Spirituality
BEYOND ALL EXPECTATIONS
TORAH PORTION
The Mature Way
Is Confessing Guilt
Shabbat Chukat-Balak: Numbers
19:1-25:9; Micah 5:6-6:8.
Efrat, Israel
Children of Israel, therefore you shall
not bring this assemblage into the
hat is the test of true
land which I shall give them.'"
maturity and how many of
Apparently, Moses has lost patience
us can truly be considered with this nation. Moses calls them
to be mature?
rebels and strikes the rock instead of
I believe the answer can be
speaking to it — perhaps in displace-
found in the writings of
ment of anger because he
Maimonides, who begins
really wants to strike them.
his Laws of Repentance:
Moses should have imme-
"The confession of
diately confessed his sin of
guilt is a positive com-
having struck the rock as
mandment. How does one
soon as God charged him
confess his guilt? He says,
with it. Instead, this great
`Please, 0 Lord, I have
prophet is silent — and
sinned; I have transgressed;
revises what happened by
I have rebelled before You
blaming the Israelites, in
and I have done such and
his farewell speech, for his
such. Behold, I am remorse-
not being able to enter the
Shlomo Riskin
ful and I am shamed by
land. But what Moses, the
Special to the
my deeds. I shall never
greatest of prophets, was
Jewish News
return to this action."
expected by God to have
(Maimonides, Laws of
done was to take respon-
Repentance 1,1)
sibility — for having instructed the
Maimonides formulates the neces-
kind of reconnaissance mission that
sity of internal concentration and
resulted in disaster and for having
direction especially with "command-
lost patience and striking the rock.
ments of the heart"
God expected Moses to
such as prayer, the reci-
admit his guilt.
tation of the Shema,
Apparently, the most
mourning over the
difficult thing to do is
death of a loved one
to express one's guilt
and rejoicing during
without reservations
a festival. Certainly, I
and to beg forgiveness.
would expect to find
What is the test of true
repentance in this
maturity? When one
category; if so, the essence of the corn- stops blaming one's parents, one's sib-
mandment of repentance ought be a
ling, one's teachers, one's environment,
"turning or re-turning of the heart"
one's society for one's transgressions
rather than a mere verbal formula of
and shamefacedly blames oneself.
admission of guilt. Consider an aspect Because this act of unqualified con-
of this week's Torah reading Chukat,
fession is so hard to do, Maimonides
Moses' transgression. According to the makes it the essence of repentance. LJ
simple reading of the text, the Jews
find themselves without water, and
Shlomo Riskin is chancellor of Ohr Torah
they decry Moses for having "made us Stone and chief rabbi of Efrat.
to come out of Egypt."
God tells Moses and Aaron "to take
the staff, assemble the congregation
Conversations
and speak to the rock before their eyes
How difficult is it to confess
that it give forth watery' Moses raised
one's sins and not blame
his hand, smote the rock with his staff
others? Why would Moses have
twice and water came forth abun-
difficulty doing this? Why were
dantly. And the Lord said to Moses
the Israelites so quick to turn
and Aaron, 'Because you had no faith
against Moses?
in Me to sanctify Me in the eyes of the
W
God exp ected
Moses to admit
his guilt
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