Parshas Balak

Watch that Naughty Tongue!
This week’s parsha, Balak, commences with Balak being appointed king over Moav. As the Jewish people make their way around the outskirts of the land, Balak thought that his country would be plundered as his allies were (in last week’s parsha, Sichon and Og were destroyed). The Moavites knew that the Israelites posed no threat to them, seeing that Hashem had forbidden them to wage war against them; nonetheless, they still feared that they would be destroyed.

In order to conquer the Jews, Balak was advised to combat the Jews the very same way the Jews combat all other nations, through prayer.  Furthermore, Balak appointed Bilam, a man who used the impure forces of the universe, to pronounce a curse against the Jewish people. Bilam was a powerful magician, dream interpreter, and profound philosopher who was capable of manipulating the powers of tumah- impurity- in this world for his own personal benefit.

Balak’s main argument was that the Jews defeated many nations, with the power of their speech—through crying out to Hashem in prayer. Moreover, he wanted Bilam to defeat the Jews through his power of speech, by cursing them.

Incredibly enough, we can see from this week's parsha how even the nations that wish to curse us recognize the power given to us by our tongue. We can use it for elevating ourselves and becoming closer to our G-d, or we can denigrate ourselves through speaking evil.

Unfortunately today, we live in a society that uses the beautiful words Hashem has given us to speak evil. The secret to overcoming this impulsive behavior of gossiping and disrespecting others is through recognizing that we are in control of what comes out of our mouths. Once we come to terms with the fact that we control our bodies, and that our bodies don’t control us, we will become empowered to think twice before we speak, and this will get us to understand that the ramification induced by our impulsive tongue are in fact fruitless.

TORAH FOR YOUR TABLE! The Road Less Traveled...

Which path should I take?
As the parsha continues, with Bilam journeying to curse the Jews, he constantly finds himself encountering Hashem. During the night, Bilam dreamt that Hashem rebuked him for plotting against the Jews. Regardless of how many signs Hashem threw in Bilam’s way, he was determined to curse the Jews.

In our lives, we can sometimes become so insistent on a certain path that we start to believe that that is where we are meant to actualize our potential in this world. However, we should constantly be looking to Hashem for guidance about which path to follow. Rather than being persistent about taking a certain path in life, we should be persistent in requesting guidance and clarity from above. When we are sincere about our desire to find the proper path in life, which will allow us to maximize our personal potentials in this world, Hashem will give us all the tools we need to make that potential a reality.

Quotes that matter- "Fake it til you make it!"

Although Hashem had warned Bilam numerous times that he was forbidden to curse the Jews, Bilam thought he could coax Hashem. So to, Bilam told Balak to build seven alters which he would make sacrifices to Hashem on. Ironically, Hashem accepted his sacrifices! WHAT?  Despite the fact that Bilam offered the sacrifices to Hashem with impure intentions, Hashem nevertheless accepted them, and even rewarded Bilam and Balak (Ruth-the meshiach is from her dynasty- is a descendant of Balak and Bilam ends up blessing the Jews instead).


From this strange turn of events, we learn that although Bilam and Balak were performing a mitzvah with evil motivations, they nonetheless performed the deed. The idea behind this concludes that perhaps one day, their motivation would lead to sanctifying Hashem’s name.


Although at times, we may not feel as connected to Hashem and Judaism as we wish to be, especially during the toughest of times when we feel the most disconnected, those are the times that our mitzvot shine the brightest. It is easy to be a committed Jew when you are feeling inspired. The challenge however is following Hashem’s mitzvot when you feel completely disconnected. Surprising enough, this recognition can shed much light to your own observance and it can even push you to become re-inspired! The trick is recognizing that Hashem puts us all through many challenges and tests to see if our trust in Him is more powerful than letting our personal distress run our lives. Although we may feel we are 'faking it' at times when we push ourselves to observe Hashem's commandments when we fill completely disconnected, in actuality we are developing ourselves and we are strengthening our connection to Hashem.

Moshe’s Death

The main portion of this week's parsha deals with Moshe and Aaron's death.

With Miriam gone, the Well of Miriam had ceased to flow. Because of that, Bnai Israel went to Moshe to complain about their thirst. Although Moshe and Aaron were sitting shiva- seven day mourning period- for Miriam, Moshe and Aaron fell to the ground in prayer. Hashem immediately came to answer Moshe and Aaron’s prayers and commanded Moshe to find the Well of Miriam and command it to give forth water.  Hashem wanted Moshe to congregate in front of the tzaddikim and teach them a passage of Torah while they were witnessing this miracle. From this we can see the merit that is brought forth from communal studying of Torah.  Moreover, Moshe wanted the entire nation to see Hashem’s miracle, so to, he assembled everybody to the rock to witness the miracle. The air ravs- new Egyptian converts- started to scoff about what Moshe was doing, they wanted to see if Moshe would perform a real miracle or if he was doing ‘magic tricks,’ because as a shepherd he knew which rocks held the most moisture.

