions of B'nei Yisroel. Moshe rabbeinu was the leader of the entire nation, and Aharon HaKohen was the Kohen Gadol. When Hashem commanded for the appointing of the nassi'im, Korach thought to himself that it was only fair that he assume the position. After all, he was the son of Yitzhar, the second-to-oldest son of Kehas. However, Moshe appointed Uziel's son. This disturbed Korach immensely and he decided to put together a support team and then went to argue head on with Moshe rabbeinu and tried to establish that just as this decision of Moshe made no sense, so too everything else Moshe said made no sense.

There are two basic questions that come to mind when reading the story of Korach. First, why did he wait this long to raise a stink? Elitzaphan was appointed nassi in Parshas Bamidbar.³ What took so long for Korach's jealousy to leak through? Why did he not immediately challenge Moshe?

Second, what was Korach's master plan exactly? Everyone loved Moshe rabbeinu. He was the messenger who took them out of Mitzrayim, split the Yam Suf, received the Torah directly from Har Sinai, and led B'nei Yisroel though the midbar (desert). Why was Korach so confident that striking Moshe at this particular point would not be met with an opposing force strongly backing up Moshe? After all, even when it came to a real nevuah (prophecy) when Yehoshua said when he found out the Eldad and Medad were prophesying that Moshe would die and Yehoshua would be the one to lead B'nei Yisroel into Eretz Yisroel, Yehoshua begged Moshe to throw them in jail for saying such a thing. Certainly everyone loved Moshe, and Moshe had Hashem and the majority of B'nei Yisroel who were always there to side with him. So how was Korach so confident that he would somehow win any argument with Moshe?

The Ramban⁴ writes that indeed Korach's timing was strategically intentional. Until this point it was clear to the entire B'nei Yisroel that Moshe was always there to save the day. Even by the eigel hazahav (golden calf) – unarguably the greatest sin of all time by our nation – Moshe somehow managed through the power of his tefillos (prayers) to abate Hashem's anger and threats to wipe out B'nei Yisroel. Very few people died from that event and the other times Hashem got upset at the B'nei Yisroel. This was something that was recognized by everyone to the point that if anyone would even think of attempting to do anything to hurt Moshe, such a person would have been immediately stoned by Moshe's followers – the B'nei Yisroel. However, Korach noticed a change that subconsciously had an affect on the nation as a whole.

When the B'nei Yisroel entered Midbar Paran and complained about the manna, Hashem responded with sending a fire of fury, which killed many people. Also, after the tragedy of the meraglim (spies), Moshe did not seem to make an effort to daven on their behalf and try to be mevatel (cancel) the gezairah (decree) of the death to all of the nassi'im who sinned and the gezairah of B'nei Yisroel living at the time to be unworthy of entering Eretz Yisroel and needing to die in the midbar.

Although it is in fact difficult to understand why Moshe's role as manhig k'lal Yisroel did not include davening at these particular points of time, or at least not having as great of an impact, it is clear that Moshe did what he was supposed to do. These events, and what seemed as Moshe's failure to stand up for them, caused the B'nei Yisroel to have some negative feelings towards Moshe rabbeinu. Korach sensed this slight change in attitude of the B'nei Yisroel toward Moshe and took advantage of the opportunity, which only fully presented itself at this point in time after the episode with the meraglim.

As we read through everything that Moshe did for the B'nei Yisroel this Ramban seems outlandish. Could it be that there was a real change in B'nei Yisroel's attitude based on the fact that more people had died during the complaining about the manna and the story of the meraglim? Moshe's tefillos to Hashem during times that Hashem wanted to wipe out the whole nation should have been viewed as a tremendous favor for an undeserving nation, not something that they should now have forever to hold over his head as a standard to expect. Yet that is precisely the feeling that the B'nei Yisroel felt. They got used to Moshe always being there to save the day, and began to expect nothing less. They subconsciously began viewing Moshe's tefillos as a right instead of a privilege. Therefore, when their expectations were not achieved, they harbored negative feelings against Moshe. Korach sensed this change in attitude and took immediate advantage.

