JUNE 29 • 2023 | 43
O
n this upcoming
Shabbat, we read
two parshiyot
— Chukat and Balak.
These parshiyot are
two of the 14 that may
be paired together in
any given year. In fact,
when the second day
of Shavuot in the dias-
pora falls on Shabbat,
as it did this year,
Chukat and Balak are
always read together on
Shabbat.
Parshah Chukat con-
tains the laws of the red
heifer, the most incom-
prehensible laws in all
the Torah. Following the death
of Moses’ and Aaron’s sister,
Miriam, the Israelites find
themselves without water and
complain to Moses and Aaron.
We read the iconic story
of Moses hitting the
rock, instead of speaking
to it as God command-
ed, to bring forth water;
this act eventually pre-
vents Moses and Aaron
from entering the land
of Israel. Aaron dies
toward the end of the
parshah.
In parshah Balak,
Balaam is asked by the
King of Moab to curse
the Israelites. After a
strange episode in which
Balaam is berated by his
donkey who sees an angel that
God sends their way, Balaam
utters blessings, instead of
curses, for the Israelites.
There has been much com-
mentary written over the years
about why Moshe struck the
rock instead of speaking to
the rock as God commanded.
Why was this the moment
when Moshe defied God?
After all, Moses obeyed all of
God’s commandments when
leading the Israelites out of
Egypt — a far greater and
arduous task. What was it
about the simple directive to
speak to a rock that caused
Moshe to react with such
uncharacteristic anger?
The answer, in my opinion,
is simple. It was pure grief
over the loss of his sister.
Miriam had just died and the
ongoing complaints by the
Israelites was Moses’s first
test without her. Not only did
Moses lose his sister and the
individual who protected him
as a baby in a pitched basket
that floated down the river,
he lost his best friend and
confidante. Miriam was likely
the source of his emotional
stability and when she was no
longer there, Moses could no
longer cope with a crisis as he
had done until then.
It is important for us all
to remember that even the
greatest of leaders, like Moshe
Rabbeinu (Moses our Teacher)
are human — with strengths,
flaws, feelings and insecurities.
Leaders cannot lead alone
and need friends and con-
fidantes on whom to rely.
Miriam was that person for
Moses.
Dr. Darin Katz is head of school at
Hillel Day School of Metropolitan
Detroit in Farmington Hills.
Learning to Cope
SPIRIT
TORAH PORTION
Darin Katz
Contributing
Writer
Parshat
Chukat/Balak:
Numbers 19:1-
25:9; Micah
5:6-6:8.
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