Parshas Chukas - The Power of a Zechus

Parshas Chukas

The Power of a Zechus

By: Daniel Listhaus

“...And Miriam died there....And there was no water for the assembly.”

-Chukas 20:1-2

        Rashi¹ comments that from the juxtaposition of these verses we see that for the entire forty years in the desert prior to this point, the well that the Jews had access to, which followed them on their journey, was only deserved through Miriam's zechus (merit). This is why when she died, the well disappeared and hid among the other rocks.

        What was Miriam's zechus which had the capacity of providing drinks to an entire population and their animals in the hot desert?

      Before Moshe Rabeinu was born, Pharaoh made a decree that all baby boys be killed. Rashi² there writes that in response to this, Amram, the father of Moshe, divorced his wife, Yocheved. Once he divorced his wife, the rest of the Jews then divorced their wives as well, as Amram was a leading Gadol Hador (esteemed leader of the generation) and what he did was p'sak halacha (halachik ruling). Meanwhile, Miriam had a prophecy that her future brother would be the savior of the Jewish people. So, she went over to her father with the following argument. She said that his “decree” was worse than Pharaoh’s; for Pharaoh only decreed that the boys be killed, yet Amram was essentially preventing both boys and girls from being born. Miriam won the debate, Amram remarried his wife, and as a result, Moshe was born.

         When it came to the point in time when it was impossible to hide Moshe from the Egyptians, Yocheved placed Moshe in a homemade basket and sent him along the Nile river. The passuk describes that Miriam stood on the side by the banks of the river to see what would happen to her brother, Moshe. The meforshim (commentaries) explain that Miriam received a tremendous mitzva and zechus from standing and watching Moshe. It was this zechus that merited her being the source of providing water to the b'nei Yisroel in the midbar.

         The difficulty with this is that the Gemara³ states that the reason Miriam stood and waited by the river was because she was curious if her prophecy would come true. If so, it becomes harder to understand what the huge zechus was. Miriam had a prophecy and wanted to see if it was correct. It seems that the primary reason for her being there was not to babysit Moshe from a distance, but rather out of curiosity if she knew how to interpret her prophecy correctly.

          At the end of this week's Parsha, amongst the wars that take place, the giant Og appears on the scene holding a mountain as long and wide as the entire Jewish camp. The fact alone that he was threatening the destruction of the entire Jewish population was indeed no threat to Moshe and the Jews, because they understood that they had the yad Hashem (“hand” of Hashem) on their side and that nothing could counter such a force. Yet, we see from the fact that Hashem had to tell Moshe, “Do not fear him...”⁴ that Moshe was indeed afraid, and seemingly, specifically of Og. Rashi⁵ explains that Moshe was afraid to fight because Og had a zechus on his side. In Parshas Lech-Lecha, the Torah writes⁶, “And they [the four kings] captured Lot (Avraham's brother-in-law).... And the fugitive came and told Avram...” Rashi there comments that the “fugitive” was Og; and that the reason he had suddenly decided to be such a nice, caring person was because if what he intended to do. His intentions were that he hoped Avraham would be killed in battle trying to rescue Lot, and that he would be able to marry Sarah. Nonetheless, despite his intentions, the mere fact that he did a good thing by aiding Avraham, merited him a zechus deserving of reward which, over five-hundred years later, Moshe was afraid to stand up against in battle.

         Let us review this one more time, for it is truly mind-boggling. Moshe Rabeinu was the leader of b'nei Yisroel, he was the messenger of Hashem and the means of bringing forth the plagues upon Egypt, he split the sea, received the Torah, and spoke to Hashem face to face as one speaks to a friend. Og, on the other hand, was a low-life, self centered individual who had one merit, which is barely a merit at all as he did it for purely selfish reasons. The scale balancing Og versus Moshe should be that Moshe would weigh down the scale so much and so fast that Og would go flying in the air as if catapulted! Was this really something that Moshe had to worry about to the point that Hashem actually had to calm him down and tell him not to worry?

         How could we understand these two zechusim working in this week's parsha? The zechus of Miriam and the zechus of Og each seem so small, and a surprising that these are even deemed as merits?

         The only way to understand this, is that it must be we see from here the tremendous power of a zechus mitzva. Despite the true reasons behind the good deeds Miriam and Og did, in the end of the day, something good was done – the accomplishment of a mtzva. Such actions create a real force in the world which work as a zechus.