The air ravs instigated and said, “Unless you give us water from our choice, we don’t want any at all!” Moshe was completely distressed at this point. His mission was to bring the nation to the rock and teach them Torah to show them that the power of their learning would create a miracle, instead he faced a crowd of scoffers who were questioning the validity of this miracle altogether.

Because of this madness and mockery by the air ravs, Moshe sensed the shechina- Hashem’s presence- was gone; therefore, no miracle would occur. Moreover, the atmosphere was not appropriate for Torah learning. The people were rebelling against their rebbe, how was he supposed to teach them? Moreover, which rock was he to choose? He did not want to transgress Hashem’s commandment and chose another rock.

Furthermore, Moshe decided to reprimand the people for going against their rebbe. He said sternly, “hear now you rebels, you fools! You think your understanding is greater than your rebbes’?” From the beginning of Moshe’s leadership career, Hashem had told him never to get angry with the Jews. No matter how much they provoked him, he was never to give into his anger and rebuke the people. Because of the anger he displayed, Hashem punished him with death. Moshe continued to carry out Hashem’s command to bring forth water. When Moshe commanded the rock to produce water, nothing happened, so Moshe hit the rock and blood protruded instead of water.

Some commentators state that because Moshe didn’t address the people kindly, he was sentenced to death to atone for his sin (Aaron was punished for sitting silently). What was the sense of these harsh punishments? Because Moshe addressed the people as ‘rebels and fools,’ such a subtle remark, Hashem punishes him with death? And Aaron is punished with death for sitting silently? What is going on here?! It is beyond our comprehension as to why both Moshe and Aaron are sentenced to death, many commentators try to understand this; however, there is no way to understand the true essence behind it. Rather, what we can learn is that since these men were so holy, they were punished more harshly, even for their tiny misdemeanors.  The closer someone is to Hashem, the less he is spared for blame because Hashem has higher expectations of such a person.  These two tzaddikim devoted every breath of air to Hashem, so to, their punishment was proportionate to their closeness to Hashem. Additionally, we cannot ever judge Moshe and Aaron for what happened, such righteous men are on a level far beyond our understanding. Even though Moshe and Aaron sinned, they were still beloved in Hashem’s eyes.

Many of us commit acts that are much more worse than using harsh words, and we are not punished as harshly, for the obvious reason, we are not tzaddikim. This should push us to set the standard higher for ourselves and our behavior. We should only hope that one day we can attain even a grain of righteousness comparable to that of Moshe and Aaron so that Hashem can look at our behavior and have higher expectations of us.

Parshas Chukas- Chokim

Parshas Chukas

This week’s parsha commences with the discussion of the many different types of laws in Judaism. The mitzvot are generally divided into the following three categories:

1.    Testimonies- Adiot- these mitzvot serve as a testimony to our belief in Hashem. (For example, by observing Shabbot, that is our testimony that we believe that Hashem created the world in six days and on the seventh day, He rested. Additionally, by observing the yomim tovim- holidays- that is our testimony that Hashem rescued the Jewish people from Egypt.  Moreover, the mitzvah of tefillin and tzitzis are a testimony that we believe in Hashem’s rulership).
2.    Civil Laws- Mishpatim- these mitzvot were Divinely created to assure civility and safety for the survival of humanity. (For example: laws against theft, murder, etc.).
3.    Divine Ordinances- Chokim- are mitzvot that were Divinely created; however, their meaning is logically incomprehensible. There are four main chokim that the Midrash discusses:
a.    Yibum- If a man loses his brother he is forbidden to marry his dead brother’s wife if she has children; however, if she has no children, it is a mitzvah to marry her.
b.    Shaatnez- We are prohibited against wearing a garment that has both wool and linen together. However, if a person has a linen garment attached to wool tzitzis with a techalis thread (blue string which we no longer have today) a person is permitted to wear that garment.
c.    Sa’ir a Azazel- The he-goat offering to Azazel is sent to death during the Yom Kippur services in order to act as an atonement for Bnai Israel’s sins; however, the person who performs the sacrifice becomes impure.
d.    Para Aduma- the red heifer is burned and its ashes are sprinkled onto a Jew who is considered ritually impure, in order to purify him; however, any person who is involves with preparation of the ashes becomes impure.          
Because all these chokim defy our logical rational and they are beyond our human intellect, the Torah states, “These are the chokim of the Torah” (19:2), nevertheless we must accept them as Divinely given. Chokim were not given to us to be understood, they are beyond human comprehension.  Moreover, many chokim seem contradictory (as seen from the above examples). Nevertheless, the Jewish people have been steadfast in observing these incomprehensible chokim for thousands of years. Moreover, those who follow the chokim, despite failure to understand them see the utter brilliance in the Creators mysterious ways.

