Chukat & Balak

Numbers 19:1 - 25:9

This week’s torah portion includes the narrative of the “sin of Moses”, found in Numbers 20. To many, this passage of scripture is baffling since Moses was the valiant leader of the Jewish people who risked his life in order to fulfill the purpose of God - and yet was unable to enter the land of Canaan because of his disobedience in hitting the rock. Jewish commentators differ in their understanding of this episode of the Israelites in the wilderness. Rashi teaches that the sin was in the hitting of the rock. However, Maimonedes (Rambam) disagrees. He teaches that Moses is punished for losing his temper evidenced by referring to the people as rebels. Although these two great Torah scholars disagree, one thing is for sure - they both understand a reason for the discipline of Moses.

From the point of view of Moses, the children of Israel were any leader’s worst nightmare! They complained constantly and never seemed to get the hang of trust and obedience. In addition, they questioned his leadership! Serving in a leadership position myself, I can understand Moses’ anger at the people and his referring to them as rebels. However, there are really two views of the people here. In addition to the perspective of Moses, we also have the point of view of God. To Him they were the chosen people, even though they had been disobedient and chastised. Although we may never understand the exact reason for Moses inability to enter the land, we do indeed learn a valuable lesson about ministry from this passage. Our lesson here is that no matter how difficult people may be they are still created in the image and likeness of God and deserving of our grace and mercy - just as God has shown it to us. We need to view people from the point of view of God. This is true whether we are talking about people in our family or in our congregation or the community at large. As we serve the Jewish community, we must be careful that we do not fall into the “sin of Moses” - after all, they are our prime detractors while at the same time they are the people whom we most care about. We must be careful not to get too exasperated when we are portrayed in a negative way. As Paul said in Romans 11:28-29 From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God's choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. This is just as true today as it was when it was first penned! The Jewish community is called to serve God and nothing can revoke that calling. May we, like Paul, have a passionate desire for the welfare of our people and that they would fulfill the calling through the Messiah. Shabbat Shalom!

7-8-06