The truth is that this is something most of us do on a daily basis. As Yehudim (Jews), our mission statement is to admit to our dependence on Hashem and realize that everything about us is a pure gift from Hashem. The Orchos Tzadikkim⁵ stresses this in the first three, of thirty, items he says is an obligation to think about twice daily. He writes that we must remember that Hashem created us from nothing; and even though He has no debt to us that He needs to provide for us anything, He created us as man – the top of the food chain and has kept us alive since the day we were born. Additionally, Hashem created us with all our body parts and with good mental health. All of this is purely out of Hashem's infinite kindness and we are accordingly indebted to Him and have the obligation to thank Him constantly.

Although this should make sense, it is somehow still hard to not take out our anger on Hashem when people get hurt or things do not go as smoothly as we would like to expect. Each morning we read the berachos (blessings) acknowledging the fact that Hashem opens our eyes to be able to see, gives us the ability to sit and stand, provides us with strength, and wakes us up every morning allowing our neshamos (souls) to return to our bodies. However, we must realize that these are not merely items on a checklist of things we expected from Hashem, nor are these our constitutional rights for living in this world. Rather, they are privileges which not everyone is privy to.

This mentality of thinking things are owed to us just because we expect it to be that way is exactly the fundamental force behind jealousy and was what propelled the whole story of Korach to begin with. Korach analyzed the family of Kehas and the positions available and decided that by right he should have been appointed as nassi.

May Hashem help us with our emunah so that we can better realize that because our expectations are not our rights, and that in fact everything we have is truly a privilege, we have an obligation to be forever thankful.

1Bamidbar 16:1

2Obviously this was not Moshe's personal preference or decision, rather Hashem told him who to appoint, as Rashi writes.

3Bamidbar 3:30

4Bamidbar 16:1

5Orchos Tzadikkim: Sha'ar Hazechira 

Photo Credit: http://fletcherclan.blogspot.com/2012/07/yelling-or-watering.html

Parshas Shelach - Who Are You Going to Believe...Me or Your Own Eyes?

~ Thoughts on The Parsha ~

Parshas Shelach

Who Are You Going to Believe, Me or Your Own Eyes?

וְשָׁם רָאִינוּ אֶת הַנְּפִילִים בְּנֵי עֲנָק מִן הַנְּפִלִים וַנְּהִי בְעֵינֵינוּ כַּחֲגָבִים וְכֵן הָיִינוּ בְּעֵינֵיהֶם

“...And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, descendents of giants. We were like grasshoppers in our eyes, and so we were in their eyes!”

-Shelach 13:33

            This week's parsha opens with Hashem's response to the B'nei Yisroel's request to send spies to scout Eretz Yisroel. Hashem said to Moshe, “...send forth for yourself men...”^[1] As Rashi^[2] comments, Hashem was not pleased with the idea of sending the meraglim (spies). After all, He promised us that Eretz Yisroel was good. What more of a guarantee could we possibly ask for? What better evidence could we possibly discover? Yet, Hashem allowed us to send in spies despite our inexcusable uncertainty and persistence.

           

            Rashi^[3] writes that just as the meraglim came back and spoke badly about Eretz Yisroel, that was really their intention from the beginning.

            The problem with this Rashi is that earlier in the parsha, when listing the names of the meraglim, the passuk^[4] testifies that they were kulam anashim (all men). Rashi^[5] on this passuk (verse) explains that whenever the Torah uses the word “anashim” it is an expression of importance. It therefore seems that indeed the meraglim had only the best intentions when chosen to be the ones to scout Eretz Yisroel. How could we understand this contradiction between these two Rashis?

            Furthermore, there is another fundamental question which must be asked on the whole story of the meraglim. The Medrash^[6] tells us that there is nothing loved before Hashem as much as one who is a sh'luach mitzva (someone sent to do a mitzva) and who puts in tremendous efforts to carry out the mitzvah. This is why sh'luchei mitzvos are exempt from doing other mitzvos^[7]. As an example, the medrash provides the story of the spies sent by Yehoshua to scout out the city of Yericho, which we read in this week's Haftorah^[8]. In contrast, the medrash mentions that the story of the meraglim sent by Moshe in our parsha reflects a polar opposite case to the Haftorah, and is far from showing an example of sh'luchei mitzvah.

