This week is a double Parasha: Hukat and Balak. They both have very important Emunah and Bitachon lessons, so we will dedicate one day for each Parasha.
Parashat Hukat has the infamous sin of Mei Merivah- the waters of contention, when Moshe Rabbenu hit the rock instead of speaking to it. Many Rishonim discuss what exactly happened. The Or HaChaim HaKaddosh lists ten different reasons that are brought down by the Rishonim – it’s not simple at all to explain what the sin could have been that caused Moshe Rabbenu to remain behind and not enter Eretz Yisrael.
The pasuk clearly says
יַ֚עַן לֹא־הֶאֱמַנְתֶּ֣ם בִּ֔י לְהַ֨קְדִּישֵׁ֔נִי
Because you did not believe in Me to bring about a Kiddush Hashem
לְעֵינֵ֖י בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל
In the eyes of the Jewish people.
So, on one hand, we see clearly that it had something to do with a lack of Emunah. On the other hand, Rashi tells us, in Bahalotecha, that the problem was that Moshe Rabbenu said
שִׁמְעוּ נָא הַמֹּרִים
Listen, you rebels
Moshe Rabbenu got angry, and seemingly, the issue was not an Emunah issue, but an anger issue, on Moshe Rabbenu’s part.
How do we understand that? What exactly was the anger of Moshe Rabbenu? It’s hard to understand.
In the words of one of the Ahronim, the anger of Moshe Rabbenu itself is Torah. Moshe gets angry and it becomes words of the Torah.
The Maharal explains that there was a lack of Emunah, because what happened happened in anger. In his words,
כי האמונה ומי שבוטח בו יתברך
Emunah has in it, reliance on Hashem
אין לא בו רק שמחה
A person who has true Emunah is always happy
שמאמין בו ובוטח בו
He believes in G-d and he relies on Him.
And with reliance comes simcha.
If a person is angry, it’s an indicator that there’s an emunah problem.
So, on Moshe Rabbenu’s level, the issue wasn’t what he did, but rather, how he did it. Moshe Rabbenu, on his level, got upset at the people. But for a man of emunah, there is no room for being upset.
And he hit it twice- that hitting was a sign of frustration, and a lack of Emunah, and that’s where the anger came from.
The Maharal says that -anyone that doesn’t rely on Hashem with a complete reliance, has room for anger.
So, the fact that Moshe Rabbenu had anger is an indication that on some level there was a lack of connection and therefore, a lack of complete Emunah. And that was the wrong lesson that the Jewish people got.
He says that even though the anger was directed at the Jewish people, it was stemming from a lack of emunah. He reiterates this point a few times.
Of course, we are nowhere near Moshe Rabbenu’s level, but for us it’s a lesson: In life, there are many situations that get us frustrated. There are many times when things don’t go our way. But when we get angry, that shows that there’s a lack of Emunah and Bitachon. And this shows how far we need to go to reach the point where there is no anger.
When a person knows that everything that happens is supposed to happen, there is no room for anger and no room for being upset.
If this was a challenge for Moshe Rabbenu, what we going to say?
But, as the Gemara says, תורה היא וללמוד אני צריך
This is Torah, and it’s our job to learn it.
We have to learn it, and realize, like the Pele Yoetz says, that constantly thinking positive and proper thoughts will eventually impact our emotions. Simcha, happiness, is an emotion, and the Torah demands it of us. As the pasuk says, The rebuke comes because you didn’t serve Hashem out of happiness.
The Torah can demand of us to be happy.
It’s a very heavy concept.
Sometimes a person is not in a good mood, and they say, “What do you want from me? Leave me alone. I’m not in a good mood.”
But you must be in a good mood. You just won the lottery. Your daughter just got married. What do you mean? No, she didn’t! Yes, she did.
What do you mean?
The Gemarah in Masechet Berachot quotes a rabbi who said, “Send regards to Rav Brunah.” Why? “Because he’s an Adam Gadol- a great
man. “What makes him great? “On a day that he prays Netz, he’s happy all day- his smile doesn’t leave his face.”
Rav Ades explains that this is greatness- someone who appreciates what a Mitzvah is.
This Gemarah is quoted by Rav Chaim Vital in Shaare Kedusha, where he says that what pulls a person out of his state of depression is appreciation of what a Mitzvah is.
Therefore, if we have our Emunah and Bitachon glasses on, we can demand of ourselves to be happy, and not get angry.
Moshe Rabbenu, on his level, was involved with doing a Mitzvah, says the Maharal, so it should have been done with simcha, and when a Mitzvah is done with simcha, there is no room for anger.
B’ezrat Hashem we will learn this lesson from the Parasha.