Congregation Kneseth Israel

...proudly serving the Jewish community of Anne Arundel County since 1906

Parsha of the Week:

Chukat-Balak (Numbers Chapters 19 - 22:1)

July 4, 2009 12 Tammuz 5769 Haftorah: Micah 5-6

Synopsis for Chukat: Rules and regulations about using the Red Heifer were given. Miriam died; the people demanded water. Moses struck the rock to get water; G-d punished Moses and Aaron by denying them entry to the Holy Land; Moses sent a delegation to the king of Edom, who refused to permit the Israelites to cross his land; Aaron died; war with the Canaanites; the people complained about food; G-d sent scorpions and serpents as a punishment, causing the death of many; the Israelite battled with the Amorites.

Q: What is the meaning of Red Heifer (Numbers 19:1-22)?

A: Certain requirements are necessary for the Red Heifer. The heifer must be totally red in color and cannot have two black hairs in close proximity. The heifer must never have been used for any type of work. The Red Heifer is used for atonement or purification such as contact with a corpse. The kohain takes the ashes of the heifer and mixes them with water; they are then sprinkled on a contaminated individual or object. The sages see the Red Heifer as a mystery of the Bible. It is a law of G-d beyond human understanding, and is the underlying theme of this parsha. The word chukah literally means "law" or "decree", but the term applies to those laws or decrees whose reasons are presently beyond human understanding.

Q: What explanations are offered by the sages for the law of the Red Heifer?

A: The Red Heifer is atonement for the Golden Calf. Aaron produced the Golden Calf by melting gold. The Red Heifer must be burned to produce ashes for purification. Red is the color that symbolizes sin (Isaiah 1:18), and the Red Heifer must be one that never wore a yoke, symbolizing the sinner who casts off G-d's yoke (Rashi, Numbers 19:22).

Q: What is the famous contradiction that exists in biblical law regarding the Red Heifer?

A: A kohain, who is pure, is the only one who can perform the purification of others using the Red Heifer. After purifying someone, the purifier himself becomes contaminated. According to the sages, the reason for this is a mystery of the Torah that must be accepted on faith. This is yet another demonstration that only G-d may decide what is and is not pure (Job 14:4).

Q: How does a kohain become pure again?

A: He waits until the evening and them immerses himself in a pool of pure rain water (mikvah).

Q: Why are we obligated to follow laws that we cannot understand?

A: There are times when parents or teachers require things of children for reasons that are incomprehensible to the children at the time. Children must nevertheless comply. The reason may or may not become clear to the child as he matures. The relationship of man and G-d is parallel to that of a child to a parent. This relationship should contain the elements of faith (emuna) and trust (b'tachon). These two elements are essential for our acceptance of chukim.

Q: What is the story of the "waters in the desert", Mei Meriva (numbers 20:2-14)?

A: Because of the righteousness of Miriam, as long as she lived there was a well of water available to the Israelites (Song of Songs, Rabba 5). When Miriam died, the Israelites did not mourn her adequately, so the source of water disappeared (Alsheich). As the water supply dwindled, the Israelites began to complain against Moses and Aaron. G-d spoke to Moses, commanding him to take his staff, gather the people around a large rock. In front of all the people, G-d would let Moses bring forth water for the people to drink.

Q: In this parsha (Numbers 20:12), G-d said to Moses and Aaron, "...you will not bring the congregation of Israel to the Holy Land." Why did Moses and Aaron deserve such a harsh punishment?

A: Ramban said, "This matter is one of the great mysteries of the Torah. There doesn't seem to be an acceptable explanation for this." Nevertheless, many explanations have been offered by other biblical commentators.

Rashi: The sin was striking the rock, rather than speaking to it as G-d had commanded them to do.

Abarbanel: In addition to the sin mentioned by Rashi, G-d also took into account the following; Aaron had committed a sin in helping to make the Golden Calf, and Moses had to take responsibility for the spies that he sent to survey the Land of Israel, who returned with false, evil reports.

Rambam: Moses showed his anger toward the people when he said to them, "Listen now, O rebels..." The people felt that Moses was a reflection of G-d and therefore G-d must be angry with them.

