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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