       The Gemara⁷ quotes Rav Yehuda in the name of Rav as saying, “A person should always engage involve himself in [learning] Torah and [performing] mitzvos even if she'lo l'shma (for ulterior motives instead of learning Torah and doing mitzvos to become closer to Hashem), because from doing them she'lo l'shma, one will eventually come to learn Torah and perform mitzvos for their sake – l'shma. The Gemara then continues to demonstrate this from Balak. In next week's Parsha, Balak hires Bilaam to curse the Jews. Bilaam, though, first requests of Balak, to build seven alters and offer karbanos on them to Hashem⁸. The Gemara explains that because Balak brought forty-two animals to Hashem as karbanos⁹, he was zocheh to have Rus, and ultimately Dovid Hamelech come from him.

       Balak was an extremely wicked person with only one thing in mind – to kill the Jews. Yet, despite the way through which he merited his zechus, his reward was still great. Again, we see the tremendous ramifications of a zechus in this world.

        We do not understand how zechusim work, what type of control we have over them, or when Hashem decides to use them on our behalf. One thing is for sure, though, we see that even the power of a seemingly puny zechus is tremendous. Even when the mitzva is done shelo l'shma, for selfish reasons, or even “accidentally” in order to do something terrible, the mere fact that something positive occurred is enough to create a strong force. How much more so must be the zechus of learning or performing mitzvos l'shma!

      May we all merit to recognize the real ramifications of our actions and see the effects of our positive actions in as clear of a way as was visible in the midbar.

1Chukas 20:2

2Shemos 2:1

3Sotah 13a

4Chukas 21:34

5Chukas 21:34

6Lech Lecha 14:12-13

7Horiyos 10b

8Balak 23:1-2

9He built seven alters in three places. On each he offered a bull and a ram. 7 x 3 x 2 = 42

Parshas Korach - Remember to Remember

Thoughts on The Parsha

Parshas Korach

Remember to Remember

By: Daniel Listhaus

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

“And Korach the son of Yitzhar son of Kehas son of Levi took...”

-Korach 16:1

        Rashi¹, as well as the Medrash², describe that Korach came to Moshe with the following two questions. The first was, “Does a tallis made entirely of techeiles require a string of techeilis”? The logic behind this question is that we know that we are required to put tzitzis strings on each corner of every four-cornered garment that we wear. The real mitzva of tzitzis includes that one of the strings on each corner be techeiles³. So, essentially, Korach was asking that if, for a regular tallis, a string of techeiles is enough to fulfill the requirement, then certainly if the whole garment is made of techeiles, it should require no such thing.

      The second question that Korach approached Moshe with was pretty similar to his first; “Does a room filled with seforim need a mezuzah?” Again, the logical force behind this question is the following. We know that we must put a mezuzah, containing the shema, on every doorpost⁴. So, Korach was asking, if there is a room filled with seforim or Torahs, and those have all the parshiyos in the Torah, why should such a room require a mezuzah? What power would the mezuzah be adding which would not already exist in such a room?

      Somehow the asking of such questions was deemed to be intolerable, and Korach, along with the rest of his assembly, was swallowed up by the earth. What was so unacceptable about these questions, though, that necessitated such a severe punishment?

       Although there are various approaches in understanding the core underlying reasons behind what Korach was trying to accomplish, the Kli Yakar⁵ introduces an interesting idea. The Kli Yakar writes that really the primary engine behind Korach's arguments was that, “...The entire assembly – all of them – are holy and Hashem is among them”⁶. Korach argued that just like a tallis made entirely of techeilis should not require a sting of techeilis and a room of Sifrei Torah (Torah scrolls) should not require a mezuzah, so too a nation consisting of the purist and holiest people, should not require the spiritual leadership and guidance of Moshe and Aharon. He questioned Moshe and Aharon's authority by declaring that the Jews of the time were holding on the level of recognizing that Hashem is always watching, and therefore had no need for leaders to remind them.

      The Kli Yakar then explains that the reason for Korach's severe punishment was because he attacked the two mitzvos which remind us about Hashem and all of His mitzvos.

     On the surface level, this Kli Yakar is quite difficult to understand. How is the Kli Yakar answering his question? He explained that Korach was coming from a perspective that the Jews in the desert had a built-in techeiles and mezuzah within themselves. If this was indeed true that the Jews were on such a high level, so then, what exactly was the need for spiritual guidance? How could the Kli Yakar suggest that the main issue with Korach was that he attacked those mitzvos which serve as reminders for us? Korach was not really saying that, objectively, reminders that Hashem is all around serve no purpose, it is just that Korach claimed it was not applicable because the Jews had achieved such a level on their own. So, back to the Kli Yakar's question, what was so unacceptable about Korach's debate?

