Dvar Torah Parashat Chukat - Balak
- Jun 24
- 11 min read
Dedicated in Honor of my New Baby, Sion Palacci By Rabbi Yoseph Palacci _______________________________________________________ Parashat Chukat - Korach The Red Heifer This week’s parasha, Chukat, opens with the laws of para adumah—the red heifer. The para adumah is a decree from Hashem that’s well beyond human comprehension. This law is a chok, a law whose reason Hashem has not revealed to us. More than that, it’s a paradox because the ashes of the red heifer will purify anyone contaminated from contact with a dead body. Yet, those who engage in its preparation themselves become contaminated. It was regarding this that King Solomon exclaimed in Mishlei, “I said I would be wise, but it’s far from me.” In other words, an essential component of wisdom is the knowledge that man’s failure to understand the truth does not make it untrue! Rabbi Yohanan told his students, “It’s not the corpse that causes contamination or the ashes of the cow that cause purity. These laws are decrees from Hashem, and man has no right to question them.” There’s a story in Masechet Kiddushin (31a) where the Rabbis wanted to buy a stone for the efod for the kohen gadol from a non-Jew. But the key to the gentile’s safe was lying under the pillow his father was sleeping on. He refused to disturb his father’s sleep to get the key, thereby passing up on a tremendous profit. The following year, Hashem blessed this non-Jew with a para adumah in his herd. The Rabbis went to him to purchase the red heifer. He said to the rabbis, “I know that if I asked you for all the money in the world, you would give it to me. But I will only ask for the amount I lost due to honoring my father last year.” If a red heifer was the reward a non-Jew received for respecting his father, how much more will we Jews receive because we are commanded from the Torah to respect our parents! The mitzvah of the para adumah shows the greatness of the Jewish people. They are willing to spend large sums of money on a mitzvah like para adumah, which has no known logical reason. We still spend exorbitant amounts of cash on mitzvot today, like etrogs for Sukkot, shemura matzah for Pesach, and tefillin. There’s a famous story that Rabbi Diamond told us about when General Eisenhower visited the displacement camps after the United States liberated the Jews from the concentration camps. He saw the Jewish people suffering from disease and malnutrition and asked, “Pease tell me, what can the U.S. government get for you? Please tell me what you need!” The Klausenburger Rebbe acted as the liaison for the people, and said, “It’s getting close to the time of our holiday of Sukkot. Can you please get us lulavim and etrogim so we can do our mitzvah?” The general was shocked at this request. He thought they would ask for food, clothing, or things to make them more comfortable. But a Jew needs his mitzvot to survive in this world! That’s what connects us to Hashem, the true source of life. A Full Heart
This week’s parasha also discusses the death of Aharon. The S’forno comments on the passuk “and Aharon shall carry the judgment of Bnei Yisrael on his heart…” (Shemos 28:30). He says that the Choshen--breastplate was worn specifically over Aharon’s heart: “In order that he will daven that Klal Yisrael should merit a good judgment.” By wearing the breastplate, Aharon will be inspired and motivated to daven for the Jewish people.
Rabbi Yitzchok Gottdiener relates over a story of Rav Wolfson A”h who by a friend’s wedding gave a beracha to a young man that he should be blessed with many generations of strong children. Later by the wedding the young man mentioned to Rav Wolfson’s grandson that it was a shame the Rabbi wasted a beracha on him and his wife as he had a genetic disease, and she was biologically infertile.
Two months later, this young man bumps into the gabbai—shul coordinator, and the young man tells him that against all odds his wife was expecting! He explained that is wife is very worried that her child will be born with the genetic disease and wants to have her blood tested. The gabbai told this over to Rav Wolfson who exclaimed that she should not get a blood test. This baby is a miracle, and everything will be okay. The woman still concerned proceeded to test her blood and the embryo for diseases, yet the tests showed everything was okay. Everyone held their breath at the birth, and miraculously the baby was born healthy!
Everyone attributed the baby’s health to the Rabbi, however the Rabbi disagreed. He said that during the wedding he was so overwhelmed with love and joy for his friend that his beracha was infused with that same power. The Rabbi said he was not surprised that the baby was strong and healthy. When a Jew gives another Jew a blessing with his full heart it transcends the laws of nature. Let us be like Aharon HaCohen and Rav Wolfson A’h and use our love to support our fellow Jews. Tefillah for our fellow Jews can change Hashem’s decrees instantly.
