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Moshe Marcovich
In Chukas, 5758

Take Aharon and Elazar his son…strip Aharon of his vestments and dress Elazar his son in them; Aharon shall be gathered in and die there. (20:25,26)

Aharon merited a unique and exalted departure from this world. The ritual of stripping him of his clothes, so that his son Elazar could don them seems a bit enigmatic.  What really is the significance of removing Aharon’s clothes prior to his death?  If the underlying purpose had been  that Aharon could see his son attired in the priestly vestments of the Kohen Gadol, it could have been accomplished  without Aharon being dressed and then having his clothes removed. Apparently,  the actual removing of Aharon’s vestments plays an important role. Horav Zaidel Epstein, Shlita, cites the Talmud Shabbos, 153A, wherein…

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Home -> 5758 -> Chukas

Moshe Marcovich
In Chukas, 5758

And the people settled in Kadosh, and Miriam died there…there was no water for the congregation…the people quarreled with Moshe. (20:1,2,3.)

The people followed a pattern that has regrettably become typical: When events did not proceed in their favor, they either complained or protested.  The Alshich Hakadosh notes that the Torah does not mention that they  expressed grief over Miriam’s loss, as it does regarding the deaths of Moshe and Aharon.  Thus, he infers that they did not shed tears when Miriam died.  Because they did not acknowledge her merit as the source of their water supply, they lost it.  Being surrounded by kedushah, holiness, has  little effect if one does not recognize and appreciate it. We must address  Klal Yisrael’s…

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Home -> 5758 -> Chukas

Moshe Marcovich
In Chukas, 5758

Regarding this the poets would come to Cheshbon, let it be built and established as the city of Sichon. (21:27)

In the Talmud Bava Basra78b, Rabbi Yochanan understands this pasuk differently.  He contends that the word “moshlim,” “rulers,” refers to those who rule  over themselves/their yetzer hora, evil inclination, while “cheshbon” means “reckoning.”  Those who govern  their passion —  who are not controlled by their yetzer hora —  say, “Let us make a reckoning of the world: the loss that a mitzvah entails against its reward; the profit from a transgression against the loss it brings.” In order  to progress  spiritually,  one must triumph over the formidable challenge presented by the yetzer hora.  The key to success is making a…

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Home -> 5758 -> Chukas

Moshe Marcovich
In Chukas, 5758

Hashem said to Moshe and Aharon…by the border of Edom saying…Aharon shall be gathered to his people…(20:23,24)

Rashi explains that the Torah juxtaposes Aharon’s death upon  Klal Yisrael’s unfruitful dialogue with Edom because of a distinct relationship between the two.  When Klal Yisrael attempted to join Eisav’s descendants,  they created a breach in their activities which resulted in the loss of Aharon.  Why?  How is Aharon’s death associated with their attempt to establish diplomatic relations with Eisav?  Horav Nissan Alpert,zl, cites the pasuk in Devarim 32:4, “The Rock, His work is perfect, for all His ways are justice.”  Hashem’s rectitude in justice is manifest in that He will not punish a person if it will cause undue…

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Home -> 5757 -> Chukas

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Chukas, 5757

Listen now, O rebels, shall we bring forth water for you from this rock? (20:10)

The commentators struggle to understand Moshe and Aharon’s sin.  Undoubtedly, Hashem placed demands upon them commensurate with their lofty level of virtue and holiness. Other people cannot be evaluated by the same standards used to assess Moshe and Aharon.   According to the Ramban, Moshe’s anger  caused his sin.  The manner in which Moshe spoke to the people,  “Listen, O rebels,” was not the proper vernacular with which to address Klal Yisrael.  Moshe should have demonstrated more patience in dealing with his people. The overwhelming question with which we are faced  is:  Why did Moshe become angry?  What could have…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Chukas, 5757

And all the congregation saw that Aharon was dead. (20:29)

Chazal tell us that Aharon’s death was “seen” by the people with the disappearance of the cloud that accompanied them throughout their stay in the wilderness.  The protection that resulted from the cloud was in the merit of Aharon.  With the death of Miriam, another source of sustenance was withdrawn.  The well of Miriam, which provided Bnei Yisrael with water, was no longer functional.  Moshe Rabbeinu’s merit was the source of manna, the third pillar of sustenance.  These three leaders of Klal Yisrael were proof that the maintenance of our people is not determined by physical power, but rather by…

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Home -> 5757 -> Chukas

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Chukas, 5757

And they wept for Aharon thirty days, all the House of Yisrael. (20:29)

Aharon’s special relationship with all people earned him the love of everyone.  When he passed away, every Jewish man, woman, and child grieved.  The quintessent Ohaiv Shalom, he extended himself to promote harmony among his fellow man and between husband and wife.  The vacuum caused by his death was acutely felt by everyone.  We see that Moshe Rabbeinu, the Rabbon shel kol Yisrael, the teacher who devoted his life to educating Klal Yisrael,  was not as universally mourned.  As the Yalkut explains, Moshe’s responsibility was to judge and admonish, a function that was not always accepted by everyone.  Thus, the…

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Home -> 5756 -> Chukas

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Chukas, 5756

“This is the decree of the Torah… and they shall take to you a completely red cow.” (19:2)

The Mishnah in Meseches Parah 3:7 states: If the Parah Adumah refuses to go out, they should not take a black cow to accompany it. Some people might claim that the black one had been slaughtered. Likewise, they should not take out another red cow, for some people might assert that two cows had been slaughtered. The Mishnah addresses the problem of how a “stubborn” Parah Adumah might be “coaxed” to come along. The halachah seems to be clear; one may do nothing which would give grounds for the non-believer to ridicule and disclaim the validity of the Parah Adumah…

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Home -> 5756 -> Chukas

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Chukas, 5756

“And Moshe raised his arm and struck the rock.” (20:11)

A number of explanations are offered for the sin which Moshe Rabbeinu committed by hitting the stone rather than speaking to it. Horav Mordechai Ilan, zl, approaches the pasuk homiletically. As leader of Am Yisrael, Moshe Rabbeinu was responsible to handle the scepter of leadership in a pleasant manner. He needed to reach out, encouraging the people to follow in the right path, never admonishing them harshly or using physical force to emphasize a point. True, in their stubbornness, Bnei Yisrael may seem to have had hearts of stone. Their facade, however, could have been more successfully penetrated with verbal…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Chukas, 5756

“He sent an emissary and took us out of Egypt.” (20:16)

Rashi comments that Moshe used the word “ltkn” — which also means angel — because the prophets are referred to as angels. It seems slightly out of character for Moshe Rabbeinu, the “anav mikol adam,” the paragon of humility, to chose a word that alludes to spiritual superiority. Horav Zalmen Sorotzkin, zl, cites a response from his father- in-law, Horav Eliezer Gordon, zl. Horav Gordon recounts an incident in which a famous gaon, one of the most prominent rabbanim in Vilna, met a villager driving a wagon that was being pulled by a horse and a cow simultaneously. When the…

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