    To better understand this Kli Yakar, perhaps we could review it on a deeper level. Korach attempted to compare the Jews to a tallis completely of techeiles and a room full of seforim. The common denominator between these three, explained Korach, is that each of these entities are themselves perfect and should therefore not have the requirement to add on the additional factor; namely – the string of techeilis, the mezuzah, and Moshe and Aharon as leaders of B'nei Yisroel. Just like the perfect tallis and the perfect room should not require their own reminders, so to the perfect nation should not need leaders breathing down their necks.

      Korach's mistake, though, was exactly as the Kli Yakar states, he attacked the two mitzvos which serve as reminders for us. However, people need reminders! Even people as pure and as holy as the Jews living in the desert, experiencing daily, open miracles, need to be constantly reminded of Hashem. This is vital in order that our knowledge of Hashem's existence and involvement in the world remains on the forefront of our minds. The techeiles, mezuza, and leaders of b'nei Yisroel are not “extras”, they are in fact each an integral part to their respective entities Without them, the fact that the tallis, room of Torahs, and klal Yisroel are already perfect, is irrelevant; for these things cannot remain perfect without their respective techeiles, mezuza, and manhigei Yisroel (leaders/guiders of the Jewish population).

     Korach thought that life is like a video game. One plays, passes obstacles, gets up to a checkpoint, and no longer needs to worry about what one has already accomplished, rather only for what lies ahead. However, this is a dangerously incorrect assumption. In life in general, and specifically the Torah life of a Jew, it is one's job to not only be prepared for what lays ahead, but simultaneously to remind ourselves of the things we already know. Even a nation of the holiest people must be constantly reminded of the most basic beliefs of Judaism, in order that it should always be at the forefront of their minds.

    Therefore, of course even the tallis made of techeiles and the room filled with seforim require the same reminder for us to see the techeilis and mezuzah and be reminded of Hashem and His mitzvos. In order to live a proper life as a Jew one must always have the proverbial string-tied-onto-one's-finger as a memory trigger, even if it is reminding us of something we already know or of an area we feel we have already mastered. This is certainly true as well when it comes to having a gadol hador (great Torah-scholar of a generation). A gadol hador is needed to hold up the bar of achievement and never let his mind wonder from looking out after the entire Jewish population with a pure hashkafa. Such a position is needed amongst B'nei Yisroel. Without someone firmly setting and establishing a strong belief in Hashem, the normal human behavior would be to eventually forget. We must constantly have something we could look at to remind us of our purpose in life as a Jew.

    Now we can understand why Korach deserved such a severe punishment. Had he succeeded in his debate, there would be no hope in keeping the mesorah of leaders and maintaining the level that the Jews had indeed achieved. Instead, it would have quickly died down. Manhigei yisroel of Moshe and Aharon's stature were surely needed to hold such a spiritual level in place looking after the Jews in the desert, right after the acceptance of the Torah, and keeping the standards high by reminding the people what they had to do.

    The consequence that Korach and his assembly had to face afterward as a punishment for their questioning this system and Moshe and Aharon's authority, was surely an event that a witness would never be able to forget, and a story which would live on for generations. The ground opened up and swallowed all of those who had involved themselves in Korach's side of the disputation. Despite this, the lesson we must take from Korach continues later in the parsha. Hashem commanded that the staff that Aharon had, which miraculously blossomed almonds, be kept as a remembrance for everyone to see so that they remember what happened to Korach⁷ – for humans need reminders to remember. Without reminders and constant review, our knowledge, and even our own opinions and beliefs, all turn into a meaningless mush.

     We must remember that life is not like a video game with saving points. The default setting for a person is to do nothing. It takes constant work and effort not only to achieve high levels of spirituality, but to maintain them.

     The nineteenth chapter of Orchos Tzaddikim is the Gate of Remembrance. The Orchos Tzaddikim, also known as Sefer HaMidos, discusses all of the various traits contained in a person and teaches how to perfect these traits. Being that one of these is zechira (remembrance), we must understand how it is that one's memory is a character trait which could be perfected. It is true that people are born with the ability to remember and recall people, places, and events (some better than others); however, if memory is indeed a character trait which we are expected to perfect, there must be a much deeper form of memory.

