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Just to follow-up on the chushiva Rav Hirsch you presented, here it is more fleshed out. Kol Tuv
Chukas 1 His Constant Protection
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????? ??? ?????? ????? ??? ??????? ?????? ???? ????? ?? ??? ??? ???? ??? ?????? ??? ???? ?????: ????? ?’ ??? ?? ?????? ?????? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ?? ?? ??????: ???? ??? ?? ??? ?????? ????? ?? ????? ??’ ??? ????? ?? ?’ ???? ?????? ?? ???? ?????? ??? ??? ???: ????? ?’ ?? ??? ??? ?? ??? ???? ??? ?? ??? ???? ?? ????? ???? ??? ???: ???? ??? ??? ???? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ?? ??? ???? ?? ??? ????? ?? ??? ????? ???
They journeyed from Mount Hor by way of the Sea of Reeds to go around the Land of Edom, and the spirit of the people grew short with the road. The people spoke against G-d and against Moshe: Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this wilderness? For there is no food and there is no water, and our soul is at its limit with the insubstantial food. G-d sent the snakes, the burning ones, against the people and they bit the people; and a large multitude of Israel died. The people came to Moshe and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against Hashem and against you! Pray to Hashem that He remove from us the snakes. Moshe prayed for the people. Hashem said to Moshe, Make yourself a burning one and place it on a pole, and it will be that anyone who had been bitten will look at it and live. Moshe made a snake of copper and placed it on a pole; so it was that if a snake bit a man, he would stare at the copper snake and live (Bamidbar 21:49).
Among the many questions raised by the events in these pesukim are: How were the snakes a fitting punishment for speaking against the manna? And how did gazing at Moshes handcrafted snake allow Bnei Yisrael to be healed?
The mefarshei haChumash offer many answers to these questions. We will focus on the explanation of Rav Shamshon Raphael Hirsch. Rav Hirsch begins by pointing out an oddity in the conjugation of the word vayeshalach, which is in binyan piel, rather than the more common binyan kal, which would read, vayishlach. While vayishlach is translated as and he sent, the word vayeshalach means that Hashem released the snakes and set them free.
This can be seen in other places in the Torah, as well. For example, in Parashas Mikeitz (Bereishis 43:14), before sending his sons back to Mitzrayim, Yaakov said to them, VeKeil Shakai yitein lachem rachamim lifnei haish veshilach es achichem acher And may Keil Shakai grant you mercy before the man that he may release to you your brother. Rashi (based on Targum) explains that the word veshilach means that Yosef will release Shimon from prison; it does not mean that he will send Shimon (which would be the case had Yaakov said, veshalach in binyan kal), because the shevatim were going to be right there, with no need for Shimon to be sent to them. Rashi mentions that we find this also in Parashas Mishpatim (Shemos 21:26), Lachofshi yeshalchenu He shall release him. The slave who lost his tooth is set free as a result; he is not sent, as would be the case with the word yishlechenu, in binyan kal.
The snakes had always been there, throughout the forty years that Bnei Yisrael traveled through the Midbar. As Moshe pointed out at the end of their sojourn (Devarim 8:15), Hashem led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with fiery serpents and scorpions They were only held in abeyance because of Hashems kindness to Bnei Yisrael. When Bnei Yisrael sinned, He didnt send the snakes; He only freed them, thereby allowing them to attack the Jews.
It is for this reason, writes Rav Hirsch, that the snakes are described as hanechashim haserafim, using the hei hayediyah, the definite article (see also Chizkuni), implying that these snakes were well known and common to this environment. When Bnei Yisrael ungratefully complained and denigrated what Hashem was providing, He withdrew His protection, allowing them to see the world snakes and all as it truly is, and to recognize the extent of His care.
The point was to awaken the Yidden to the fact that dangers, often unseen, are all around, and that it was only Hashems miraculous power that had kept the threats at a distance to the extent that the Yidden never knew this threat was even there until then. When they failed to value and treasure what Hashem was doing for them every single minute by complaining about the manna, His gift was withdrawn. They now came face-to-face with the world absent His protection.
If the sin was their failure to appreciate and recognize Hashems kindness and the extent of His protective care, then its antidote was to recognize just how great His protective care had been, to realize what life would be like in its absence.
Thus, the point of the healing gaze at the snake on the pole was to permanently fix in a persons heart and mind that snakes and other dangers do exist. Even after the snakes had long gone, one had to remember that there is always a snake, or threat of another kind, hiding in the grass. The image of the snake symbolized the ongoing reality of insecurity in which we live at all times, and that only because of Hashems kindness and benevolence are we constantly protected.