Ibn Ezra: Moses and Aaron fell from their high level of righteousness and spirituality. The way they behaved in anger, "Listen now, O rebels..." is the reaction of normal human beings, not that of high spiritual leaders. Instead of immediately fulfilling G-d's command to speak to the rock and bring forth water, Moses and Aaron changed G-d's order by starting off rebuking the Israelites. G-d did not order them to rebuke the Israelites, but they did so anyway. G-d told them to speak to the rock, but they hit the rock instead. The first time, no water came forth from it. Moses and Aaron had to learn a lesson that they had done something wrong. However, Moses took it upon himself to hit the rock a second time. All of this contributed to the punishment of Moses and Aaron.

Rabbeinu Chananel: Just before bring forth the water, Moses said, "Shall we bring forth water for you from the rock?" This implied that Moses and Aaron had the power and were the source of the miracle. Clearly, Moses should have said to the people, "G-d will bring forth the water for you." This view is easiest to understand and accept, because the Torah states, "Because you did not believe in Me to sanctify Me in the eyes of the Children of Israel." At the end of the Torah just before Moses' death, the Torah repeats this sentence.

Ba'al Ha'ikarim: Moses was punished because he waited until the people protested to attend to their need for water. As a leader, he should have anticipated a need and reacted accordingly. This was the one time that the Israelites complained bitterly to Moses and Aaron, and were not punished for complaining. Perhaps G-d was showing that He felt that their complaint was justified.

Chidushei Harim: G-d's instruction to Moses was that he should speak to the rock "before the eyes" of the people. The purpose was for Moses to make sure that the people understood that G-d alone was miraculously providing the water, not Moses. Moses merely struck the rock without educating the people as to what was really happening.

Ramav: G-d punished the Israelites because of their complaints, not Moses and Aaron. The Children of Israel lost their greatest leaders at this time. No future prophet or leader would ever compare or achieve the same level of leadership and prophecy as Moses and Aaron. G-d's decision was that Moses and Aaron would not lead the Israelites into the Holy Land. The Israelites received more punishment that Moses and Aaron did. The next leader was clearly not of the same caliber of spirituality and prophecy as Moses and Aaron. For example, only Moses spoke to G-d "face to face" (Numbers 12:8).

Ba'al Haklomar: The punishment was very harsh. In Exodus 17:5-6 Moses is commanded by G-d to strike the rock with his staff in order to get water. In Numbers we have a similar situation to the one in Exodus, where G-d tells Moses to take the staff and talk to rock. Moses did the same thing both times, rather than literally following G-d's command. We might wonder whether one of the reasons that Moses made the mistake was ego.

Q: What is meant by the "Kiss of Death", Metat Neshika, of Aaron (Numbers 20:26-29)?

A: The Torah recounts Aaron's death this way: Moses dressed Aaron's son in Aaron's own garments, and then Aaron died on Mount Hor.

After Aaron saw that his son elevated to this high position, he laid down, totally free of pain, suffering, or fear. With G-d's "Kiss of Death", Aaron's soul was reunited with G-d. His death was easy, and his soul left his body easily, like "a hair is removed from a pan of milk." This is to be compared with the more common manner, when peoples souls leave their body like "a thorn being removed from sheep's wool" (Yalkut Shimoni).

Synopsis for Balak: Balak appointed the temporary king of Moab; Balak hired the prophet, Bilam to curse the Israelites; G-d warned Bilam twice not to curse the Israelites, but he did so anyway; G-d's angel stood in the way of Bilam, so his donkey laid down and refused to walk; Bilam hit the donkey three times; the donkey opened her mouth and rebuked Bilam; Bilam saw that an angel of G-d blocked the way of the she-donkey with a sword; even though Bilam tried to curse the Israelites, against his will he blessed them; Bilam left disgraced after having blessed rather than curse the Israelites three times; Bilam suggested to Balak that the daughters of Moab seduce the Israelites; the Moabite women seduced the Israelites and caused them to worship Moabite idols; a terrible plague struck the Israelites; the zealot, Pinchas, committed an audacious action, thereby stopping the plague..

Q: What is the background in the story in Parshat Balak?

