בּ״ה
Parshas Chukas
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‘This is the Decree of the Torah’ (Bamidbar 19:2)
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The fact, says HaRav Moshe Feinstein zt”l, that the Torah uses the language that it does, implies that this Decree -- the Parah Adumah -- is a Decree that encompasses the entire Torah. It is ‘the Decree of the Torah.’ But the question is; in what way is it?
Explains Rav Moshe zt”l; the wording of the verse teaches us that the entire Torah is actually similar in a certain way to the Parah Adumah.
As we know, the ashes of the Parah Adumah purify those who are ritually impure by contact with a human corpse, and yet, the one who burns the specified parts of the cow, and a pure person who touches or carries the ashes get a slight degree of ritual impurity -- מטהר טמאים ומטמא טהורים.
So too, in our lives, every middah (character trait), we must use to keep Hashem’s Mitzvos; but on the other hand, it is also possible to, Chas v’Shalom, use them for bad things. A very good example of this are the traits of anavah, humility, and gaavah, haughtiness: A person must use the trait of humility with themselves, meaning to always be humble, and not very exacting about their own honor; but as for the trait of gaavah, they must utilize it for their fellow people, and be uncompromising about their honor. For another example, think of the traits of generosity and of stinginess. We must be generous in our giving of charity and maaser, but when it comes to the money of our fellow, we should be very tight-fisted, meaning, making sure not to take any money -- not even a penny -- belonging to our fellow unjustly.
But if, Chas v’Shalom, we flip these middos around, and use them in the opposite way, then we will be transgressing the Will of Hashem with both of them.
(Darash Moshe)
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HaRav Shlomo Ganzfried zt”l asks very similarly; why does the Torah say ‘This is the Decree of the Torah’, when, seemingly, it is only the Decree of the Parah Admuah?
And he elucidates the matter based on the words of HaRav Tzvi Heller zt”l in his sefer Tiv Gittin on Midrash Rabbah 19:3 (see there for what he says): We Jews must keep the Mitzvos of the Torah because HaKadosh Baruch Hu said to -- not because of reasons we find for them. And this is what we learn from the fact that it says ‘This is the Decree of the Torah’ regarding the Parah Adumah: Just like the Parah Adumah, which is completely impossible to understand the reason behind with our human intellect, so too, even the Mitzvos which we think we know the reasons behind, we should keep like chukim, Commandments which we, as humans cannot understand, and do them only because Hashem commanded us to.
(Apiryon)
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‘One who touches the corpse of any human Soul, and he will be impure for seven days. He shall purify himself with [lit. in] it [the ashes of the Parah Adumah mixed in spring water] on the third day and on the seventh day, [and] be pure; and if he does not purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not be pure.’ (Bamidbar 19:11-12)
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The Torah teaches us here a fundamental lesson: If one wishes to improve -- to purify themselves, they must put in effort to do so. It will not happen if they do not. But if, indeed, a person puts in the necessary effort to improve, then HaKadosh Baruch Hu Himself will help them to.
(Tal U’Matar)
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‘This is the Law (תורה); if a person will die in a tent. . .’ (Bamidbar 19:14)
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Our Sages derive from this verse that ‘Words of Torah will not endure except in one who kills himself over them’ (Gemara Berachos 63b).
What does this seemingly difficult statement mean? Some explanations:
1) ----- HaRav Avi Fertig shlit”a: Acquiring Torah requires absolute dedication. All other drives, all other needs and interests must become secondary. The totality of our beings must be exclusively dedicated to learning Torah (Bridging the Gap). See Chofetz Chaim al HaTorah here.