     Perhaps we could better understand the middah of zechira based on our explanation of the story with Korach. Zechira is not limited to memorizing and knowing things. As a matter of fact, that type of zechira is a weak form of the middah⁸. The full force behind this middah is not when one utilizes it to simply remember with one's mouth, like, “I'll pay you back later”. Rather, in order to use this middah in the proper way, one must set up things to trigger his memory in order to constantly remind oneself of the most important things in life. Keeping something on the forefront of one's mind is the real power of zechira. We are expected to grasp this middah and use it to keep us tunnel-vision focused towards what Hashem wants of us. Let us not fall into Korach's trap and convince ourselves that we have already mastered various areas of spirituality and Torah and have no further need for reminders.

1Korach 16:1

2Medrash Rabbah 18:1

3A bluish dye made from a sea snail (chilazon)

4Excluding bathrooms

5Korach 16:1

6Korach 16:3

7Korach 17:25 and Rashi there.

8See Orchos Tzadikkim; Sha'ar HaZechira

Photo Credit: www.body-soul-n-spirit.com/servlet/the-4956/MEZUZAH--Mezzuzah-Mezuza/Detail

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

Parshas Shelach

Who Are You Going to Believe, Me or Your Own Eyes?¹

By: Daniel Listhaus

“...We were like grasshoppers in our eyes, and so we were in their eyes!”

-Shelach 13:33

       The Medrash² 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 mitzvos³. As an example, the Medrash provides the story of the spies sent by Yehoshua, which we actually read in this week's Haftorah⁴. The Medrash, though, also does not fail to mention that the story of the spies in this week's 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 (spies) that Moshe sent do wrong? A spy's job is to determine the strengths and weaknesses of enemy countries⁵. Did theses meraglim not do exactly that? They found the strengths and weaknesses of Eretz Yisroel, even if the negative strengthens happened to enormously outweigh the good news. What more could be expected of them? They were sent to determine the enemy's strategic position and they did just that. It should not be their fault that the giants living in Eretz Yisroel had prospered tremendously.

       The answer to what the spies did wrong lies within the very report they gave to the people. “...We were like grasshoppers in our eyes, and so we were in their eyes”. What does it mean that they were like grasshoppers in their own eyes? Granted they had a strong reception when it came to delivering the news back to the Jews, 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, how did they know how the giants perceived them, that they had the confidence to declare, “...and so we were in their eyes.”?

      The cheit ha'meraglim (sin of the spies) was as follows. 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 an Almighty G-D, 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, and perceive every molehill as a mountain.

    Unfortunately, the meraglim did in fact choose to view themselves as the grasshoppers, utilizing the middah (character trait) of anavah (humility) incorrectly, and viewing themselves as grasshoppers. Once they made this choice, 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 passuk. That “...We were like grasshoppers in our eyes, and therefore we were in their eyes as well”. In other words, because the meraglim felt insecure, due to their lack in belief of Hashem, the giants, in response, 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.

     At the end of the parsha, we find the last paragraph of kriyas shema. As we know, the last paragraph of shema talks about 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.”⁶ We are supposed to look at our tzitzis and remember the mitzvos of Hashem⁷ and perform them in the correct way. What would be the incorrect way of doing the mitzvos? Rashi explains⁸,that the heart and eyes are the “spies” of the body. Following with the explanation we said before, when we look at this world through our own glasses instead of properly using the instruction manual, the Torah, which Hashem provided us, then we end up straying. 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”⁹.

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

1This line was said by Groucho Marx.

2Medrash Rabbah 16:1 and Tanchuma 6

3Gemara (Mishna) Succah 25a

4Yehoshua 2:1-24

5This idea is also seen in Mikeitz 42:12 When Yosef, under disguise as an Egyptian, accused his brothers for 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.

6Shelach 15:39

7We remember the mitzvos by recalling that 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.

8Shelach 15:39

9Shelach 15:40

Parshas Beha'aloscha and Shavuos - 613 Problems

Parshas Beha'aloscha

and Shavuos

613 Problems

By: Daniel Listhaus

“...We have nothing before our eyes but the manna!”

-Beha'aloscha 11:6

      This week's Parsha relates the first couple of what will be a sequence of disastrous events which occurred in the desert. The Torah tells us that the people started complaining that they wanted meat. They recalled how they used to get free fish while in Egypt and how good life was there, whereas now they complained how they had nothing but the manna.

       When reading these verses, a couple of questions immediately come to mind. First-of-all, life in Egypt was horrible. As a matter of fact, so many of the things we do by the Pesach Seder are actually remembrances of this. We dip the karpas in saltwater and eat maror specifically to recall the bitter lives of the exile at that point in time. So, how could it be that the Jews in the desert complained that their lives in Egypt were better? If it were a whole new generation of people who never witnessed the horrors of Egypt, then it would be quite understandable. However, we are dealing with the same people who were forced to do back-breaking labor. Did they have short-term memory loss? Did they forget what it meant to be a Jew in Egypt?