            The question is, what did the meraglim that Moshe sent do wrong? Moshe himself, upon commanding the spies to go to Eretz Yisroel, said, “Ascend here in the south and ascend the mountain. See the land – what is it? And the people who dwell in it – are they strong or weak? Few or numerous? And how is the land in which they dwell – is it good or is it bad? And how are the cities – are they open or fortified? And how is the land – is it fertile or is it lean?”^[9] The meraglim were sent to offer their opinion regarding the land. After all, is it not a spy's job to determine the strengths and weaknesses of enemy countries.^[10] Did theses meraglim not do exactly that? They found the strengths and weaknesses of Eretz Yisroel. Is it because of them that the negative aspects that they discovered happened to outweigh the good news and cause the B'nei Yisroel to shout out against Moshe? What more could be expected of them? They were sent to determine the enemy's strategic position and they did just that. Why is it their fault that the giants living in Eretz Yisroel had prospered tremendously? They were just telling the truth – stating the facts!

            There is another difficulty in the actual speech that the meraglim gave when they came back. After giving the first part of their report, and then being interrupted by Calev, the meraglim described to the B'nei Yisroel that the land was populated with giants. They said, “We were like grasshoppers in our eyes, and so we were in their eyes”. What did they mean that they were like grasshoppers in their own eyes? Granted they were received with a strong reception when it came to delivering the news back to the B'nei Yisroel, but that is no reason for them to think they sprouted antennas! Surely they knew that they were human, so why did they say that they seemed as grasshoppers in their own eyes? 

            Furthermore, we must ponder the validity of the meraglim's statement. How did they know how the giants perceived them, that they had the confidence to declare, “...and so we were in their eyes.”?^[11]

            In order to better appreciate the story of the meraglim, let us think about the following. Imagine for a moment that you are walking down a street in Manhattan, when a Japanese tourist approaches you and, pointing at the Empire State Building, asks, “What is the name of that block?” You respond, “Well, this street we are on now is 34^th Street, perpendicular to us is 5^th Avenue, and parallel to us is 33^rd Street.” Confused, he repeats, “Okay, but what is the name of that block with the big building in it?” Thinking this man is crazy, you say, “I do not know what you are getting at. Blocks do not have names, only streets have names.” Annoyed, you then walk away.

            Now imagine you take a trip to Japan. You are walking along some street one night and realize that you are totally lost. As you continue to walk around aimlessly, you come across a unique six-story glass crystal building. Wanting to be able to check it out in the morning, you find a Japanese man who understands English and you ask him, “Excuse me sir, what building is this?” He responds, “That is the famous Prada Aoyama building.” You then say, “I would like to come see it tomorrow, could you please tell me what street we are on?” “Street?” He asks, clearly very confused, “Well, it is on block number 2”. Now it is your turn to be confused, “I do not care what block it is on. What street is this?” The Japanese gentleman just shrugs his shoulders and says, “Look fella, the address is 5-2-6. Meaning, it is in District 5, Block 2, and Building number 6 on the block. Streets do not have names, only blocks have names here.”

            As humans, we often find ourselves in the position of the Japanese tourist in America, or the American visiting Japan. Every person has his own premises, opinions, and perceptions which one assumes to apply universally. We enter situations which should be viewed objectively, and instead apply our own previous notions, personal thoughts, and subjective opinions.

            Perhaps this was the main issue with the cheit ha'meraglim (sin of the spies). Hashem had already promised the Jews that they would enter Eretz Yisroel and that it contained nothing but pure goodness. The meraglim, though, did not go forth with their mission with the perspective of being messengers from Hashem. Rather, they went looking through their own glasses, which was the foundation of their mistake. Hashem gave them a choice, “Are you going to spy out the land coming from the perspective that on your side there is Hashem, before whom everything else is puny like insects before Him? Or, will you be the insects – grasshoppers, standing on your own, without fully appreciating Hashem's power, perceiving every molehill as a mountain.

            Unfortunately, the meraglim did in fact fail to have the full bitachon (faith) in Hashem, thereby utilizing the middah (character trait) of anavah (humility) incorrectly. Once they made the choice to view themselves as grasshoppers, they caused themselves to be viewed in the eyes of the giants as little insects as well. Perhaps this is an alternative way to understand the aforementioned passuk, “...We were like grasshoppers in our eyes, and therefore we were in their eyes as well”. In other words, it was only because the meraglim felt insecure, due to their lack of belief in Hashem, that the giants realized that they had nothing to fear about these “human-looking creatures”, for they were nothing but puny grasshoppers.