2) ----- The Nikolsburger Rebbe, HaRav Yosef Yechiel Michel Lebovits shlit”a: The truth of the matter is that everyone can learn Torah. However, if a person truly wants to internalize the Torah’s words, if he wants the Torah he learned to stay with him throughout his life so that he should be a true Torah-person, then he must put “himself” aside. This means that a person who is busy pursuing physical pleasures cannot keep the Torah within himself. He may be learning Torah, but he cannot “keep” it -- he cannot internalize it. Only if a person tries to eliminate [and overcome] their personal [physical] desires and quiet their body’s appetite for more and more pleasure, only such a person can properly keep the Torah within themselves (Nikolsburg.org).
3) ----- The Maggid of Kozhnitz {Rebbe Yisroel Haupstein zt”l}: It means to say that a person must kill the “himself” within them. We must come to realize that the reason we can do things, or understand Torah, is not from our own power, but from the fact that HaKadosh Baruch Hu gives us strength, and understanding, etc. (Avodas Yisroel; and heard from one of my Rebbeim, shlit”a).
4) ----- In response to my question of what the meaning of this Gemara is, HaRav Shmuel Kamenetzky shlit”a explained that we must have self-sacrifice for Torah. (See Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Talmud Torah, 3:12).
5) ----- HaRav Shimon Schwab zt”l: Only if a person kills the “himself” within them -- meaning that he does not learn only for “himself”, but also shares his knowledge and teaches Torah to others, then Torah will endure in him. (Maayan Beis HaSheoeivah).
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‘This is the Law: If a person will die in a tent, all who come into the tent, and all that is in the tent will be impure for seven days. And every open vessel that no lid is fastened upon it, it is impure.’ (Bamidbar 19:14-15)
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In the plain sense, the Torah speaks here of the rules of Tumas Ohel -- ritual impurity that comes from being under the same roof (or tree) as a human corpse. And the verse is teaching us that an earthenware vessel, which has special laws with regards to tumah (ritual impurity) in the fact that it can only become impure if tumah enters into its interior, as we are taught, becomes ritually impure if it doesn’t have a lid fastened onto it and it is under the same roof as a human corpse. So Rashi zt”l brings from Sifri here.
But explains the Maggid of Kozhnitz {Rebbe Yisroel Haupstein zt”l} homiletically: One who speaks however they want, and doesn’t guard their tongue from speaking slander and bad words -- they leave their mouths as a vessel without a fastened-on lid -- they are surely ‘impure’, because they say forbidden things.
(Avodas Yisroel, and heard from one of my Rebbeim, shlit”a)
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In the midst of his commentary to 19:22, Rashi zt”l brings some expositions from Rabbi Moshe HaDarshan zt”l on earlier verses of the Parsha. One of them is a parable on the matter of the Parah Adumah: The son of a maidservant dirtied the palace of the king. They said: Let the mother come and clean the filth. So too, let the cow -- the Parah Adumah -- come and atone for the golden calf. (Tanchuma).
This parable, notes HaRav Shimshon Dovid Pincus zt”l, has in it a great principle for the matter of Teshuva for any aveirah, like it says (Yeshayahu 4:4) ‘When the Lord will wash off the filth from the Daughters of Tziyon’. That verse speaks of HaKadosh Baruch Hu atoning for us in His great mercy, like a mother who cleans her baby.
And Rav Pincus gives us a little illustration: If a baby would soil their clothing with dirt and sand, some nice neighbor might come and kindly clean him and his clothing off. But if the baby would sully itself with excrement, then everyone would find it disgusting, and they wouldn’t wash and clean the baby off. What would they say? Summon the mother! For only the baby’s loving mother is capable of handling the situation and removing the filth off him, since, because of how much she loves him, she doesn’t really feel the disgustingness of the stuff.
So too with our sins, which have multiplied so much, until only HaKadosh Baruch Hu Himself is capable of cleaning off the filth of them. And this is from how dear we are to Him, the One Who removes our impurities, like a mother who washes her beloved son.
This is like what the passuk says (Hoshea 14:2) ‘Return, Yisroel, unto Hashem your G-d, for you have stumbled in your sins’ and (Yirmiyahu 4:1) ‘If you will return, Yisroel -- the Word of Hashem -- return to Me.’ There is nobody who is able to clean off the scum of our aveiros except for Him. [And He will, if we will but do Teshuva and return to Him].
