Numbers 19:1-22:1 - Judges 11:1-33 - Mark 14:53-72

This week's edition of The Set Table contains:

Questions and Commentary on Shabbat Chuqqat
Chayyei Yeshua - A Devotional Commentary on the Besora Reading
In Summary
Looking Ahead

Questions & Commentary on Parashat Chuqqat

1. What is the connection between the death of Miriam mentioned in Numbers 20:1 and the lack of water which Israel suffers in Numbers 20:2? How might we connect these two verses with 1 Corinthians 10?

Rabbi Jason Sobel

The connection between the two verses is that it was in the merit of Miriam that Israel received the miraculous water giving rock that followed them in the wilderness. Rashi arrives at this conclusion due to the juxtaposition of Miriam's death and Israel's grumbling.  The Talmud elaborates on this point when it says,

R. Jose the son of R. Judah says: Three good leaders had arisen for Israel, namely: Moses, Aaron and Miriam, and for their sake three good things were conferred [upon Israel], namely, the Well, the Pillar of Cloud and the Manna; the Well, for the merit of Miriam; the Pillar of Cloud for the merit of Aaron; the Manna for the merit of Moses. When Miriam died the well disappeared, as it is said, "And Miriam died there," and immediately follows [the verse], "And there was no water for the congregation; and it returned for the merit of the [latter] two." 

b. Ta‘anit 9a

What is the connection between these three individuals (Moses, Aaron, Miriam) and these particular gifts (the Well, the Manna, and the Pillar of Cloud)? They are analogous to and personify the three pillars on which the world stands Torah, Avoda (Divine Service), and Gemilut Chasidim (deeds of kindness) (Avot 1:2). Moses, as the giver of the Torah, had the merit to provide manna for the people, in order that they might be free from earning a livelihood and so that they might have the nourishment needed to study Torah. Thus Moses provided Israel with both their spiritual and physical food. Messiah Yeshua, as the second Moses, did the same when he multiplied the bread and the fish.     

Aaron was the embodiment of priesthood and avoda. His great devotion in serving God through his sacrificial service enabled the Shechina to dwell in their midst.  Thus the Clouds of Glory were given in his merit.

Miriam was the personification of deeds of kindness, the third pillar. From the time she was a small girl, the Sages tell us, she worked for the welfare of the Jewish people.  She watched over her brother Moses, assisted the courageous midwives, and fed the poor.  Thus due to her chesed towards all Jews, it was in her merit that Israel received live giving waters (see Ein Ya‘aqov).

All of this however does not explain why the well disappeared after Miriam's death? Was her merit not great enough to ensure its continued presence among the people she dedicated her life to helping? The Kli Yakar (R. Ephraim Lunshitz) answers this mystery when it writes, "This came as punishment for their failure to properly mourn Miriam's passing . . . They felt no loss with her passing.  Therefore, Hashem removed her well from their midst, thus showing them that the water came in their merit."  One lesson that we can learn from this episode is to respect, honor, and value our women leaders as much as our men.

The following midrash is a detailed description of the Miriam's well.

The well that was with Israel in the wilderness had extraordinary properties. It resembled a rock the size of a beehive, from which, as out of a narrow-necked jug, water coming out in a trickle shot high up into the air like a geyser. The well rolled up mountains with Israel and went down into valleys with them. Indeed, wherever Israel encamped, the well rested close by on an elevated spot opposite the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. The princes of Israel would come and walk around the well with their staves as they chanted the song "Spring up, O well, sing ye unto it" (Numbers 21:17). At that, the waters welled up, rising high like a lofty pillar; and each of the princes, digging [into the ground] with his staff, channeled water toward his tribe and toward his family, as is said: The well, which the princes dug, Which the nobles of the people delved, With maces, with their own staffs (Numbers 21:18). [Thus the well flowed in all directions throughout Israel's camp, watering all the surrounding wasteland. It branched out into streams so large that Israelites would seat themselves in small boats and go visiting one another. [There was no need to row], for a man who went upstream on the camp's right side would [as the current reversed itself] return downstream on the right side; and so it was with the man who set out on the camp's left side. Even the overflow of drinking water spilled on the ground became a wide river, which coursed toward the Great Sea and, upon its return, brought back from there all the things in the world that were desirable.

t. Sukka 3:11-13; Numbers Rabba 1:12

2. Why did God cause snakes to bite the Children of Israel? Why was Moses commanded to make a snake? How could looking at the snake bring about healing? Does this not seem like magic or idolatry? How does this passage point to Messiah Yeshua?

