Bs”d
Parshas Chukas (5772)
by Mordechai Dolinsky
In our sedra we find Klal Yisroel complaining consistently in a negative manner. They were not a group of kvetches, rather standing up to a very difficult nisayon.
When speaking to the stone it was if the stone really heard but in reality they had to believe it was all from Hashem.
Have a wonderful Shabbos.
Bs”d
Parshas Chukas (5771)
by Mordechai Dolinsky
The satan and the nations of the world ridicule Para Aduma. The answer is as Rashi quotes; Gezaira Hi Milfanai. We go down to the basics of basics; all the commandments are from Me, your Creator. Since all the mitzvos come from the Creator of the world, there is no place for speculation and any negative insinuations in your inquiries. You must keep in your mindset the realization “ain reshus liharhair achareha”. Keeping in the source of the commandments, it is a great sin to think of any negative or “objective” investigational survey of the absolute Will of Hashem.
Have a wonderful Shabbos and a Chodesh of yeshuos and geulos.
Bs”d
Parshas Chukas (5770)
by Mordechai Dolinsky
Rashi attributes the use of the word chukas in the beginning of the sedra to the fact that the satan and gentiles accost us about the parsha of parah aduma that it lacks logic. There is an important point to be noted here. The fact that there was some form of logic missing caused a disturbance to us. How rich in thought and the thirst for logic was a main pillar of Klal Yisroel. We must ponder on how much and why this is so lacking today.
Have a wonderful Shabbos.
Bs”d
Parshas Chukas (5768)
by Mordechai Dolinsky
After the passing of Miriam, Klal Yisrael was lacking water. The miracle that they had the supply in the desert was earned by their high level of emunah. They were falling towards materialism as we can see in their expression of complaint: “We and our animals…”.
The episode of the “mai merivah” was intended to raise their level of belief that the water comes only from Hashem and it can, for that same reason, emerge from a stone. “He who said that oil should burn can do the same to vinegar”.
We must likewise always strengthen our belief in this great foundation.
Have a wonderful Shabbos and a fulfilling, uplifting Chodesh.
Bs”d
Parshas Chukas (5767)
by Mordechai Dolinsky
It is common knowledge that the area of tumah and taharah belongs to the category of Torah that is beyond our sense of logic. There is a meaningful and significant medrash in our parsha (19:8) that crystallizes the idea. “Lo hames mitamai……the deceased doesn’t defile nor does the water cleanse. Hashem Himself designates the status.
Our whole Torah is nothing more than the ordinances of Hashem. The other areas have some aspect of logic and human understanding. Perhaps this area of tumah and tahara, defilement and cleansing, was selected to strengthen the concept that the very essence of the gift of life is solely in the hands of Hashem and to inspire us to keep us in the state of constant awareness of this principle.
Have a wonderful Shabbos.
Bs”d
Parshas Chukas (5766)
By Mordechai Dolinsky
The Medrash in our parsha quotes a famous Chazal (19:4)—Hashem in His modesty consulted with the malachim concerning the creation of man. Having a negativity towards Hashem’s plan, Hashem declared that man is superior to them. Lining up all the creatures of the world they failed to fulfill Hashem’s request to give them their appropriate names; to the contrast of man who successfully gave them all their correct names.
Why did Hashem select this particular outstanding trait to demonstrate man’s greatness and why was he able to accomplish this despite the intellectual superiority which the malachim possess?
The Chazal revealed that man contains the traits of everything in the Creation, including the vicious crocodile, the wild buffalo, the poisonous cobra and scorpion. When Chazal demand of us to have the strength of the lion and the swiftness of the deer, and the diligence of an ant, it is because we actually contain their characteristics. We are capable of identifying with all the creatures since we are made up of their characteristics.
Hashem is explaining to the malachim—look at this creation of man that contains all of the animalistic qualities and yet has control. My great nachas, says Hashem.
We should all be worthy of practicing control over our animalistic traits in this period of darkness before the coming of Mashiach and give nachas to our Creator.
Have a wonderful Shabbos.
Bs”d
Parshas Chukas (5765)
By Mordechai Dolinsky
Clal Yisroel in the desert was supplied with a drinking water source from the well of Miriam, during her lifetime. A well is “the tool” with which we access the fresh, underground rivers similar to the faucet of a sink. The mind-boggling aspect of it is that it was not connected to anywhere or anything and the point of how it “worked” was the belief that when it is “connected” it only works through the auspices of the will of Hashem. Likewise, the whole actuality of the materialistic manifestation of the creation is only through the will of Hashem. The realization of this as a reality raises us to a level that we are no longer subjected to the physical parameters that the rest of the world is subjected to.
