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Moses defies God
by striking the
rock to get water.

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Following God’s Word

Parshat Chukat: Numbers 19:1-22:1;
Judges 11:1-11:33.

T

his week’s Torah portion is
But Moses didn’t follow God’s
filled with unique and interest- instructions. Instead, he raised his
ing stories and laws.
hands and struck the rock twice with
The first law deals with
his rod. And because he didn’t
a ritual that was used
follow God’s instructions, both
thousands of years ago to
Moses and Aaron were punished
remove the impurities from
— both were forbidden from
people who came into con-
entering the Land of Israel.
tact with the dead.
At first read, it makes sense
It’s known as the law of
that Moses is punished — he
the Red Heifer. The law
disobeyed God; he decided not
states that the Israelites
to speak to the rock; he showed
Rabbi Daniel his anger and struck the rock
were to find a red cow,
A. Schwartz
without any blemishes, a
twice.
cow that had never had a
But what about Aaron? What
yoke on it, and that they
did he do that deserved punish-
were to give it as a sacrifice to the
ment?
priests.
One commentator said that’s exactly
The priest was then supposed to
what the problem was — Aaron was a
take it outside the camp where the
bystander who did nothing.
Israelites were living, slaughter it,
“He allowed Moses to strike the rock
sprinkle its blood in specific places
twice. After the first strike, he could
and burn the cow until it was com-
have stopped Moses.” He could have
pletely consumed by fire.
stopped him “from repeating his error,
Another man then comes, gathers
but he [didn’t].” (Etz Chayim Torah
the ashes and divides them so that
commentary)
others who came into contact with a
And that’s one of the lessons we
corpse could bathe in the ashes and, in learn from this portion: When things
doing so, purify themselves. Definitely aren’t going right, when we see a
a unique ritual … bathing yourself in
problem, when something is happen-
ashes in order to cleanse yourself.
ing that needs to be s topped, we can’t
stand by. As Jews, we are obligated to
DISOBEYING GOD
step in and step up. We must do some-
And then there are the interesting sto- thing — even if it is calling or asking
ries in this portion, like the one about
someone else to help.
Moses and Aaron leading the people
In this day and age, it is so easy to
through the desert.
hear or see something wrong and to
In this week’s portion, we read that
assume that someone else will come
the Israelites complained they were
along to help or fix it. But our Torah
thirsty and without water. God com-
calls on us to act in a different way. It
mands Moses and his brother Aaron to calls on us to understand that we are
take the rod and assemble the people.
the ones there to help.
Moses and Aaron were to order a
May that be a lesson we all learn and
rock to give them water. And when
put into practice.
they did, God would make sure that
Daniel A. Schwartz is a rabbi at Temple Shir
the rock produced water for the
Shalom in West Bloomfield.
Israelites and all their animals.

*

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