The Mishnah in Rosh Hashanah (3:8) teaches that the snake did not actually kill or keep alive. Rather, when Klal Yisrael gazed upward and turned their minds and hearts toward their Father in Heaven, that is when they were healed. (See Gur Aryeh and Sifsei Chachamim, 21:8, for their explanations.) According to what we just learned from Rav Hirsch, the goal was not to look up at the snake and then look beyond it to Heaven, but for the Jews to look at the snake and recognize the hostile environment they were in. To understand the dangers that were always present, and recall that without Hashems ongoing protection, the snake, along with all their other enemies, would have had free rein. As the Mishnah concludes, these thoughts would help them direct their hearts to their Father in Heaven.
As Rav Hirsch points out, man has a high tolerance toward the frustrations and disappointments in life, as long as he sees the bigger picture, that his very existence is the product of Hashems kindness and grace. Awareness of the many snakes from which we are constantly saved fosters an acceptance of the small things that inevitably go wrong. When viewed in the light of Hashems true compassion, feelings of gratitude and privilege supplant feelings of frustration and hardship. The disappointment present when not winning the big lottery pales in comparison to winning back ones very existence each and every day.
As they neared the culmination of their forty-year journey in the wilderness, Bnei Yisrael were met by disappointment when denied passage through the Land of Edom. This led to frustration, which expressed itself in complaints: complaints about their living conditions and even complaints about Moshe and Hashem. To inspire within them feelings of gratitude and appreciation, the necessary ingredients to deal with frustration and disappointment, Hashem orchestrated events whereby Bnei Yisrael were shown how He continuously cares and protects us. Feelings that would carry them through life.
Echoing the Modim prayer in Shemoneh Esrei, where we thank Hashem for Your miracles that are with us every day, our minds eye must always be trained on the unseen snakes in the grass, ever reminding us of Hashems protection and the gratitude we owe Him.This is the Rav Hirsh you so clearly wrte, a bit more fleshed out. Kol Tuv
Chukas 1 His Constant Protection
????? ??? ??? ??? ?? ??? ???? ?? ??? ???? ????? ??? ??? ????:
????? ??? ?????? ????? ??? ??????? ?????? ???? ????? ?? ??? ??? ???? ??? ?????? ??? ???? ?????: ????? ?’ ??? ?? ?????? ?????? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ?? ?? ??????: ???? ??? ?? ??? ?????? ????? ?? ????? ??’ ??? ????? ?? ?’ ???? ?????? ?? ???? ?????? ??? ??? ???: ????? ?’ ?? ??? ??? ?? ??? ???? ??? ?? ??? ???? ?? ????? ???? ??? ???: ???? ??? ??? ???? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ?? ??? ???? ?? ??? ????? ?? ??? ????? ???
They journeyed from Mount Hor by way of the Sea of Reeds to go around the Land of Edom, and the spirit of the people grew short with the road. The people spoke against G-d and against Moshe: Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this wilderness? For there is no food and there is no water, and our soul is at its limit with the insubstantial food. G-d sent the snakes, the burning ones, against the people and they bit the people; and a large multitude of Israel died. The people came to Moshe and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against Hashem and against you! Pray to Hashem that He remove from us the snakes. Moshe prayed for the people. Hashem said to Moshe, Make yourself a burning one and place it on a pole, and it will be that anyone who had been bitten will look at it and live. Moshe made a snake of copper and placed it on a pole; so it was that if a snake bit a man, he would stare at the copper snake and live (Bamidbar 21:49).
Among the many questions raised by the events in these pesukim are: How were the snakes a fitting punishment for speaking against the manna? And how did gazing at Moshes handcrafted snake allow Bnei Yisrael to be healed?
The mefarshei haChumash offer many answers to these questions. We will focus on the explanation of Rav Shamshon Raphael Hirsch. Rav Hirsch begins by pointing out an oddity in the conjugation of the word vayeshalach, which is in binyan piel, rather than the more common binyan kal, which would read, vayishlach. While vayishlach is translated as and he sent, the word vayeshalach means that Hashem released the snakes and set them free.
