Parashat HaShavua Chukat- Numbers 19:1-22:1

Another devotional thought from Rabbi Jack in Toronto, Thanks again, -Brad
Parashat HaShavua Chukat / Statute

This Week's Reading List:
BaMidbar / Numbers 19:1-22:1
Shoftim / Judges 11:1-33
Yochanan / John 3:10-21

Bamidbar {20:1} Bnei Yisrael (The children of Israel), even the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there. {20:2} There was no water for the congregation: and they assembled themselves together against Moshe (Moses) and against Aharon (Aaron). {20:3} The people strove with Moshe, and spoke, saying, Would that we had died when our brothers died before HaShem! {20:4} Why have you brought the assembly of HaShem into this wilderness, that we should die there, we and our animals? {20:5} Why have you made us to come up out of Mitzrayim (Egypt), to bring us in to this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.

Hold on a minute; are not these the same bnei Yisrael that, when offered to enter the Promise Land by Moshe (a land flowing with milk and honey, a land from were they were shown a bunch of grapes that had to be carried on a pole between two men), refused to enter. So how come they are now accusing Moshe and Aharon of taking them to this place of desolation and holding Moshe and Aharon responsible for the assembly being stuck in the wilderness. These people had the opportunity to enter into the good and prosperous land HaShem had offered them, but they rebelled and refused to enter. Yes, they rejected the occasion to enjoy an abundance of figs, vines and pomegranates because they were told by a few negative people about the scary giants that occupied the land.

When you think about it not much has changed in the Promise Land over the last five thousand years. It is still a scary place. Even though Yisrael occupies most of the land there are still pockets of the enemy that were never driven out.

Bamidbar {33:55} But if you will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then shall those who you let remain of them be as pricks in your eyes, and as thorns in your sides, and they shall vex you in the land in which you dwell. {33:56} It shall happen that as I thought to do to them, so will I do to you.

Certainly this passage of Scripture is as true today as it was the day that it was written. The inhabitants of the land are vexing Yisrael; they are a thorn in their side and pricks in their eyes -- today. Yisrael is as surrounded by enemies today as she was thousands of years ago. So not only is she being threatened from within, but also from without. The only real solution, the solution HaShem proposed, which is to expel them, is unthinkable today. Well, that is only true if Yisrael wants to be in sink with the rest of the secular world, and she most definitely does. However, G-d’s Word is true and we read and hear the results of Yisrael’s disobedience daily, over and over again, in the media.

What is even more disturbing is that most Jewish people who are living in the Diaspora, a number that exceeds those living in the land, when asked if they would immigrate to Yisrael say something that sounds all to familiar, “It is too dangerous there. I do not what my children to go to the army. It is surrounded by hostile nations,” and so on. What are they in fact saying? It is the same thing that was said more than five thousand years ago, “We will not go in because there are giants in the land!”

In addition Yisrael as a nation is also extremely secular. They have a form of religion, but they deny the power thereof. Religion to most Israelis is tradition and not a relationship with their G-d.

Shoftim (Judges) {2:21} I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Yehoshua (Joshua) left when he died, {2:22} in order to test Yisrael by them, whether they will keep the way of HaShem to walk in it as their fathers did, or not." {2:23} So HaShem allowed those nations to remain, not driving them out quickly; and He did not give them into the hand of Yehoshua.

I think we could all agree that, up until now, bnei Yisrael have failed their test.

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Baruch HaShem
Rabbi Ya'acov Farber

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