chukat answers

Chukat 5715
Alef.

במדבר פרק כ

(כב) ויסעו מקדש ויבאו בני ישראל כל העדה הר ההר:

(כג) ויאמר יקוק אל משה ואל אהרן בהר ההר על גבול ארץ אדום לאמר:

(כד) יאסף אהרן אל עמיו כי לא יבא אל הארץ אשר נתתי לבני ישראל על אשר מריתם את פי למי מריבה:

(כה) קח את אהרן ואת אלעזר בנו והעל אתם הר ההר:

(כו) והפשט את אהרן את בגדיו והלבשתם את אלעזר בנו ואהרן יאסף ומת שם:

(כז) ויעש משה כאשר צוה יקוק ויעלו אל הר ההר לעיני כל העדה:

(כח) ויפשט משה את אהרן את בגדיו וילבש אתם את אלעזר בנו וימת אהרן שם בראש ההר וירד משה ואלעזר מן ההר:

(כט) ויראו כל העדה כי גוע אהרן ויבכו את אהרן שלשים יום כל בית ישראל: ס 

במדבר פרק כא

(ד) ויסעו מהר ההר דרך ים סוף לסבב את ארץ אדום ותקצר נפש העם בדרך:

(ה) וידבר העם באלקים ובמשה למה העליתנו ממצרים למות במדבר כי אין לחם ואין מים ונפשנו קצה בלחם הקלקל:

(ו) וישלח יקוק בעם את הנחשים השרפים וינשכו את העם וימת עם רב מישראל:

(ז) ויבא העם אל משה ויאמרו חטאנו כי דברנו ביקוק ובך התפלל אל יקוק ויסר מעלינו את הנחש ויתפלל משה בעד העם:

(ח) ויאמר יקוק אל משה עשה לך שרף ושים אתו על נס והיה כל הנשוך וראה אתו וחי:

(ט) ויעש משה נחש נחשת וישמהו על הנס והיה אם נשך הנחש את איש והביט אל נחש הנחשת וחי:

The major change that the people undergo at Har HaHar is the death of Aharon and his being replaced by Elazar as Kohen Gadol. It is possible that they had reached a type of equilibrium—a resignation to their respective fates—once  the Divine Decree was given following the sin of the spies that they would wander for forty years in the desert. However, with Aharon’s death, they—the people doomed to die in the desert as opposed to those who were below the age of twenty at the time of the Exodus, as well as the tribe of Levi—are reminded that their lives are drawing to a close, and the old issues are resurfacing out of a sense of desperation over the “end” nearing. Reason and denial are overcome by emotion and they engage once again in the same type of complaining that had gotten them into trouble in the first place.
Beit.
The claim at Yam Suf was directed at Moshe alone.

שמות פרק יד

(יא) ויאמרו אל משה המבלי אין קברים במצרים לקחתנו למות במדבר מה זאת עשית לנו להוציאנו ממצרים:

Similarly, the complaint that Datan and Aviram make during the Korach rebellion is directed only at Moshe  :

במדבר פרק טז

(יב) וישלח משה לקרא לדתן ולאבירם בני אליאב ויאמרו לא נעלה:

(יג) המעט כי העליתנו מארץ זבת חלב ודבש להמיתנו במדבר כי תשתרר עלינו גם השתרר:

And while in both of the previous cases, God could have been included implicitly in the complaint, i.e., Moshe was carrying out God’s Instructions—of course that could have been in dispute with at least some of the people thinking that Moshe was acting on his own with regard to the Exodus and simply utilizing magical powers—there is no explicit mention of rebelling against God. In this latest instance, the people mention God explicitly in their complaint, now accepting the fact that God has been Orchestrating the entire process, and therefore escalating their level of rebellion.

במדבר פרק כא

(ה) וידבר העם באלקים ובמשה למה העליתנו ממצרים למות במדבר כי אין לחם ואין מים ונפשנו קצה בלחם הקלקל:

Gimel.

1. When a person is being sent on a particular mission, and it will require the individual to acquiesce to the mission, the Kal form is used. However, when people or other entities are being sent, not necessarily in accordance with the will of those being sent (the plague of wild animals), or the sender (Pharoah or the owner of the Jewish slave), then the Piel is used.

2. While the use of the Piel is different from the cases involving Pharoah and the owners of the Jewish slaves, it is identical with the sending of the plague of wild animals. Consequently it is a case where animals are being “Sent” (unleashed?) by God against some group of people deserving of punishment.

3. See 2 above.

4. Since this was a supernatural occurrence, therefore it wasn’t a matter of “any” snakes being sent, just as with regard to “Arov” it wasn’t just “any” wild animals being directed against the Egyptians. There was a specific cohort of animals that HaShem Used, and these are the ones that are being sent, reflected in the usage of the “Heh HaYediah.”

Daled.

1. Mishna Rosh HaShana 3:8

   By being directed to look upwards, the people realize that any success/victory that they may enjoy originates from God. They they are expected to extrapolate such a realization to apply to all aspects of their lives, even when they are not engaged in battle or under attack by entities such as snakes.

    Ibn Ezra

    This is a miraculous incident and it is impossible to try to attribute rational categories in order to explain it.

    Zohar

    The copper snake reminds the victims that the situation was brought on by their own shortcomings and that their only hope for being saved, is to pray that God Intervene on their respective behalves.

    R. S.R. Hirsch

    The copper snake represents all of the dangers, known and unknown, that threaten an individual’s life and welfare. The experience was intended to remind us to be appreciative to God Who Can and Does out of His Kindness, Spare us from most of these threats to our tranquility and happiness.  

     Consequently, when comparing these views one to another,

a) the Mishna focuses upon particular instances and demonstrates that prayer to God at any moment of danger is the only option for salvation, success;

b) Ibn Ezra states that there is nothing to learn from this instance other than God has the Capacity to perform miracles;

c) Zohar focuses upon how the individuals bitten were being called upon to reflect upon their sinful behavior that brought on this entire situation;

d) R. Hirsch sees the instance of the snakes as representative of dangers to human existence in general and the need to be aware of the extent to which God Spares us from being harmed by such dangers.

2.  Both the Zohar and R. Hirsch understand “VeChai” as applying to situations beyond the immediate one of the snakes, i.e., related not only to recovery from the snake bites, but a weltanschauung regarding any number of situations throughout an individual’s life. The manner in which a person will be able to “live” in general, according to Zohar, is by keeping in mind that his sins have consequences and therefore he must try to avoid transgressing. R. Hirsch takes a more positive tack and suggests that the manner in which a person can stay “alive” is by appreciating all of the Kindnesses Shown to him by God in the sense that so many catastrophes by definition have been averted.

3.  In both instances,

שמות פרק יז

(יא) והיה כאשר ירים משה ידו וגבר ישראל וכאשר יניח ידו וגבר עמלק:

במדבר פרק כא

(ט) ויעש משה נחש נחשת וישמהו על הנס והיה אם נשך הנחש את איש והביט אל נחש הנחשת וחי:

     the people, under duress, are directed to gaze upon something held high, thereby associating their experience with the Divine. In both instances, it is not clear what the association is between looking up and winning a battle, recovering from a snake bite. Consequently the Mishna states that what is essential is not just the looking upwards, but the prayer that such a practice should engender. Once God’s Assistance is called for by those under attack, their ultimate victory/recovery will establish a principle for future situations where even if there are no visual props like hands held high, copper snakes on poles, nevertheless a precedent for what ought to be done, i.e., invoking God’s Assistance, will have been clearly established.