A: When the Children of Israel first went down to Egypt in the time of Jacob, they were a small group of seventy souls. After more than 212 years of slavery in Egypt, G-d had Moses lead them out of Egypt and out of slavery. By the time they left Egypt, the seventy had grown to over six hundred thousand despite the hardships of slavery. But slavery had taken its toll: the people were weak, dispirited, tired, and worn out from all the hard years. As slaves they were forced to be obedient to their masters. It was difficult for them to exercise adult judgment and free will. Despite their weakened condition, the Children of Israel managed to defeat the very strong kings of three countries (Canaan, Emor, and Bashan).

Q: Who was Balak?

A: Balak was king of Moab, the fourth most powerful country in the area. Our sages explained that Balak, who was an ordinary person, incited his people against the Israelites in order to become king. He frightened the people with his demagoguery. Many people followed him, and consequently he was made king of Moab.

Balak saw that the weakened Children of Israel had defeated much stronger adversaries on three different occasions. He carefully analyzed the situation and realized that the Israelites had won these wars not by brute military strength, but by something else. He understood that the "something else" was the power of G-d. This power was exerted through Moses and accounted for the victories of the Israelites. He learned by careful observation that the big difference was that the Israelites depended on spiritual power rather than the power of the sword. This was evident in Moses' leadership style, in that he spoke to the people, transmitting to them the word of G-d.

Q: Who was Bilam?

A: Bilam was a master magician and sorcerer who practiced black magic. He was also a prophet, because G-d did speak to him on occasion, but there is a Talmudic discussion as to whether or not he was a true prophet (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 106b; Bava Batra 15a). Bilam had no love for the Israelites, and was receptive when Balak offered to pay him handsomely to curse the Israelites, and thereby cause their defeat in battle.

Q: What does the Torah teach us in this parsha?

A: We learn the importance of the "power of the mouth". Blak saw how the Israelites won their wars, and he tried to mimic it. Since the Israelites were led to victory by a man connected to G-d, Balak reasoned that if he could get the services of a man connected to G-d, he would defeat the Israelites. He hoped to thereby cause the Israelites to lose in battle, as their enemies had lost to them.

G-d told Bilam not to do the bidding of Balak, no matter how high the price. Bilam could not resist the enticements offered to him, and he went to help Balak. On the way, G-d gave Bilam one last chance to refrain from this folly. An angel of G-d appeared in front of Bilam's donkey with a sword, to stop her from moving. Bilam hit the donkey three times. The donkey refused to move, and then the Almighty empowered Bilam's donkey with the power of speech. We see from this incident the enormous impact that speech has on our lives.

Note: This is the second instance in the Torah that an animal is empowered with speech. The first instance was the confrontation of the snake with Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Q: Why could Bilam not curse the Israelites?

A: The simple answer is that the Almighty refused to allow Bilam to use his powers. His curses came out as blessingd. A further understanding is that man cannot force the supernatural to alter the natural order! Consequently Balak failed in his scheme. The parsha teaches us over and over again about the enormity of the power of speech. We must always remember that there is no limit to the amount of damage one can do through thoughtless speech. Words cannot be recaptured or undone. The lesson to learn is that one must carefully choose the words one speaks.

Q: What happened to Bilam?

A: Bilam returned to Midyan in disgrace over the failure to curse the Israelites. As a last resort to reclaim some pride Bilam suggested to Balak that as the Israelites journey through Moab, he should use the women of his nation to seduce the Israelite men to commit forbidden acts and to get them to commit idolatry. This did happen, and as a result, the Almighty sent a plague upon the Israelites causing the death of many thousands. Bilam was killed by the sword as the Israelites conquered Midyan (Numbers 31:8).

Q: Why is the name of Moses not mentioned until the conclusion of this parsha?

A: Moses played no active role in any of the events that occur prior to the conclusion of this parsha. The Torah wants to make it clear that those events were directly controlled by G-d, and were external to Moses and Israel. The Talmud states (Bava Batra 14a) that Moses wrote the Torah, but intentionally excluded himself from this parsha because he did not want his name to be associated with a person such as Bilam.

Q: G-d appeared to Bilam and asked, "Who are the people who came to you?" (Numbers 22:9). Did G-d not know who these people were?