This can be seen in other places in the Torah, as well. For example, in Parashas Mikeitz (Bereishis 43:14), before sending his sons back to Mitzrayim, Yaakov said to them, VeKeil Shakai yitein lachem rachamim lifnei haish veshilach es achichem acher And may Keil Shakai grant you mercy before the man that he may release to you your brother. Rashi (based on Targum) explains that the word veshilach means that Yosef will release Shimon from prison; it does not mean that he will send Shimon (which would be the case had Yaakov said, veshalach in binyan kal), because the shevatim were going to be right there, with no need for Shimon to be sent to them. Rashi mentions that we find this also in Parashas Mishpatim (Shemos 21:26), Lachofshi yeshalchenu He shall release him. The slave who lost his tooth is set free as a result; he is not sent, as would be the case with the word yishlechenu, in binyan kal.
The snakes had always been there, throughout the forty years that Bnei Yisrael traveled through the Midbar. As Moshe pointed out at the end of their sojourn (Devarim 8:15), Hashem led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with fiery serpents and scorpions They were only held in abeyance because of Hashems kindness to Bnei Yisrael. When Bnei Yisrael sinned, He didnt send the snakes; He only freed them, thereby allowing them to attack the Jews.
It is for this reason, writes Rav Hirsch, that the snakes are described as hanechashim haserafim, using the hei hayediyah, the definite article (see also Chizkuni), implying that these snakes were well known and common to this environment. When Bnei Yisrael ungratefully complained and denigrated what Hashem was providing, He withdrew His protection, allowing them to see the world snakes and all as it truly is, and to recognize the extent of His care.
The point was to awaken the Yidden to the fact that dangers, often unseen, are all around, and that it was only Hashems miraculous power that had kept the threats at a distance to the extent that the Yidden never knew this threat was even there until then. When they failed to value and treasure what Hashem was doing for them every single minute by complaining about the manna, His gift was withdrawn. They now came face-to-face with the world absent His protection.
If the sin was their failure to appreciate and recognize Hashems kindness and the extent of His protective care, then its antidote was to recognize just how great His protective care had been, to realize what life would be like in its absence.
Thus, the point of the healing gaze at the snake on the pole was to permanently fix in a persons heart and mind that snakes and other dangers do exist. Even after the snakes had long gone, one had to remember that there is always a snake, or threat of another kind, hiding in the grass. The image of the snake symbolized the ongoing reality of insecurity in which we live at all times, and that only because of Hashems kindness and benevolence are we constantly protected.
The Mishnah in Rosh Hashanah (3:8) teaches that the snake did not actually kill or keep alive. Rather, when Klal Yisrael gazed upward and turned their minds and hearts toward their Father in Heaven, that is when they were healed. (See Gur Aryeh and Sifsei Chachamim, 21:8, for their explanations.) According to what we just learned from Rav Hirsch, the goal was not to look up at the snake and then look beyond it to Heaven, but for the Jews to look at the snake and recognize the hostile environment they were in. To understand the dangers that were always present, and recall that without Hashems ongoing protection, the snake, along with all their other enemies, would have had free rein. As the Mishnah concludes, these thoughts would help them direct their hearts to their Father in Heaven.
As Rav Hirsch points out, man has a high tolerance toward the frustrations and disappointments in life, as long as he sees the bigger picture, that his very existence is the product of Hashems kindness and grace. Awareness of the many snakes from which we are constantly saved fosters an acceptance of the small things that inevitably go wrong. When viewed in the light of Hashems true compassion, feelings of gratitude and privilege supplant feelings of frustration and hardship. The disappointment present when not winning the big lottery pales in comparison to winning back ones very existence each and every day.
As they neared the culmination of their forty-year journey in the wilderness, Bnei Yisrael were met by disappointment when denied passage through the Land of Edom. This led to frustration, which expressed itself in complaints: complaints about their living conditions and even complaints about Moshe and Hashem. To inspire within them feelings of gratitude and appreciation, the necessary ingredients to deal with frustration and disappointment, Hashem orchestrated events whereby Bnei Yisrael were shown how He continuously cares and protects us. Feelings that would carry them through life.
Echoing the Modim prayer in Shemoneh Esrei, where we thank Hashem for Your miracles that are with us every day, our minds eye must always be trained on the unseen snakes in the grass, ever reminding us of Hashems protection and the gratitude we owe Him.filling your own cup – Hashem chooses a full cup to pur in – this Berochos somewhere page 5
Thank you for the wonderful pshat. Though not short at all, here are a few other important lessons from the mon.
Hashem said to Moshe, “Behold! I shall rain down for you food from Heaven; let the people go out and pick each day’s portion,so that I can test them, whether they will followMy teaching or not” (Shemos 16:4).
