קול תורה Torah Academy of Bergen County Summer Edition June 28 / 18 Tammuz Does the Punishment Fit the Crime? Hashem’s instructions and speaking to by Andy Rosenberg (‘22) the rock. But is this really what Hashem meant in his instructions? In this week’s Parashah, after Miriam Rashi says those were His died, the people were complaining that instructions. However, the Ibn Ezra they didn’t have any water to drink. discusses this query. He points out that Then follows the famous story of Moshe the word “VeDibartem” could be Rabbeinu hiing the rock instead of translated in multiple ways. The simple speaking to it. The water still flowed translation is “and speak to it”. from the rock but Moshe disobeyed However, one could translate the phrase Hashem, and because of that, Hashem to mean “and strike it”. Based on the forbade Moshe Rabbeinu to lead us into second translation, Moshe didn’t Israel or even enter Israel at all. But so disobey Hashem, so what did Moshe do what? He hit the rock instead of wrong? There are those that say that speaking to it. What’s the big deal? Moshe hit the rock twice when he was For starters, this is not the first told to hit the rock once. The Ibn Ezra, time Moshe drew water from a rock. It’s supported by a Midrash of Chazal, the third time Moshe had to do this. The thinks that because he spoke to Bnei first time was at Marah when Hashem Yisrael before fulfilling Hashem’s told Moshe to throw a bier branch into instructions when Moshe said, “Shim’u the water to make it sweet. The next Na HaMorim, HaMin HaSela HaZeh time, Bnei Yisrael was at Refidim and Noi Lachem Mayim,” “Listen, you Hashem told Moshe to hit the rock with rebels, shall we get water for you out of his staff so that water would come out. this rock?” (BeMidbar 20:10), he was Having done this twice before, one punished. would think that Moshe would know There are many other opinions what to do. However, when Hashem on this issue. The Abarbanel believes tells Moshe “Kach Et HaMateh VeHakhel that this sin wasn’t the reason for the Et Ha’Eidah Atah Ve’Aharon Achicha punishment, rather it was because VeDibartem El HaSela Le’Eineihem Moshe sent the spies. The Rambam VeNatan Meimav,” “You and your believes that Moshe’s sin was his anger, brother Aaron take the rod and as displayed when he calls Bnei Yisrael assemble the community, and before “Morim” (ibid). Since Moshe couldn’t their very eyes order the rock to yield its control himself, he was punished. water” (BeMidbar 20:8). As previously Finally, the Ramban’s reasoning is that stated, Moshe uses the staff to bring out hiing the stone wasn’t an issue because the water, instead of following Hashem said, “Kach Et HaMateh,” “take קול תורה Torah Academy of Bergen County Summer Edition June 28 / 18 Tammuz the rod” (BeMidbar 20:8). The actual sin significant against the backdrop of was Moshe saying “Noi,” “we” Kenisat Ere Yisrael. (BeMidbar 20:10). In context, the word One of the most surprising things implies that Moshe believed this miracle about this scene is the sequence of sin came from both himself and Aharon, and punishment. Let’s examine it: but not Hashem. Moshe’s belief that he 1. Bnei Yisrael sele in Shiim. and Aharon were capable of doing this 2. They then begin to participate in miracle was the reason he was Zenut with Benot Moav. punished. 3. Benot Moav invite them to All of these answers would make partake in their sacrifices, the crime fit the punishment. Whether it 4. Resulting in Bnei Yisrael was because he hit the rock when he becoming aached to Baal Peor. should’ve spoken to it, or it was because 5. Hashem rages at them, sending a of any of the other given reasons, any Mageifah. one of them would be a sufficiently 6. Hashem instructs Moshe to hang significant sin to warrant not being the ringleaders before the sun in allowed to enter into Israel, let alone order to stop the Mageifah. lead us into our beloved Ere Yisrael. 7. A Jewish man brings a Midianite woman into his tent before all of Bnei Yisrael, who are crying. 