(Tiferes Shimshon)
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In the middle of this Parsha, we read about the famous account of HaKadosh Baruch Hu telling Moshe Rabbeinu to speak to a certain rock and it would give water for the Bnei Yisroel. But due to certain things, Moshe Rabbeinu struck the rock instead, and, although Hashem still caused it to give forth water, it was not the proper thing to do, and Moshe Rabbeinu was punished for it1 by not being able to enter Eretz Yisroel.
HaRav Moshe Feinstein zt”l brings out a beautiful lesson within the command to speak to the rock: It comes to teach us that we need to speak words of Torah and Mussar even to those who don’t understand [like a rock], for they will come to understand from all the learning. And a person should not despair of educating their children because they seem like they don’t understand, but rather, they should say things over to them until they come to understand.
(Darash Moshe)
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1 The commentators discuss what exactly was Moshe Rabbeinu’s sin.
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‘And Edom refused to let Yisroel pass through its border’ (Bamidbar 20:21)
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The Torah uses the word “פן”which is an expression of a possibility, but not a definite. Why did Edom -- the big sword carrier of Esav -- only threaten that “maybe” they would step out with a sword? He sure was happy to do it, so why the doubt?
The Imrei Binah writes that Yitzchok blessed Esav “על חרבך תחיה” that he would live by his sword, killing people, including Yaakov. Nevertheless, he was only allowed to harm Yaakov if Yaakov did not learn and keep Mitzvos. הקול קול יעקב והידיים ידי עשו. Only when there was no ‘Kol Yaakov’ (voice of Yaakov) in the shuls was Esav able to use his sword on us. Otherwise he was unable to harm us. It was for this reason that Edom used an expression of uncertainty. Only if Klal Yisroel would not behave according to how they were supposed to, will Esav have an ability to use his sword on us.
(Shabbos Gems)
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‘And it will be that anyone who was bitten, and he will see it [the copper serpent] and live.’ (Bamidbar 21:8)
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Because Hashem said this, explains HaRav Meir Simcha HaKohen of Dvinsk zt”l, then even if someone was sick with some regular illness, and they were close to dying, if they were bitten by one of the snakes, and so they would look at the copper serpent, they would be healed also from the illness they had before, and would return to good health.
Therefore, Rav Meir Simcha continues, a person in such a situation would be happy if one of the snakes bit him, since they would then be able to be healed from their current illness also. And so, the verse uses the word והיה, which, as Chazal tell us, is a language of joy.
(Meshech Chochmah)
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‘And the people spoke against G-d and against Moshe; “Why have you brought us up from Egypt, to die in the Wilderness. . .” And Hashem sent in the people the fiery serpents, and they bit the people, and a multitude of people from Yisroel died. And the people came to Moshe, and they said “We have sinned, for we have spoken against Hashem, and against you; pray to Hashem, and He should remove the snake from upon us;” and Moshe prayed on behalf of the people. And Hashem said to Moshe; “Make for yourself a fiery [serpent], and place it upon a pole, and it will be that anyone who was bitten, and he will see it and live.” And Moshe made a copper serpent, and he placed it upon the pole, and it was, if a snake bit a man, and he would gaze at the copper serpent, and live.’ (Bamidbar 21:5-9)
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Why, asks the Chofetz Chaim {HaRav Yisroel Meir HaKohen Kagan zt”l}, when Moshe Rabbeinu davened that Hashem remove the frogs in Egypt (see Shemos 8:4-10), his prayer was answered, but when he davened that He take away the fiery serpents, his prayer was not effective?