Have a wonderful Shabbos and an inspiring and uplifting month.
Bs”d
Parshas Chukas (5760)
by Mordechai Dolinsky
Our Parsha opens: “The following is the Chok of the Torah”—instructions. Take a pure red cow with no blemish that was never burdened with a yoke—instructions—but for what?
The next pasuk (3): “Give to Elazar Ha’Kohain, take it outside the camp and slaughter it before him—instructions—but what is it for?
Pasuk 4: “Elazar should draw from the blood and sprinkle it seven times”—detailed instructions for the absolute unknown.
Pasuk 5: “Burn the cow in front of his eyes”—to where does all this lead?
The sixth pasuk: “Take cedarwood, hyssop and a tongue of crimson wool and throw them in the fire”—and so it continues to pasuk 7–
the Kohain having to immerse his clothing and himself.
Pasuk 8: The burner likewise needs to purify himself
Pasuk 9: And to put the ashes outside the camp—and still no hint as to where all this has to lead.
Pasuk 10: The gatherer of the ashes likewise needs to be purified.
In pasuk 11 we are introduced to the Tumah, through the contact with a ‘meis’.
Finally in pasuk 12: “Yischateh Vo”, the enlightenment we have been waiting for these past 12 pasukim. The purpose of all these directives, complicated intricacies, is for the purification from tumas meis. Have we ever encountered anywhere in the Chumash a list of intricate directions and directives without the slightest implication, hint or insinuation of the subject matter we are dealing with?
Rashi at the beginning of the parsha quotes the Chazal: Since this Mitzva is a source of teasing and scorn by the Satan and the gentile nations exclaiming that they don’t see any logic or reasoning for it, it was termed by HaShem as a Chok. This is a Divine order and no one has the right to delve or critically analyze it. To deal with the onslaught of the Satan and the gentiles we were armed with a perpetual “guard-all” from their harassment, ‘Para Aduma” is a Chok! The perplexity is obvious, the enemy is haranguing us for willing to undertake fulfilling something that doesn’t seem comprehendible, and we return our “fire”—this is a Chok! How is this dealing with the issue? How is this supposed to be a foolproof inoculation against them? On the contrary, this statement seems to intensify their criticism and objection.
The essence of the enemy ammunition is the seemingly lack of logical structure and the rebuttal is that we are actually in a “no logic zone”. Yes, in our repertoire of various aspects of “Avodas HaShem”, we do have a ‘no logic zone’. The crown of our anatomy, our most important powerful possession, is our thinking faculties. We must keep it in constant use and access its resources always. We constantly have to ward off our laziness and run everything through our thought process, without this we are lost. It is imperative to understand this in order to perceive the implication when Hashem does command us to withdraw, refrain and inhibit our logic. This is one of the highest, if not the highest, form of submission to Hashem.
We find amongst, lehavdil, the cults and false religions, demands of submission of the thought faculty. But they deaden their minds and anesthetize their thought process completely. The Torah expects and demands of us to make use of our mental capacities, so the area of Chok has a completely different dimension.
Perhaps we can offer a thought on our opening observation of the puzzling presentation of the Para Aduma. The Para Aduma is so “CHOKI” that even the manner of how it was presented to Klal Yisroel was in the same spirit–lacking logic. The orders were given not even knowing for what end it was to be used.
By the relinquishing of our need for understanding that we find in chukim, we are also expressing our gratitude to Hashem for the gift of thought.
Shenizkeh Lishmor Chukecha.
Bs”d
Parshas Chukas (5764)
By Mordechai Dolinsky
Our Medrash 19:13 quotes the Chazal which is one of our greatest foundations and principles. “Dayah chasarta mah konisa, Dayah konisa mah chasarta”. If we acquire what Rav Miller calls true knowledge we have everything and without this we have nothing. True knowledge is programming into our nervous system and reality our true values.
Have a wonderful Shabbos.
Bs”d
Parshas Chukas (5762)
By Mordechai Dolinsky
In this week’s parsha we have the vital and significant incident of Moshe Rabeinu and the rock. The following is a structure of the sequence that emerges from the psukim according to Rashi.