            Had the meraglim trusted in Hashem completely, instead of their own eyes, they would have seen the truth about Eretz Yisroel. They would have come back alongside Yehoshua and Calev, confirming how prosperous and beautiful the land is. The giants and their fortified cities would have seemed like nothing more than midgets behind sticks.

            With this in mind, we could now understand the contradiction between the two Rashis. On the one hand, there is no doubt that the meraglim chosen were the cream of the crop – the most chashuv (prestigious) members of B'nei Yisroel. However, because they set off with the intention of applying their own preconceived notions and opinions, instead of going with the mind-set of Hashem being on their side, it was as if they originally went with the intention to speak badly about Eretz Yisroel. They went in specifically looking for the streets, when they should have been noticing the blocks.^[12]

            At the end of the parsha, we find the last paragraph of kriyas shema which deals with the mitzva of tzitzis. After the Torah's actual commandment for one to attach tzitzis to a four-cornered garment he is wearing, the Torah provides the reason for the mitzva - “It shall constitute tzitzis for you, and you shall see it and you shall remember all of the commandments of Hashem and perform them; and you shall not spy after your heart and after your eyes after which you stray.”^[13] We are supposed to look at our tzitzis, remember the mitzvos of Hashem,^[14] and perform them in the correct way. What would be the incorrect way of doing the mitzvos? Rashi explains^[15] that the heart and eyes are the “spies” of the body. We must make sure to avoid looking at this world through our own glasses and instead utilize the instruction manual, the Torah, which Hashem provided us. Only if we accept da'as Torah and seek ratson Hashem will we achieve the level of the next verse in kriyas shema, “...so that you...be Holy to your G-D”.^[16]

            So, “Who are you going to believe?” Hashem asks us every day, “Me or your own eyes?”

---

[1]     Bamidbar 13:2

[2]     Ibid.

[3]     Bamidbar 13:26

[4]     Bamidbar 13:3

[5]     Ibid.

[6]     Bamidbar Rabbah 16:1 and Tanchuma 6

[7]     See Gemara (Mishna) Succah 25a

[8]     Yehoshua 2:1-24

[9]     Bamidbar 13:17-20

[10]    This idea is also seen in Mikeitz 42:12 when Yosef, under disguise as an Egyptian, accused his brothers of being spies and trying to discover the weaknesses of Egypt, he attributed that as the reason why each of the tribes entered through a different gate.

[11]    To answer this question, Rashi (Bamidbar 13:33) explains that the meraglim said that they overheard the giants saying, “There are ants in the vineyard which look like men”. Many mefarshim (commentaries) are bothered by this Rashi. How How did hearing the giants say that they looked like ants mean to the meraglim that they really meant that they were like grasshoppers. After all, this was the claim of the meraglim, that they were also grasshoppers in the eyes of the giants. There are a few approaches to answer this question on Rashi. (See Mizrachi., Kli Yakar, and Maharal [Gur Aryeh] on Bamidbar 13:33)

[12]    See also Maharsha to Gemara Sotah 35a, Maharal Gur Aryeh Bamidbar 13:26, and Mizrachi there, who seem to resolve the contradiction in between the Rashis as follows. At the time that the meraglim were chosen, they were indeed great men. However, upon being sent to spy out the land by the people who were not willing to trust completely in Hashem, it had a negative effect on them and caused them to scout Eretz Yisroel without the proper bitachon in Hashem.

[13]    Bamidbar 15:39

[14]    See Rashi (Bamidbar 15:38) who explains that the word tzitzis = 600 in gematriya (numerical value) + five knots + eight strings = 613. Also, when we look at the t'cheiles (blue-dyed string on tzitzis), which is made from the chilazon (a type of sea-snail), our memory gets triggered to think about the blue ocean which reflects the Heavens and reminds us of Hashem and his mitzvos.

[15]    Bamidbar 15:39

[16]    Bamidbar 15:40

Parshas Beha'aloscha - Everyone Needs Encouragement

~ Thoughts on The Parsha ~

Parshas Beha'aloscha

Everyone Needs Encouragement

וַיֹּאמֶר ה' פִּתְאֹם אֶל משֶׁה וְאֶל אַהֲרֹן וְאֶל מִרְיָם צְאוּ שְׁלָשְׁתְּכֶם אֶל אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וַיֵּצְאוּ שְׁלָשְׁתָּם: וַיֵּרֶד ה' בְּעַמּוּד עָנָן וַיַּעֲמֹד פֶּתַח הָאֹהֶל וַיִּקְרָא אַהֲרֹן וּמִרְיָם וַיֵּצְאוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם

“Hashem said suddenly to Moshe, to Aharon, and to Miriam, ' You three, go out to the Tent of Meeting.' And the three of them went out. Hashem descended in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance to the Tent, and He called, 'Aharon and Miriam'; and the two of them went out.”

