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Orchard of Delights
£The Secret of Lines and CirclesThe Secret of Lines and CirclesThe Secret of Lines and Circles Moses to bring the very staff he had used with him this time as well,
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From time immemorial commentators have wondered about the
juxtaposition of the contents in many Torah portions. Some portions
follow entirely logical arrangements, whether chronological, if a
story is being told, or thematic, if particular laws are being taught;
however, many other portions consist of a wide range of material
with no obvious connection. Rashi often comments either on the
juxtaposition within a given portion or on the link between one
portion and another.
This week’s Torah portion concludes with a detailed review of all
the communal sacrifices offered in the Tabernacle and the Temples. It
begins by reviewing the daily, Shabbat, and New Moon offerings, and
then continues with an overview of the cycle of the yearly holidays
and their appropriate sacrifices. This sudden and detailed review is
surprising on two levels: Why does the Torah discuss these sacrificial
laws here (wouldn’t Leviticus have been more appropriate)? And,
why does the Torah review the cycle of the holidays, given that
they have already been addressed in the portions of Mishpatim and
Emor?
The incident immediately preceding this one concerns the transfer
of power from Moses to Joshua. God begins by reminding Moses he
will not lead the Jewish people into the Land of Israel, and Moses
responds by requesting that God appoint a leader in his stead “who
may go out before them and who may come in before them and who
may lead them in; so that the congregation of God will not be like
a flock that has no shepherd” (Numbers 27:17). God tells Moses to
publicly lay his hands on Joshua’s head to signify the transfer of
authority. This process of transferring authority became known as
semichah (literally, the laying on of hands) and even today is the
official Hebrew term for rabbinic ordination.
Although Moses was obviously not telling God what to do,
the wording he chose – “Let God…” (Numbers 27:16) – could
be construed as a command. Indeed, Rashi, alluding to Moses’
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Chukat
the punishment seems unduly harsh.
One constant theme mentioned by many of the commentators
trying to resolve this enigma is that it appears that God never had
any intention of allowing Moses to lead the people into the Promised
Land. His hitting the rock was merely an “excuse.” As we previously
discussed in Beha’alotcha, Eldad and Medad had prophesied that
Moses would not lead the people into the Promised Land, so long
before Moses hit the rock it seems the future had already been
determined. Thus, we are once again confronted with the paradox of
free will and Divine Providence. For if Moses was not destined to go
into the Land and God merely needed an “excuse,” did Moses have
any real choice, for at some point, he would have had to have made
a mistake that would lead to his being banned from leading the Jews
into the Holy Land.
A second puzzling incident occurs when, in response to the Jewish
people speaking out against God and Moses again, poisonous snakes
appear and bite the people causing many to die. When the people
come to Moses, admit their mistake, and beg him to pray for them,
God tells him to fashion the figure of a snake and mount it on a
pole. All those who had been bitten were instructed to stare at the
snake and then they would be healed. One is immediately struck by
God’s seemingly baffling instructions. Why did God want to heal
the people by having them stare at the very image of the animal
that had fatally wounded them? Why did God have them stare at
and apparently be healed by (not to mention having Moses fashion)
what to all intents and purposes seems to have been an idol? The
Talmud warns us against erring by thinking that the snake on the
staff had any power of its own. When the people looked upwards
and were, therefore, moved to contritely ask for Divine assistance,
God Himself healed them. Notwithstanding the Talmud’s warning,
the question still remains regarding why God instructed Moses to
fashion the figure of a snake and mount it on a pole at all. Could the
people not have been instructed to repent and pray to God without
the means of the physical image?
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