The petirah of Miriam HaNevia
The be’er ceases to give water and goes away
This cuts off the source of water for Clal Yisroel
(The sequence of the following items is not clear)
HaShem gave the command to Moshe Rabeinu to speak to the special rock in order to extract water for Clal Yisroel
Because the be’er went away the special rock likewise followed its example and stationed itself incognito among the other stones
An ordinary stone positioned itself in the place of the special stone
The multitudes of Clal Yisroel miraculously stationed themselves in positions whereby they were able to observe the stone
Clal Yisroel realized that this was not the special stone but could not identify the special stone because of its incognito position
Clal Yisroel adopted the position that the procedure of speaking to the stone should be done to the ordinary stone that was sitting in the place of the special stone
Moshe Rabeinu disagreed with Clal Yisroel and criticized them for taking an unqualified stand on the issue and it is at this point Rashi explains that this is the significance of Moshe Rabeinu’s statement (20:2) “Shimu Nah HaMorim”
Moshe Rabeinu nevertheless proceeded to speak to the wrong stone
It produced no results
Because of the failure it was decided to hit the stone instead
At this point the special stone returned to its original position
Moshe Rabeinu proceeded with his above decision and hit the stone (it is not clear whether Moshe Rabeinu was cognizant of the fact that the special stone had returned to its original position)
A small amount of water emerged
Moshe again repeated the process and hit the stone
This time an abundance of water which was sufficient for all of Clal Yisroel and their flocks emerged.
The following questions emerge from all the above.
Why did the special stone go away?
Why was Bnei Yisroel of the opinion to proceed with the strange stone?
Why did Moshe give in and agree to speak to the strange stone?
When this failed why did Moshe opt for hitting the stone instead of using it as a demonstration that it was wrong to proceed with the strange stone?
Why did he actually hit the stone when HaShem had told him specifically to talk to it?
Why did the special stone return at this point?
Why did the special stone give water when it wasn’t supposed to do so when hit, only when spoken to?
What was Moshe Rabeinu’s actual transgression, since he did attempt to speak to the stone but it didn’t work?
With a new approach in understanding the whole episode of Moshe Rabeinu talking to the stone we can perhaps have way to solve these difficulties. The conventional perspective of deriving water from a stone is of kabalistic, metaphysical significance. Perhaps we can add that even more significant was the involvement and the input of the personal ‘avoda’ of Moshe Rabeinu and Clal Yisroel in the area of emuna and bitachon, their level of faith and confidence they had in Hashem. We shouldn’t forget and overlook the fact that the “special rock” definitely did have some aspect of intrinsic significance and input enabling it to access the water. Likewise the miracles of the ten plagues and the splitting of the sea were closely connected with the avoda of emuna and bitachon of Moshe Rabeinu and Clal Yisroel. This was also true regarding the miraculous supply of water all the years in the desert which was brought about with the involvement of the avoda of Miriam and the level of emuna of Clal Yisroel.
After the passing away of Miriam the be’er ceased to produce water and left. The special stone feared that Clal Yisroel was no longer on the level of bitachon that they merited that it would miraculously produce water despite the command of Hashem to Moshe Rabeinu. The stone suspected that a major chilul Hashem would ensue and it would be more beneficial for it to hide thus disenabling Moshe Rabeinu to proceed. The stone was sure that Moshe would not attempt to perform on a different stone and thus no chilul Hashem would result and Hashem would supply the water from some alternate source. This is exactly what transpired–Moshe Rabeinu refused. Clal Yisroel, however, insisted that they and Moshe Rabeinu were indeed on a high level of emuna and the water could be accessed even from a strange stone, which is technically correct and possible, if they were truly on this high level. “Mi Sheomar L’Shemen V’yadlik Yomar L’Chometz V’yadlik”—He who created the oil with the power to ignite can likewise ignite vinegar.
When the special stone saw that instead of abstaining and declining to act, Moshe Rabeinu used the ordinary stone and was not successful. It realized its grave error and returned to its place without Moshe or Clal Yisroel being aware of its act. Moshe Rabeinu then reasoned, and correctly so, that since this was not the Divinely prescribed procedure since it was being done (so he thought) on the ordinary stone he was likewise able to improvise and attempt the hitting of the stone. This is known as an increase in ‘hishtadlus’ which compensates when there is a lack of bitachon.
If Moshe Rabeinu had realized that the special stone had returned he would have attempted to speak and he probably would have been successful. If Clal Yisroel had sufficient bitachon that even the ordinary stone worked with hitting then the special stone would have certainly worked with speaking.
(We can perhaps conjecture and say that the special stone in hoping that it would be noticed and as a means of attracting attention first produced the small amount of water that it did. Upon seeing that this didn’t work, the second time it produced the full amount).
A clear possible explanation of the sin, the shortcoming of Moshe Rabeinu emerges from this. Moshe Rabeinu perhaps should have been more scrupulous in suspecting that the special stone returned whereupon it would have been indeed sufficient for him just to speak. This can be the explanation of the complaint that Moshe didn’t “speak”. The original commandment and the ultimate Kiddush Hashem would have then come about.
We should all be worthy of making a Kiddush Hashem in the world. Have a wonderful Shabbos.
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