POLISH TRANSLATION HERE
Thoughts on Parashat Chukat 5785
Moses and Aaron were probably the greatest Jewish leaders of all times. Both of them commit a sin in our parasha, are punished for it and die. What was their actual sin for which they were to die? Everyone who read or studied this story thinks they know and that it is obvious: they were both told to order the rock, to speak to the rock to yield water, but Moses instead struck the rock with his rod, and struck twice. But I don’t think that this most common explanation reflecting the pshat level – the simple, literal meaning of the story is valid. Why? Let me ask you a question: which of the laws of the Torah Moses and Aaron transgressed? Is there a law to prohibit striking the rock in order to get water from it? None that I know say anything like that. And that’s exactly the common explanation of what was their sin. Another idea often brought here is that their sin was their disobedience. Ok, is there a general commandment to be obedient to the Divine will, no matter what God feels or wants at the moment? I don’t know about a general commandment like that, and frankly, if there was one like that it would be scary – it would mean that God is an ultimate tyrant and we, humans, have no free will. Ok, two other answers: they were punished for lack of trust in the Divine word, or, for their anger. But again, death penalty for lack of trust in the Divine word? We would all have been probably dead a long time ago. Death penalty for some anger issues??? Some of us would be probably alive, but God would have been probably dead, and he is not, he is our living God, so the answer cannot be that simple.
So what was their sin? I would argue that no sin per se happened here. Their punishment and death was the ultimate result of the long process. The way we would call this process today, especially its last stage, would be ‘professional burnout’. In this particular case it would be professional burnout of religious and political leaders. The core of their professional burnout was them losing their faith in the continuity of God’s promise to an undeserving, stiff-necked and rebellious people.
In former days they both would both have staunchly stood their ground, and, at the same time patiently stood for their people, despite looking down on them from time to time. But as the time progressed Moses and Aaron became impatient with their nation; it’s been roughly 40 years and not a lot has actually changed, has it? All the time the same old story, the same old complaints, either that the food is not good – not as great as they had in Egypt, the fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic, right? It was all so delicious! Or these complaints that there is no drinking water, again… oh, this one is actually quite legitimate. But anyway, it looks that both Moses and Aaron got a little tired, a little fed up with their own people and needed to retire.
But the problem might have been that deep down they might have not wanted to retire. It looks that they both wanted to lead their people despite the fact that this job has already wrecked them a bit! That actually speaks very well about them as leaders, about their devotion and their heart for the Israelite nation. But at the same time they were wise enough to know that their time has come and it’s time to pass the baton to someone else, someone younger, vigorous, who knows the problems and the language of the new generations better and it’s time for them to take over.
Because it is good, it’s actually a mitzvah to give up power in order to pass it down to someone else. And to know when to do it is very important – for the sake of those whom we lead, teach and who are dependent on us as well as for the sake of our good name. Therefore to know when to give up power, when to perform this ultimate mitzvah is an ultimate human wisdom.
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Mirski
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