Chazal (as cited in Seforno on this verse) tell us, “Lo nitnah Torah ella le’ochlei hamann The Torah was only given to those who ate the manna.” Apparently, the “manna lifestyle” was indispensable for the receiving of the Torah. The nature of the manna and its method of delivery may give us insights into why this is so.
Hashem told Moshe that the manna would be used as a test, to see whether or not Bnei Yisrael would follow His teaching. According to the Midrash (Shemos Rabbah 25:9), and as elaborated upon by the Chizkuni, “Torasi, My teaching” does not refer to specific laws connected the manna, but to the study of Torah itself. Hashem provided Bnei Yisrael with their daily bread, and they did not have to spend any time working for it, in order to test them if they would use the extra time wisely and devote their days to limud Torah and growing closer to Hashem.
The Seforno addresses the challenge from a different perspective, not of the time they were spared, but on the effort and worry that was not their lot.Remaining faithful and devoted to HaKadosh Baruch Hu at a time when one has no real worries or concerns is a challenge in and of itself. When in crisis, belief in the Al-mighty comes easy.The manna, a dependable and certain source of food, tested the people. Would they remain devoted and loyal even though their daily rations came with minimal effort?
Similarly, the Mezritcher Maggid (cited in Iturei Torah ad loc.) states that a person who is assured of a comfortable income without any worry, yet does not lose his fear of Hashem, has overcome a greater challenge than one who is impoverished and still believes in Him.
Rashi explains that”Torasi”refers to the two instructions given regarding the collection of manna: not to save any for the next day (16:19), and not to leave the camp to search for it on Shabbos (16:25-26). Hashem was testing the people’s loyalty and adherence to His mitzvos through the laws related to manna.
How are these two specific mitzvos reflective of Bnei Yisrael’s overall obedience to Hashem? Rav Baruch Yitzchak Yissachar Leventhal (Birkas Yitzchak) provides an answer, which also adds another type of test to the list of nisyonos provided by the manna. These two mitzvos are, in a certain sense, opposites. Not leaving manna over is an expression of ones emunah in HaKadosh Baruch Hu, a display of trust and confidence that a new portion will fall tomorrow. In regard to Shabbos, however, the opposite command was issued. The Jews were told to collect a double portion on Erev Shabbos, to show their belief that no manna would fall on Shabbos.
Rav Leventhal posits that the test of our adherence to Hashem’s teachings is fully demonstrated when we are willing to observe mitzvos that seem to contradict one another and thus may be difficult to comprehend, as this offers a clear expression of obedience to His laws. (See Vilna Gaon in Mishlei 30:17, regarding the fact that fulfilling the mitzvos of shiluach hakein and kibbud av va’eim bring about the same reward.)
Rav Yonasan Eibeshitz (cited in Mekach Tov and Koheles Moshe) suggests another way that the manna was used to test Bnei Yisrael. In Pirkei Avos (6:4), we learn: Kach hi darkah shel Torah: Pas ba’melach tocheil umayim ba’mesurah tishteh. This is the way of Torah: Eat bread with salt, drink water in small measure If one truly wants Torah to sinkinto his bones, he has to demonstrate a willingness and ability to forgo luxuries and refrain from putting the best-tasting foodsinto his body.
The Gemara (Yoma 75a) teaches us that the manna had the flavor of any food the person wished for. Yet an individual who desired to follow the”darkah shel Torah”was perfectly content if his manna had the simple taste of”pas ba’melach,” bread with salt.Service to Hashem was all that mattered. Based on the person’s desires and tastes, the manna became the litmus test indicating if the person wanted to go in the way of “Torasi” or not.
Rav Mordechai Eliyahu Rabinowitz expands on this concept with a clever idea (hakdamah to Ner LeMaor, cited in KeMotzei Shallal Rav). The Gemara (Yoma 75a, cited above) describes how the manna fell in three different places and in three different forms. The tzaddikim collected fully baked loaves, lechem, just outside their tents. The beinonim, those who were neither reshaim nor tzaddikim, had to leave their tents to gather their manna, which fell in the form ofunbaked cakes, ugos. The reshaim had to go even greater distances to collect their manna, which theythen had to grind in a mill.