Explains the Chofetz Chaim; the Bnei Yisroel were punished here for the sin of lashon hara, as they spoke against Hashem and Moshe Rabbeinu. Now, it is known that when a person does a sin, it makes a prosecuting angel. This angel doesn’t need to necessarily prosecute explicitly, but just its very existence is its prosecution. When a person comes up to Heaven for their judgement, this angel appears on the scene, and its very appearance is testimony enough to the aveirah.
However, with the sin of lashon hara, the prosecuting angel made through it can and does speak, because it came into being through speech. And it speaks against the person, and explicitly announces about the aveirah.
We see that the people’s request for Moshe Rabbeinu’s prayer that Hashem remove the snakes was in the singular, ‘the snake’, alluding to the prosecuting angel made by speaking lashon hara (see Arachin 15b), because once the prosecuting angel would be taken away, then automatically, the snakes would also be. And so did Moshe pray.
But to this Hashem answered Moshe, that the prosecuting angel made by the lashon hara -- one that speaks -- is impossible to remove, because it actually demands in speech that the person who did the sin be punished. So what to do? Hashem said that He would give Moshe Rabbeinu a piece of advice on how to save the Jews from the biting snakes. “Make for yourself a fiery [serpent]” and everyone who had been bitten would look at it and live, and not die. What was the significance of this copper serpent? The Gemara (Rosh Hashanah 29a) explains: ‘Does a snake put to death or make live? Rather, the main thing was that they would look upwards [at the copper serpent which was placed high on a pole] and subjugate their hearts to their Father in Heaven.’ From Him, no bad comes, and when they realized this, then they could be healed.
(Chofetz Chaim al HaTorah)
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‘About thus,1 those who give parables say: “Come to Cheshbon; let it be built and established. . .’ (Bamidbar 21:27)
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Expounds the Gemara (Bava Basra 78b): Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: What does it mean what is written, ‘About thus, those who give parables (המושלים) say, etc.’?
‘המושלים’ -- these are the ones who rule (מושל) over their Evil Inclination. ‘Come to Cheshbon’ -- come and let us consider the reckoning of the world (חשבונו של עולם); the [seeming] loss of the performance of a Mitzvah against its reward,2 and the [seeming] reward of a transgression against its loss. ‘Let it be built and established’ -- if you take such an accounting, you will be built in This World, and you will be established for the World to Come.
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1 Rashi zt”l.
2 The classic example for this is refraining from work on Shabbos.
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|~Maaseh~| As a young married man, Rebbe Uri Strelisker zt”l would learn in the Beis Midrash (House of Study) in the city of Lemburg, but he was very, very poor.
A very wealthy man of that city saw that Rav Uri was sitting and learning, and he saw that he was really special, so he came to him, and he asked him who he was, etc. and if he had a livelihood. Rav Uri replied to this question, “Ich hob tzvei kee’in,” -- “I have two cows,” as in Yiddish, a kee means a cow.
Now, it is a very big and important thing to support Torah scholars. And the rich man went home, and he told his wife to go to Rav Uri Strelisker’s house, to his wife, and buy milk from them, in order to give them a means of income.
So the next day, the rich man’s wife went to the Strelisker’s Rebbetzin, and told her that she wanted to buy milk from her -- “I hear you have cows,” she said. But the Rebbetzin replied that she didn’t know what she (the rich man’s wife) was talking about; they didn’t have anything like that.
The woman went back to her husband, and told him about what the Rebbetzin had said. So he returned to Rav Uri, and he asked him why he didn’t tell him the truth; he had said that he had cows -- kee’in!
The Strelisker answered and explained that what he meant by kee’in was that his livelihood comes from the verse (Tehillim 33:21), ‘Kee vo yismach libeinu, kee v’Sheim kadsho vatachnu’ -- ‘For in Him our heart will rejoice, for in His Holy Name we have trusted.’
Those two kee’s, kee’in, were the livelihood of Rebbe Uri Strelisker zt”l!
(Heard from one of my Rebbeim, shlit”a)
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Gut and meaningful Shabbos to all!
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