Rabbi Jason Sobel

When Israel arrived at the border of Edom they hoped to pass through this country and finally arrive in Eretz Yisrael. The refusal of Edom to allow them to pass through necessitated another course through the wilderness that would further prolong their thirty-eight years of wandering.  The people were anxious to enter into the Promised Land and were upset at the prospect of further delay.

Frustrated by their nomadic life and the limited food the Israelites grumbled against God and Moses saying, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!" (Numbers 21:5). As a result of their complaining against God, Moses his faithful servant, and the gift of manna the people where bitten by snakes at the Lord's command. After seeing many of their fellows die from venomous snakebites, the people confessed their sin and asked Moses to intercede on their behalf. The Lord hearkened to Moses' supplications and commanded him to "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; so anyone who is bitten can look at it and live" (Numbers 21:8-9).

But how is it possible for a copper snake to bring about healing? Commenting upon this our sages state, 

Can a snake bring death or life? Rather, when the Israelites gazed heavenward and subjugated their hearts to their Father in heaven, they would heal, but if not, they would waste away

Rosh Hashana 29a

Thus the healing that occurred by looking at the copper servant had to be accompanied by true teshuva (repentance) as well as sincere faith in God.

The snake that Moses made in the wilderness is also meant to be an allusion to Messiah. On the surface it seems odd that the God would command Moses to make a serpent since the image of the snake has negative conations throughout Scripture. However, on a deeper level it is fitting that a cooper serpent was used for it subtly alludes to the Mashiach (Messiah). The word nachash is connected to the word mashiach in that they both have the same gematria (numerical) value of 358. From this we learn that God is going to reverse the curse caused by the serpent and transform humanity's original sin into life and blessing through the Messiah. When this occurs God's promise to Adam and Chava in Genesis 3:15 will be fulfilled and paradise will once again be restored on earth based upon the death and suffering of God's Anointed One (Isaiah 53 and Zechariah 12:10).

In the same way that children of Israel were to look to the serpent in faith to find healing, we must look to Messiah Yeshua, as he stated, "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life" (John 3:15). By looking to Yeshua, we find forgiveness of sins, spiritual healing, and life like our ancestors did in the wilderness. One that glorious day that when all Israel comes to the realization that Yeshua turned the tree of the death into a tree of life, the Lord will end our exile, reverse the curse, and bring life from the dead for Israel and the Nations. May it happen soon!

Scott Nassau

John 15:1-17 - Bear Fruit

In our front yard we currently have two lemon trees and a fig tree. A few months ago the trees began to show the early stages of fruit. Everyday my wife goes out to inspect the fruit and water the trees, anxiously expecting to find ripe fruit ready to harvest. After a few months the fruit on the trees is still unripe. While it seems from the abundance of fruit at the local produce stand that fruit grows without much effort, the process to grow fruit is actually long and arduous.

Yeshua uses this agrarian imagery to describe how his disciples, talmidim, can have righteous and productive lives by comparing his relationship with his talmidim to the relationship between the vine and its branches (John 15:1-8). The branch connected to the vine will produce many grapes, but the branch disconnected from the vine will not produce any fruit. Yesterday, I was sitting in the front yard with my son, who will turn two in a couple months, when he began to pull on one of the unripe lemons. While it is difficult to reason with a two-year old, I tried to explain to him that if he pulled the lemon off of the tree the lemon would not continue to grow; therefore, it would remain uneatable and completely useless. This basic principle of agriculture parallels our relationship with God. God redeemed us so that we will bear much fruit, but we must remain intimately connected to Yeshua if we want to experience fruit in our lives.

There are countless numbers of books on marriage and relationships published every year, but merely reading these books does not produce a healthy relationship. Each relationship is unique and the aspects that work in one relationship do not necessarily have the same result in another. There is not a simple formula that makes every relationship work; each one takes time in which both members carefully cultivate the relationship to make it grow. This is also true in our relationship with Yeshua. Reading a certain amount of chapters in the Bible and praying a specific number of times each day does not automatically result in fruitful lives. While these two aspects are important to our spiritual lives, we will not experience significant growth until we engage our souls in an intimate relationship with Him. We cannot exist spiritually unless we are connected to Yeshua (15:4).

Although this passage does not provide a "how to" guide on how to grow spiritually, it does describe a couple of attributes of the life, which produces lasting fruit. First, this life is thoroughly controlled by Yeshua. He is the driving force, not a peripheral acquaintance, consulted only when convenient (15:5-8). Second, this person is attentive to God's discipline, which God uses to make the person a more mature Believer (15:2). Third, this person remains connected to Yeshua by diligently obeying God (15:10). Finally, this person gladly forgoes his/her interests to meet the needs of others in the Body of Messiah (15:12-17).

NEXT WEEK'S READINGS - PARASHAT BALAQ