Learn from the Snake
The Torah says, “The people spoke against G-d and Moshe, ‘Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this wilderness? For there is no food, there is no water, and our soul is at its limit with the insubstantial food (21:5).’” In this parasha, Bnei Yisrael are on the border of Eretz Yisrael, complaining again. They grumbled at the beginning of the 40 years; they protested at the end of the 40 years. What was their complaint this time? “We don’t like the mann.”
The passuk continues, “Hashem sent the snakes, the burning ones, against the people, and they bit the people, and a large multitude of Israel died (21:6).” When the people cried to Moshe and asked for a remedy for the snakes, he answered to put a snake on a flagpole and “Anyone who has been bitten will look at it and live (21:8).”
Rabbi Frand asks a fascinating question. Throughout Sefer Bamidbar, the Almighty punished the people in different ways. Here, Hashem used a new method: they were attacked by snakes. Why snakes? Why could they not just drop dead? Why did the earth not swallow them up like in Korach? Why did fire not come down from heaven and consume them like in Shemini? Why snakes? What is the message here? The plague is strange and the cure—looking at the snakes—is even more bizarre.
To interpret this, we must first understand why the mann fell so often. Hashem could have easily let the mann descend annually, and it could’ve lasted the nation a whole year until it fell again. There is a famous parable told in the Gemara by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. He told his students about a king with an only son, whom he provided with sustenance once per year. The son only visited the king once every year when he needed money. The king consequently changed his method of financing his son. He provided for his daily needs, one day at a time. This way, he heard from his son every day.
So too it was with Bnei Yisrael. Every day they worried about how they would be able to feed their families. Every day they were afraid the mann would not fall the next day, and so everyone had their hearts focused on Hashem, praying for Him to send them food.
Rabbi Frand goes on, bringing a point from the Sefat Emet. Hashem cursed the snake, saying, “Dirt shall you eat all the days of your life (Bereshit 3:14).” The obvious question is, what kind of curse is that? Dirt is available ubiquitously. The snake never had to worry about his next meal. The Sefat Emet explains that this was the curse. The Almighty is, in effect, saying to the snake, “Here is your sustenance. Do not bother me. I don’t want to ever see or hear from you again.”
Hashem gave mann daily to remind the nation that they depend on Him. But that is precisely why they kept complaining about the mann. The people resented that. Human beings like to delude themselves into thinking they are independent. Now the punishment they received makes sense. The penalty came from snakes because the people acted like snakes; they did not want to depend on Divine handouts. And the cure wasn’t just to look at the snakes. The Talmud clarifies the answer lies in the part of the passuk about putting the snake high on a flagpole (Rosh Hashanah 29a). When they lifted their eyes towards their Father in Heaven, figuring out where their Help came from and upon Whom they depended, they were cured. The Talking Donkey
As Bilaam was on the way, an angel of Hashem stood in his donkey’s path, so he couldn’t pass. First the angel stood to the right, and then to the left, and then it blocked the whole path. But still, each time Bilaam hit the donkey to go!
Hashem opened the donkey’s mouth and it said, “What have I done to you that you have struck me these three times?” In other words, “Why are you hitting me? Haven’t I always followed your orders well? Can’t you figure out that there’s a problem here and that’s why I can’t pass?”
Hashem opened Bilaam’s eyes, and he was able to see that there was an angel blocking his path. He became embarrassed, because he realized that his faithful donkey was trying to save his life from the angel.
This is an important lesson for all of us, to teach us that sometimes we try and do something, but for some reason unknown to us, it’s just not happening, no matter how hard we try and push. We must realize that it’s a sign from Hashem to stop and rethink what we’re trying to accomplish. It must be that it will not be good for us in the long run, but only Hashem would know that. It may be a house that we’re trying to purchase, or a business deal that we want to complete, or a shidduch that’s just not working out.
In Hashem’s Hands
The angel now gave Bilaam permission to pass with Balak’s officers. But the angel said to him, “Go with the men, but only the word that I shall speak to you, shall you speak!”