Rav Rabinowitz suggests that the Gemara is not describing the trifold nature of the manna and its distribution, but the nature of the three types of people collecting it. As seen from the pesukim, the manna actually fell in all three locations mentioned. The tzaddikim had trust that Hashem would provide their needs. They collected only from their doorstep/tent flap, taking the required amount. Whatever they saw outside their tent was enough for them, and they had no need to go looking for more. The beinonim, however, went around the camp to collect additional manna; they were unsatisfied with the amount at the entrance to their tents and wanted more. The reshaim went even farther, traveling great distances to amass large quantities, far more than they could eat. When all of them returned to their tents, though, they each found the same omer. So we see that the difference is not how the manna was delivered, but how it was collected.
Rav Rabinowitz writes that the same idea can be used to explain the three grades of manna that fell: fully baked loaves for the tzaddikim, loaves that required baking for the beinonim, and manna that required grinding for the reshaim. As discussed, the manna was able to take on any taste that one wanted. The tzaddikim, who lived by the principle of”Pas ba’melach tocheil” were not interested in extras. They weremore thanhappy with the natural state of manna, so they felt no need to add to the lechem, the baked loaves. The beinonim added to the basic makeup of the manna and flavored it with various spices, turning it into flavorful ugos, cakes. It’s not that the loaves required baking but the beinonim chose to do so. Reshaim followed their hedonistic desires to another level, recreating the manna into something entirely different. They took the already edible manna and ground it in a mill, transforming the texture and consistency of its natural state. Here, too, the difference was not in the manna but in the people who ate it and how they chose to live their lives.
Similar to Rav Yonasan Eibeshitz’s opinion, according to Rav Rabinowitz, the manna was there to test whether the people were satisfied with a life of bread and salt, or if they felt the need to enhance the manna and make it into a culinary delight.
Another lesson of the manna lay in the fact that they were commanded to collect an entire omers worth every day, but even if they collected more or less, they always ended up with an omer in the end (vv.16-18). So then why command that an entire omer be collected, when even the smallest amount collected miraculously become the same omer?
Rav Hirsch (ad loc.) explains that this is to teach us an important value in regard to seeking a livelihood. While manna certainly taught reliance on HaKadosh Baruch Hu as our Provider, the human factor cannot be discounted. Hishtadlus, to whatever degree, must be made. While the smallest morsel would transform into the daily required omer, HaKadosh Baruch Hu still demanded that they collect that basic amount. The lesson of personal responsibility and hard work in earning ones living cannot be taken away.
In fact, when describing the uncollected manna that melted when hit by the rays of the sun, the Chizkuni (v.21) says that Bnei Yisrael had to act with zerizus and collect the manna in the morning before it melted. The Ibn Ezra (ad loc., peirush hakatzar) writes that they would collect the manna before sunrise. Getting a lazy start on the day was not an option. A Jew must exert personal effort and initiative in securing his livelihood.
The Kli Yakar (v.18), citing Rav Yitzchak Aramah (Akeidas Yitzchak), derives another lesson from the fact that the amount measured remained the same and that any remaining manna turned to worms and rotted (v.20). First, as said earlier, whatever a person truly needs will be provided, much as everyone of Bnei Yisrael, whether they took more or less, remained with the same omer. In addition, the wealthy and poor take the same amount to their graves. Any remaining wealth is useless, just like the rotting and maggot-laden extra manna. The manna lifestyle is the standard of living for those who toil in Hashem’s Torah and reject extra and unnecessary things, which just turn to worms. The one exception, where what remains has value, is the manna left over for Shabbos, which neither rotted nor became wormy. This symbolizes that what a person uses to feed the hungry, thereby putting it aside for the Eternal Shabbos, for Olam Haba, will not rot.In the same vein, Rav Hirsch writes that if man hoards his riches in a way that is contrary Hashem’s will, it will just end up rotten and wormy, with nobody benefiting from it.
Finally, Moshe was praying that the manna would extricate the people from the lifestyle they had in Egypt. Seforno (v.6) explains that the fixed schedule required by the manna helped them transition from a nation of slaves to a dignified and free people. In Mitzrayim, the meal schedule was irregular and haphazard, with no specific times for meals. As the Gemara (Yoma 75b) describes, the Jews were like chickens pecking in the trash bin in Egypt until Moshe came along and provided them with set times for meals. For now, as a free people, they were provided with manna, which required eating at a designated time. Inpreparation for Kabbalas HaTorah,
Bnei Yisrael had to learn to behave as dignified, refined individuals, who began their day with the collecting of the manna and finished eating it before it rotted.
Yet another valuable lesson from a most miraculous commodity.
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