King Shlomo, the wisest man of all time, spent a great deal of time trying to make some sense of the chokim. Although he possessed more knowledge of the Torah than even Moshe Rabbenu, even he could not make sense of some of the chokim, such as Para Aduma- the red heifer. King Shlomo said, “I studied it and toiled to understand it, but it is far beyond my grasp.”

Furthermore, if a man like King Shlomo whose Torah wisdom surpassed that of Moshe, who wrote three holy books with ruach hakodesh- Divine inspiration-(Mishlai, Kohelet, and Shir Ha Shirim), who was able to illustrate the Torah through 3000 parables,  who was competent in every science, who surpassed Adam’s knowledge of animals, exceeded Avraham’s astrological knowledge, and outshone Yosef’s statesmanship, was incapable of comprehending many chokim, but nevertheless followed them with his entire heart, what gives us the right to deny their validity?

How are we expected to understand the mysteries of the Creator of the Universe? Moreover, how improper of us to even question the logical validity of Hashem’s ordinances. Hashem created us all with a logical and rational mind; anything that questions our logic therefore seems incorrect. However, we must constantly remind ourselves that Hashem is outside the realm of logical and rational reasoning, which we are imprisoned by. Our mission in life is to rise above our logical intellect and see how there is utter Divinity in that which is beyond logic. Through that, we can then full heartedly commit to following Hashem’s chokim and accept the fact that indeed our knowledge can never reach that of our Great King. Just as King Shlomo firmly accepted the Divinity and majesty of the chokim, this should push us to see how dynamic Hashem’s ordinances truly are.

Trying to Understand the Red Heifer

The parsha discusses the chok- law beyond intellectual comprehension- Para Aduma. In order to purify oneself from being in contact with a dead corpse, a person must be sprinkled with the ashes of the red heifer; however, the person who conducts the sacrificial ceremony of slaughtering and burning the heifer is considered ritually impure, what is the sense of this?

On a basic level, the only way we can come to understand this contraction is to discuss one of the philosophical mysteries of the world in trying to understand the essence of dualities—in other words, how could two opposite forces co-exist? For example, how could good and evil co-exist? How can there be happiness, tragedy, evil, etc. all simultaneously? Why do the righteous suffer? Why do the wicked prosper? These are all questions that even the greatest prophets of all times pondered profusely.

Other nations of the world understand this duality by claiming there is one deity for goodness, and one for evil. However, Jews obviously find this argument absurd, that is claiming that there is not One infinite power. However, the Torah teaches us otherwise. We learn from the Torah that there is One Source, where all goodness emanates from; good and seemingly evil are rooted in goodness. Additionally, because of our obvious intellectual limitations, we cannot fully comprehend the true essence of para aduma. By seeing where our limitations lie, this can allow us to shed light and transcend to a plain where contradictions no longer exist, but rather, we see clearly that Hashem’s Divine plan is for our ultimate benefit.

By adopting this emunah- commitment- in Hashem’s rulership of the world, and accepting that the many contradictions we face in our own lives are from Hashem, we are testifying to Hashem that we are completly committed to Him and His rulership, in the places we understand, but most importantly, in the places we don’t.

The Great Merit of Miriam- ‘Quotes that matter”

“The World stands on three things, Torah, Avodah (service), and G'meelut Chasadim (acts of kindness). Pirke Avot 1:2

Parshas Chukas continues with the discussion of Miriam’s death. In the fortieth year in the desert, Bnai Israel endured a national tragedy, Miriam passed away at the age of one hundred and twenty five.  Just as Moshe had been a spiritual leader for the men of Bnai Israel, Miriam was his feminine counterpart. She guided the women and was one of the seven prophetesses.  The Torah positions Miriam’s death and the laws of the para aduma together to portray that the death of a tzaddik atones for the sins of the nation, just as the para aduma is an atonement for those who are impure.

Moreover, in Miriam’s merit, Hashem provided Bnai Israel with the Well of Miriam, which sustained Bnai Israel for forty years in the desert. When she died, the well stopped flowing, because Hashem wanted the nation to recognize that the well had been supplied to the people on behalf of her merit and good deeds.

The quote from Pirke Avot- Ethics of our Forefathers- teaches us that these three attributes, Torah, avoda, and chesed, are essential to our very existence. Miriam, who was known for her acts of kindness, devoted her life to other people. (Moshe personified Torah study, and Aaron personified Avoda- service to Hashem). As a young child she assisted her mother, who was a midwife, and brought food to the poor. Because of her continuous kindness to others, Hashem blessed Bnai Israel with water, which is vital to human physical survival. Similarly, just as water is essential to our physical survival, so to is kindness essential to our spiritual survival. Without constantly exerting ourselves to assist others, who are we? If we cannot act selflessly, what are we? We need to constantly push ourselves to commit acts of kindness. Just as Bnai Israel was blessed in Miriam’s merit, so too will our families and generations after be blessed continuously.