רמב"ן על התורה SelectedPiecesfromtheRamban’sCommentaryontheTorah

מלוקט ע"פ קונטרוס של הרה"ג ירחמיאל פרייד ענין פסוק פרקיט ב ד"ה זאת טעם לשריפת פרה בחוץ, ענין טומאת מת ומיתת צדיקים

ג הצורך באדם גדול דוקא לעבודת הפרה, והטעם לדבר ד"ה טז בסופו

ואנחנו אנו נהיה טמאים עד ביאת המשיח צדקינו

כ א ד"ה החטא כמה שיטות בחטא מי המריבה, ודעת רבינו בזה י הנסיון שנסה מש"ר את בנ"י באמונתם במי מריבה יג ד"ה והנכון החילוק שבין מעשה ספע הראשון למעשה סלע השני יד חסדו של הקב"ה הניכר ע"י הכאת מלאכים גדולים כו נס גדול שאירע לאהרן בהפשטת בגדיו בשעת מיתתו

כא ט הנס בתוך נס שבנחש הנחושת ומוסר ההשכל שבזה יג "כותבי ההיסטוריה" שבזמן החומש, והכרתם בה'

גור אריה להמהר"ל SelectedPiecesfromtheMaharal’sGurAryeh מלוקט ע"פ קונטרוס של הרה"ג יהושע דוד הרטמן

אות (ע"פ הוצאת ממכון פרק ירושלים)

ענין

טי א "חוקת התורה" מיוחדת לפרה אדומה, אע"פ שכל המצות הן גזרות לפני ה' ג סוד פרה אדומה נגלה רק למשה, ולכך היא נקראת על שמו ה שתי שערות פוסלת בפרה אדומה, ולא שערה אחת יא מילהמחלוקת בין חכמי צרפת לחכמי ספרד בהגדרת שורש של כ טומאת גולל ודופק, כאילו נגע במת עצמו כ ד"ה ומה חכמים דברו על המהות ולא על המוחש ועמדו על עצם הענין כז השייכות בין פרה אדומה לחטא העגל כח מתי חוששים ל"אין קטיגור נעשה סניגור" ומתי אין חוששים

כ ב וכפרת יום הכפוריםהכפרה שיש במיתת צדיקים הדומה לגפרת פרה אדומה ז ביאור חטאו של שמה בהכאת הסלע ח האם משה לא נכנס לא"י מחמת חטא מי מריבה או משום עבירה קודמת יח אין האדם נלקח אלא בדרבים, והטעם כג לא היתה במיתתו של משה בכיה מיוחדת לנשים, לעומת מיתת אהרן, והטעם

כא יב ה' מ"מ היה צורך גם בנחש אע"פ שהכל תלוי בכוונת לב כלפי יח מדוע לא חזר ההר של א"י למקומו אלא עד שעברו ישראל לג ביאור האגדה של הריגת עוג מלך הבשן

Foundations מי מריבהחטא

BigPeople,BigMistakes

ThisparsharecountsthestoryofMoshehittingtherock.Wewillexamplethisstoryandwhathappenswhenbigpeoplemakemistakes.

1. Reason for Moshe and Aharon’s punishment a. Mistake in Judgment - Moshe and Aharon found the wrong rock and tried to speak to it, when it

didn’t work, they hit it (Rashi 20:11). b. Lack of Emunah - Rambam (Shemoneh Perakim Ch. 4) - Moshe and Aharon were permitted to

hit the rock, the sin was that they became ANGRY. We see this from that fact that Moshe said angrily to the people: “Listen up you rebellious ones! (20:9)”. [See Mei’am Lo’ez 20:12-13 and Sifri 157 who also say Moshe spoke in anger.]

i. See Gur Aryeh here where he explains that anger demonstrates a lack of faith. Faith and happiness go hand in hand, if one isn’t happy, there is a lack of faith!

ii. The Ritva interestingly claims that by acting in anger, Moshe denied the fact that Hashem is “slow to anger”, one of His 13 attributes of mercy.

5ParshaHighlightsforFurtherDiscussion

• ThereisacommonmisconceptionthataChok,suchastheParahAduma/RedHeifer,isalawwithoutareason.TheRambamarguesthateveryChokhasareason;wejustdon’tunderstandthereasoningfromOURvantagepoint.EverysinglemitzvahwascommandedtousfromG-d’sInfiniteandDivineWisdom.Anylackofunderstandingcomesfromourend,notHis(MorehNevuchim3:26).

• RavHirschhasafascinatinginsightastothecolorsbehindtheParahAduma.Redrepresentsman’snaturalanimalisticdrive,thedrivetolive,whilewhiterepresentspurityandtheDivine.Manconfrontsthisdichotomymostwhenhecomesintocontactwithadeadperson-theforceofnature,thecolorred.Hehastofacethephysicalrealitythatheismortal,weak,andfragile.It’satthismomentthattheKohen,donnedinwhite,comestosprinkleashesupontheindividual.Thisistosignifythatthewhite,theDivine,iseternalandwillalwaystriumphoverthephysical.Similarlytheashes(aka.theburnedred)aretheretoremindusofthetruereality.Ourphysicalbodiesmayperish,butoursoulsareeternal.