A: God asked this question for other reasons than merely to hear an answer. Certainly G-d knew who these people were and He did not have to ask Bilam to find out. The question was a test for Bilam, to see how he would answer. This is similar to G-d asking Cain, "Where is your brother, Abel?" Certainly the Almighty knew exactly where Abel was. We can discern from these questions that G-d was looking for the individual to admit wrongdoing and to repent.

Q: What did we learn from the story of the donkey speaking?

A: G-d gave the donkey the ability to speak in order to humiliate Bilam (Ohr Hachayim) and to reveal to the world Bilam's true character (Rabbeinu Bachayei).

Only the Creator has the ability to give any creature the capacity to speak. Bilam accused the donkey of mockery, but she did exactly what G-d had ordered her to do (Ramban).

The Almighty gave the donkey the power of speech in this instance for the sake of the Israelites. It also pointed out that Bilam's abilities were granted by G-d to bring him to the moment in which he would bless Israel and not curse them (Kli Yakar).

This was a vision that did not occur in reality, it was only a way to illustrate a vision of prophecies (Rambam, Moreh Nevuchim). One should note that many commentators disagree on this point.

The purpose of the donkey speaking was to give Bilam one last chance to repent to the Almighty (Sforno).

Q: How many oxen did Bilam offer in sacrifice, and how many times?

A: Bilam offered seven oxen in sacrifice, three times. It's interesting to note that seven is a symbolically important number in the Torah. Bilam was trying to copy the forefathers of the Israelites who sacrifice seven sheep to the Almighty (Ramav).

Q: How do we see the concept of freedom of choice in this parsha?

A: Balak chose to fight the Israelites. He also chose to hire Bilam to curse them.

It would appear from the way the Torah recounts the episode that Bilam was prevented from exercising free will. On the contrary, he made the choice to ignore G-d's warning and follow his own evil inclination. Bilam's own choices brought G-d's punishment on him. By changing the curses to blessings in Bilam's mouth, the Almighty brought about Bilam's demise.

Rambam explains that G-d gave mankind freedom of thought and the ability to make decisions. However, the Almighty did not give him total freedom of action. Man does not have the right to indiscriminately use this freedom to hurt others.

Furthermore, the Almighty could not allow Bilam the pleasure of using supernatural means (i.e. having the evil words he spoke be fulfilled) in order to curse the Israelites. G-d did not want it to seem as though Bilam had the power to entreat Heaven to cause damage to his personal enemies. Bilam was forced to bless the Children of Israel instead of cursing them. He realized from this incident that he was not as powerful as he imagined himself to be. The powerful faculty of speech is given to man by G-d. It is to be used carefully and with the utmost discretion (Ohr Hachayim).

Q: Bilam delivered the following blessing to the Israelites: "How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel" (Numbers 24:5). What does this mean, and why is it incorporated into our morning prayers?

A: Bilam was referring to the unique way the Israelites erected their tents. The entrances to these tents were positioned in such a way as to obstruct the view of the neighboring tent. This shows the Israelites' desire to be modest. Modesty is seen as a beautiful and elevated trait. According to Jewish law, when one buys a home or builds one, he should make sure that his home exemplifies modesty. We recite this phrase on a daily basis as a constant reminder to ourselves of who we are and how we present ourselves to others (Rashi; Ramav).

Q: What advice did Bilam give Balak before he left, and why?

A: When Bilam failed to curse the Children of Israel, he advised Balak, "If you really want to make the G-d of the Israelites angry with them, have the Moabite women seduce the men. Have the women make cohabitation conditional upon the men bowing to Moabite idols." Unfortunately, Bilam was successful with this advice (Rashi, Numbers 25:2).

Q: What was the result of the Israelites bowing to the Moabite idols?

A: Bowing to these idols was a great sin. G-d sent a plague, and 24,000 people died. It might have continued, were it not for the zealous actions of Pinchas.

Shabbat Schedule for July 3-4, 2009/11-12 Tammuz 5769

Candle lighting 8:17 PM

Kabbalat Shabbos 6:30 PM

Shacharit Shabbos 9:00 AM

Shabbos Mincha After kiddush

Shabbos ends 9:23 PM

Parsha of the Week:

Chukat-Balak (Numbers Chapters 19 - 22:1)

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