-Beha'aloscha 12:4-5

            After giving us the Torah at Har Sinai, Hashem was ready to take us straight into Eretz Yisroel.[1] However, if there was ever a time to use the expression “so close but yet so far”, it was then. Despite the fact that B'nei Yisroel seemed to have everything living with the shechina in their midst, the Torah relates a series of disturbing events which begin in this week's parsha.

            In a seemingly unrelated event, the Torah's cameras turn to Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam. During the time that the zekainim (elders) received nevuah (prophecy), Moshe's wife, Tziporrah, commented to Miriam that life of the wives of those who got nevuah will become more difficult because they would be forced to separate from their husbands, as her experience was with Moshe rabbeinu.[2] Miriam was unaware that Moshe had separated from Tziporrah and she went and mentioned it to Aharon.[3] Hashem then appeared to Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam and told the three of them to go to the Ohel Moed. Hashem then told Aharon and Miriam to leave as he spoke to them privately about the greatness of Moshe.

            Rashi[4] writes that the reason Hashem separated Miriam and Aharon from Moshe before telling them the greatness of Moshe was because it is derech eretz (ethical) to only say part of a person's praise in his presence. If one wants to say all of a person's praises, he should do so when not in front of him.[5]

            The question on this story and Rashi is why did Hashem have to say any praise in front of Moshe at all? Hashem was coming to reprimand Miriam and Aharon for saying lashon harah (evil talk) about their brother. Why did Moshe have to be involved? Hashem should have just explained the extent of Moshe's greatness to Miriam and Aharon alone without Moshe present.

            The S'forno[6] writes one line which answers our question. He suggests that the reason that before sending Aharon and Miriam out to speak to them privately, Hashem first called Moshe in with them to the Ohel Moed, was because Hashem wanted to show Moshe that He was makpid on (stringent; deeply concerned for) Moshe's kavod (honor).

            This S'forno leads us to a much greater difficulty. Why would Moshe rabbeinu need Hashem's assurance that He was there for him during this hard time? First of all, we are talking about Moshe – someone who followed the word of Hashem exactly. Nothing that He did was without calculation of what Hashem wanted of him and therefore there was no way that anyone saying anything to him would make him feel uncomfortable with his actions. Furthermore, we are dealing with Miriam and Aharon here who were obviously not saying anything purposely against Moshe, their brother, in a negative way. So, let us re-ask our question: Why did Hashem first take Moshe into the Ohel Moed with Miriam and Aharon to hear part of his praise? Why was this necessary at all?

            Perhaps the S'forno is coming to teach us the following very important lesson. Everyone needs encouragement. No matter how great or accomplished someone might be, every individual gets enjoyment from being acknowledged and feeling appreciated. Also, even at times when we may be “on a roll” and feel unstoppable, often times all it takes is a few “crushing words” to make our positive adrenaline come to a screeching halt. No matter how accomplished and independent an individual may be, everyone is hurt by insults and everyone gets distressed by crushing words; and no matter how great a person may be, everyone feels good when one hears encouraging words. Even Moshe rabbeinu who was hand-picked by Hashem to lead the B'nei Yisroel out of Mitzrayim and be the primary one to receive the Torah, was still a person and benefited from a reminder that everything he was doing was good in the eyes of Hashem.

            May Hashem help us realize the power of our speech and how despite the fact that it is a mere light wind blowing out of our mouths in different forms, it has the capacity to be quite destructive by saying crushing words to people, or very constructive, as by when one offers words of encouragement.

           

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[1]    Rashi Bamidbar 11:1

[2]    See Rashi Bamidbar 12:1

[3]    Bamidbar 12:1

[4]    Bamidbar 12:5

[5]    Rashi continues that Hashem did this by Noach as well (See Beraishis 6:9 and 7:1 and Rashi there).

[6]    Bamidbar 12:4