Rabbi Biderman wrote in Torah Wellsprings that Rebbe Moshe Kobriner’s ZT’L said, “I can swear that when a person moves his tiny finger or his eyeball, it is all from Hashem's strength. We cannot pick up a piece of straw without Hashem's strength (Torat Avot, Emunah u'Bitachon 22).” The Lechovitzer Rav ZT’L would often say, “Without Hakadosh Baruch Hu, it is impossible to cross the doorway. With Hakadosh Baruch Hu, we can split the sea (Torat Avot, Emunah u'Bitachon 7).”
We think we can do things on our own and only need Hashem's aid for something beyond our strength. However, the fact is that we cannot do anything without Hashem. Let's consider the ability to speak. We think speech is entirely in our power, but in this parasha, Bilaam discovered that he wasn't in control over his speech. Although he wanted to curse the Jewish Nation, he was unable to.
Any curse that Bilaam said would come out the opposite. For example, if he wanted to curse them to be poor, the blessing of wealth would come out instead. If he wanted to curse them to be sick, they would be blessed with health. Balak complained to Bilaam, “I have brought you here to curse Bnei Yisrael, but you blessed them instead!” Bilaam answered, “How can I curse them if Hashem does not let me curse them, and how can I get angry at them if Hashem is not angry with them?”
The Ramban writes, “The purpose of the miracle [of the talking donkey] was to teach Bilaam that Hashem enables one to speak, and He can make one silent.” Therefore, he shouldn't try to curse the Jews because Hashem will not allow it, as indeed occurred. The midrash writes, “Hashem can cause a donkey, whose mouth was closed until then, to speak, and Hashem can close the mouth of [Bilaam] who until then was able to speak so that he won't curse Bnei Yisrael.”
Ma Tovu Ohalecha
Our Rabbis teach us that Bilaam planned to use the destructive power of ayin hara-evil eye to curse Bnei Yisroel. Rav Dessler defines ayin hara as a pure jealousy that a person, which results in only desiring bad for the other person. The Maharal elaborates saying that if a person expresses a lack of concern for another, then that can be an ayin hara as well. The Jewish people are interconnected, and jealousy and ayin hara destroy our spiritual connections with our fellow Jews. Chazal are thereby teaching us that one who lives out of the public eye and whose aspirations are not to attract jealousy is praiseworthy.
The midrash teaches us that Hashem changed Bilaam’s curses to the exact opposite! One of the blessings that Hashem caused Bilaam to say was that there is no division among the Jewish people, the opposite of an ayin hara! When Jews are as one, and when they are united, then Hashem is with them, and they cannot be cursed or destroyed! It’s like taking a single twig — anyone can break it — but if you put a bunch of twigs together, they become unbreakable! The power of achdut-unity protects Bnei Yisroel from destruction.
Another blessing was when Bilaam saw the dwelling of Bnei Yisrael and said the famous line that we sing at the chuppah of every Jewish wedding, “Ma tovu ohalecha yaakov mishkenotecha yisrael — How great are your tents, O’ Yaakov, your dwelling places, O’ Israel.”
Bilaam saw the exemplary order of Bnei Yisrael’s camps. Though they were unified as a nation, the tribes maintained their separate identities, and the tents were arranged so that their entrances did not face one another, which prevented intrusions on the privacy of other families. This was their practice so that the tribes and large extended family groups stayed together. The people felt responsible for one another, but at the same time, they zealously protected the personal dignity and rights of individual families.
May we realize how important it is to follow and trust Hashem, even for a mitzvah that we may not understand. May we always know, like with the water from the rock and the mann, that Hashem is the source of our sustenance. May we always be a nation that deserves the praise of the other nations, so that we may always sanctify Hashem’s great name! May we all have emunah and bitachon and merit for Hashem’s blessings to “come through” for us and help us overcome our challenges. Amen!
Shabbat Shalom! Rabbi Amram Sananes, written by Jack Rahmey
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This book is a compilation of Divre Torah from the weekly parasha classes from Rabbi Sananes’ teachings over the last 10 years along with my own experiences in those classes which has stimulated my Torah growth. I’ve included many pertinent stories and life lessons to grow from at your Shabbat table. There’s also questions and discussion points at the end of each Parasha to stimulate a Torah conversation at your Shabbat table for the whole family to participate in. Also, included is a holidays section at the end of the book to use for all of our special holidays and Yomiim Toviim. Now available in all Jewish bookstores and Amazon! Scan the barcode on the right to purchase from Amazon. |
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