8. Pinechas stabs both the man and the woman, ending the Mageifah. Hearsay of Heresy By Eitan Barenholtz (‘23) By the time the Mageifah started, Bnei Yisrael had already been sinning Parashat Balak is such a with Benot Moav; Hashem is angry only mysterious Parashah, with prophecy when they start worshipping Baal Peor. mixing with curse mixing with blessing. Yet the Mageifah does not end with an Of all this mystery, one of the most end to the Avodah Zarah, but with the enigmatic events of the Parashah is killing of those who commied Znut. Cheit Baal Peor, what Wikipedia terms (Presumably, Bnei Yisrael had already “The Heresy of Peor.” While the editors stopped sinning, since they were crying of Wikipedia jump to define the Cheit as when the Jewish man brought the heresy, it was actually more complex Midianite woman into his tent. This than that. Cheit Baal Peor was not a man was the final sinner, and the only single sin, but a confluence of sins Aveirah mentioned by him is relations with a Midianite.) So what is the sin קול תורה Torah Academy of Bergen County Summer Edition June 28 / 18 Tammuz with which Hashem is angry? Is it Znut, not worship any other god, or is it Avodah Zarah? because the LORD, whose name I suggest that it is both, not in the is Impassioned, is an sense of “the sins of Znut and Avodah impassioned God. You must not Zarah,” but in the sense of “the sin of make a covenant with the Znut-Avodah Zarah.” In a way, inhabitants of the land, for they intimately related to seling in Ere will lust after their gods and Yisrael, these are one and the same sacrifice to their gods and invite thing. After presenting Moshe with the you, and you will eat of their 13 Midot HaRachamim, Hashem warns sacrifices. And when you take him of the dangers presented by seling wives from among their in Ere Yisrael: daughters for your sons, their “Shemor Lecha Eit Asher Anochi daughters will lust after their Meavecha HaYom Hineni Goreish gods and will cause your sons to MiPanecha Et Ha’Emori HaKenaani lust after their gods” (Shemot HaChii VeHaPerizzi VeHachivi 34:11-16). VeHaYevusi. Hishamer Lecha Pen Tichrot Berit LeYosheiv Ha’Are Parashat Ki Tissa outlines a likely VeZanu Acharei Eloheihem pitfall of life in Ere Yisrael. If Bnei VeZavechu LeEloheihem VeKara Yisrael do not fully remove the land of Lecha Ve’Achalta MiZivcho. idolaters, they will be tempted to VeLekachta MiBenotav LeVanecha commit Avodah Zarah and intermarry. VeZanu Benotav Acharei Eloheihen Although the order is slightly different VeHiznu Et Banecha Acharei in our Parashah, the concept is the same. Eloheihen,” “Mark well what I It is not a coincidence that the Torah command you this day. I will describes Bnei Yisrael as “seling” in drive out before you the Shiim; this sin was the very same sin Amorites, the Canaanites, the that they would fall prey to in Ere Hiites, the Perizzites, the Yisrael. They seled in the land, Hivites, and the Jebusites. Beware intermingled with the native of making a covenant with the population, and ultimately commied inhabitants of the land against Avodah Zarah. which you are advancing, lest There are a number of similarities they be a snare in your midst. No, between our passage in Parashat Balak you must tear down their altars, and Ki Tissa which connect these two smash their pillars, and cut down sins even further. The most glaring, I their sacred posts; for you must think, is the importance of Achilat קול תורה Torah Academy of Bergen County Summer Edition June 28 / 18 Tammuz Zevachim to both. In both, Bnei Yisrael in the sense of casting aside those to commit Avodah Zarah only after they whom we owe faithfulness. Both sins eat the Korban the non-Jews have just are thematically similar in that respect. sacrificed. This points to Baal Peor being But why does one Znut inevitably lead a proto-Ere Yisrael type of sin, as to the other? I think the answer lies in opposed to Bnei Yisrael’s previous sins just that: those who have no respect for in the Midbar. Before, the sins were commitments or relationships will not caused by cowardice or lack of faith in keep them, whether on a personal scale Hashem; now they are caused by the or on a religious scale. The Gemara in human impulse, represented by both the Pesachim 25b derives the Zenut and the Achilah, of a nation in its commandment to give up our lives land. rather than commit Avodah Zarah from The second similarity concerns the Pasuk, “VeAhavta Et Hashem the use of Zenut as descriptors for the Elohecha,” “And you shall love Hashem sins. In Balak, Zenut means what it says: your God” (Devarim 6:4). This is no illicit relations with foreign women. In coincidence: just like faithlessness to Parashat Ki Tissa, however, Znut refers Hashem is akin to marital faithlessness, to straying after foreign gods . This is so too is love of Hashem. not by accident: in Ere Yisrael, these sins are identical. As proclaimed in Ki Tissa (and numerous other places in the Torah), and evidenced in Parashat Bilam HaNavi Balak, Zenut (actual Zenut) inevitably by Rabbi Ben Krinsky results in Zenut (Avodah Zarah).