       Furthermore, their complaint was not even accurate, as Rashi¹ points out. The Egyptians did not even give the Jews straw with which to build, so certainly the Egyptians would not go out of their way to offer delicacies to their slaves.

        If all of this does not weaken the complaint of the Jews in the desert enough, let us now introduce a well known fact about the manna – it could taste like anything! Whatever the eater had in mind for it to taste like, it would taste exactly like, as Dovid HaMelech alludes to in Tehillim². So, what exactly was the complaint of the Jews? Things were not better in Egypt, they never got free fish or meat. And they did in fact have access in the desert to whatever food they wanted, because the manna tasted however the eater desired.

      Based on the above issues, Rashi³ as well as the Medrash⁴ explain that the Jews wanted to rid themselves of the mitzvos. After kabbalas haTorah, and living for a while with the obligation of the mitzvos hanging over their heads, they desired “other meat” and other things which the Torah had commanded them not to do. They remembered the “good old days” back in mitzrayim when these things were permitted to them; when they were able to live a “free” life, and not one controlled by the Torah. This is what the Jews really wanted in the desert.

      What was the catalyst of this sudden change in attitude? What changed that created such a negative relationship between the Jews and the Torah?

        Perhaps the answer to this question lies within what the Jews actually said to Moshe: “We have nothing before our eyes but the manna”. The manna came each day from heaven and provided each person with exactly the right amount to satisfy them. There are two approaches one could have, though, regarding this situation in the desert. One approach could be to view the manna as a tremendous opportunity. One could sit down to a repast of unparalleled diversity. For lunch, one could have pizza on Mondays, falafel on Tuesdays, spaghetti on Wednesdays, knishes on Thursdays, and fish on Fridays – what better menu could one ask for! I do not know what the calorie count was for the manna, but regardless, it sounds like a great deal.

       The other approach one could have regarding the manna, however, is quite different. One could wake up each morning and see the same manna over and over again and get sick of it. “The same thing again!?” This latter approach was the one of the Jews in the desert. They saw the manna as the same monotonous diet, instead of viewing each meal as a totally new opportunity, and making the best of it by conjuring up the most delicious foods.

        Just as there are two approaches how to view the manna, there are the same two approaches regarding how one views the mitzvos of Hashem. Every day in shema we recite, in both the first paragraph ( where we accept on ourselves the yoke of Hashem) and in the second paragraph (where we accept on ourselves the yoke of the mitzvos), “...And these matters/my commandments that I command you today...” Rashi⁵ explains that the reason the verse says “today” is to teach us that the Torah and the mitzvos should be new in our eyes every day, as if never seen them before. Instead of being the kid with the PlayStation game who uses it for a week or two and gets tired of it, we must view each day as a new opportunity to live a day of mitzvos in the way of Hashem.

       In order to live the proper life of a Jew, we must stop ourselves from living an auto-pilot life of habit and routine. The daily going to davening, putting on tallis and tefillin, these are all things that if done out of habit, lose their taste faster than than the worst gum. Even the mitzvos which occur less often, such as shabbos and yom tov, become part of an ongoing cycle⁶. With this approach towards mitzvos, we are no better than the Jews in the desert complaining, “...We have nothing before our eyes but the manna!”

    Jewish Holidays are not merely a remembrance of past events, but rather a recreation of the same atmosphere which existed during the original event. Shavuos, therefore, is a time of yearly re-accepting of the Torah upon ourselves. The question is – how will we accept the mitzvos and view them for the coming year? Will we perform them by rote and view them as annoying daily chores which need to be checked off the check-list? Or will we view them as the ultimate way to live life, and look at each mitzvah as a new opportunity to become closer to Hashem? This second perspective is really the only option. Furthermore, Jews in the desert were mistaken when they exclaimed that they missed the freedom of mitzrayim. As we declare by the Pesach Seder, “This year we are slaves, next year we will be free.” When we do the mitzvos with love, and use each of them as new opportunity and means to become closer to Hashem, then we experience true freedom.

       Only with this approach will we rid ourselves of the 613 problems, and rather adopt the 613 mitzvos.

1Beha'aloscha 11:5

2Tehillim 78:18 and 106:15

3Beha'aloscha 11:5

4Tanchuma 11:22

5Rashi in both places: V'eschanan 6:6 and Eikev 11:6

6I have heard a couple of times before that the reason why the Rambam groups all the daily mitzvos in the section of Ahava (love) is because one could only do something properly on a constant basis if it is being done with love.