The Mitzvos at Marah

Torah Thoughts on Parshas Chukas by Rabbi Elie Starr

"זֹאת חֻקַת הַתּוֹרָה אֲשֶׁר צִוָה ה' לֵאמֹר דַבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִקְחוּ אֵלֶיךָ פָרָה אֲדֻמָה תְּמִימָה אֲשֶׁר אֵין בָּהּ מוּם אֲשֶׁר לֹא עָלָה עָלֶיהָ עֹל"  בְּמִדְבַּר י''ט:ב'

“This is the statute of the Torah, which God has commanded, saying: 'Speak to Bnei Yisrael, and they shall take to you a perfectly red cow, which has no blemish, upon which a yoke has not come.' ”  BeMidbar 19:2

Parashas Chukas opens with the mitzvah of Parah Adumah. Rashi, on Parashas Beshalach, tells us that Bnei Yisrael actually received this mitzvah before kabalas haTorah, in מָרָה. When Bnei Yisrael camped at מָרָה, the water was too bitter to drink, and Bnei Yisrael complained to Moshe. Moshe in turn cried out to Hashem, and in response, Hashem showed Moshe a tree, from which Moshe threw a branch into the water and the water became sweetened. After this incident, Bnei Yisrael were given some commandments with which to occupy themselves. Rashi says that these mitzvos were Shabbos, Parah Adumah, and Dinim (civil laws). Why were these particular mitzvos given then, and why after the incident at מָרָה?

The lack of sweet water in מָרָה was to fortify Bnei Yisrael in Emunas Hashem. The Midrash says: "Come and see how wondrous are the ways of Hashem, more than man.” Man sweetens that which is bitter by using sweet things. Hashem, however, sweetened the bitter with that which is bitter, thus performing a miracle within a miracle. The fact that the bitter waters were sweetened through a bitter substance, and not a sweet one, was an added miracle. This incident clearly showed that Hashem, Who created nature, can also easily suspend the laws of nature, thus strengthening Bnei Yisrael’s belief in Hashem.

It was specifically now, with their strengthened emunah, that Bnei Yisrael were in a position to accept these mitzvos. Shabbos, which requires one to cease all work for a whole day, could seem like a major test if one is not in a situation to feel Hashem’s closeness. Therefore, to make it easier on Klal Yisrael to accept Shabbos, Hashem gave it following the miracle at מָרָה, when their emunah was strong. Parah Adumah, because it is a chok and could potentially have been difficult to accept, was also given at this time of heightened emunah.

Why Dinim? Civil laws were included here specifically to teach us that even in money matters, which contain laws and concepts that people may seemingly understand, they must still be followed solely because Hashem commanded us to do so, not because they are logical to us. Further, in regards to why the topic of Parah Adumah is found in Parashas Chukas, we can look to the incident of Mei Merivah, also in Chukas. At Mei Merivah there was going to be an amazing miracle, bringing forth water from a completely dry rock simply by speaking to the rock.  When Moshe and Aharon, instead, hit the rock, Hashem rebuked them, saying: “You didn’t believe Me to sanctify Me before Bnei Yisrael”, thus showing that the purpose of the miracle itself was Kiddush Hashem and chizuk emunah, as with the miracle of the bitter waters at מָרָה.

May HaKadosh Baruch Hu help all of us approach each and every mitzvah with the proper perspective, that it is an honor and a privilege to serve Him and perform His mitzvos, whether or not we have any partial understanding of the mitzvah.

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Rabbi Elie Starr is a native Chicagoan. Following his formative years at Arie Crown and FYHS (1997), Rabbi Starr went on to learn at Merkaz HaTorah in Eretz Yisroel and Ner Yisroel in Baltimore. He met his wife in Baltimore while learning at Yeshivas Ner Yisroel and earning his CPA. The Starr Family currently lives in Milwaukee where Elie continues shteiging and sharing his passion for Torah with others as a member of the Milwaukee Kollel.