• “ThisistheTorah:Whenapersondiesinatent…(19:14)”TheGemara(Brachos63b)explainsthatTorahstudywillonlyendurewithinthosewho“kill”themselvesoverit.Inordertomaintainnormalcywithinacommunity,thereneedtobethosewithinthecommunitywhoarewillingtogotoextremesforthesakeofthecommunity.RavKooksays,thereneedstobepeoplewithintheJewishcommunitywhogotoextremesanddedicatetheirlivestoTorahstudy,whichistheinternalinfrastructureofourpeople(EinEyahvol.II,p.390).

• Metalvesselsbecometameifromanyexternalforcethatinteractswithit,whileearthenwarevesselsrequiresomethingtameitoenterit.TheKotzkerRebbeexplainsthatametalobjecthasimportancebuiltintoit,itisanaturalcommodityofworth;thisiswhysomethingneedmerelytouchtheoutsideinordertoinflictitwithTuma.Anearthenwareobjectisjusttheopposite,foritismadeofnothingofinherentworth.Itsentireworthcomesfromtheinside,fromitsfunction.Humansarelikeearthenwarevessels,saystheKotzker.Wearemadefromthedustoftheearth.Ourimportanceonlycomesfromwhat’sontheinside,fromwhatwecandoandwhatwehaveaccomplished.

• TheincidentofMeiMerivawasfirsttimetheJewscomplainedin39years(seeAvos5:4andAruchin15a);intheinterimperiod,thenationwasperfect!TheJewsonlysinnedduringthetransitionstagesoftheirjourney-rightafterleavingEgyptandrightbeforeenteringEretzCanaan.RavSimchaZisselBrodyexplainsthatwhenpeopleareintransitionalstagesoftheirlife,itmakesthemmorepronetobaddecisionmaking(SamDerechonBamidbar).

c. Level of Spirituality i. Ibn Ezra (20:8) - Through complete d’veikus with Hashem, one is able to manipulate

nature; Moshe interrupted his complete d’veikus when he began to rebuke the nation. Since he had a temporary lapse in d’veikus, he wasn’t able to perform the miracle on the level it was originally supposed to be on (aka. through speaking to the rock). Instead, he had to resort to a lower level of miracle that was accomplished through more physical means (aka. through hitting the rock). It was this “lesser” miracle that constituted a Chilul Hashem; or more accurately, a lack of Kiddush Hashem.

d. Multiple reasons i. The Abarbanel (20:8) lists 11 reasons and then finally settles with his own chiddush

(which he brings 12 proofs for). Mei Meriva wasn’t the only sin that prevented Moshe and Aharon from entering the land. In reality, it was a combination of Cheit Ha’Egel for Aharon and Cheit Hameraglim for Moshe- Mei Meriva was the “straw that broke the camel’s back”.

2. Moshe’s Leadership Style a. If Moshe would have entered the land, the Beis Hamikdash would have never been destroyed,

and the conquest of the land would have occurred with no bloodshed. (Seforno Devarim 3:25-26, Bamidbar 1:2, and 10:35, Ohr Hachaim Devarim 1:37).

i. The Malbim believes that if Moshe entered the land, the entire redemption process would have been complete. Hashem realized that neither we nor the rest of the world were ready for such a monumental change, so Moshe couldn’t enter (Malbim, Torah Ohr, Bamidbar 14). Malbim also explains that when we sinned with the meraglim, we proved that WE didn’t deserve Moshe’s leadership. He sits in exile today because of us (Malbim, Bamidbar 20)!

3. Big People Making Big Mistakes i. Reality- “There is no righteous man on earth that does good and doesn’t sin” (Koheles

7:20). Koheles Rabbah (ibid.) says that this refers to tzedaka collectors who may distribute to unworthy people; even people with the upmost positive intentions will sin in their life.

ii. Yenuka D’Sitra Achra- The Noam Elimelech among other Kabbalists explain that a tzadik must sin in order to maintain his human characteristics- a.k.a. free choice. Without potential to sin, there is no difference between a man and a rock! (Noam Elimelech Lech Lecha and Shemos. See Shemini as well where Reb Meilech states that by witnessing a tzadik do teshuva, others will be inspired to do teshuva!).

iii. “Lose the battle and win the war…”-Rav Hutner once wrote a letter to one of his talmidim reassuring him that tzadikim weren’t always tzadikim; that they too had to fight long and hard to achieve their high spiritual levels. “Shlomo HaMelech once said (Mishlei 24:16), “The tzaddik will fall seven times and will rise.” The unlearned think that this means, “Even though a tzadik falls seven times, he will rise.” The wise know well that the meaning is: “Because a tzaddik falls seven times, he will rise…””(Pachad Yitzchak Igros U’Ksavim 128).

1. The more Chassidic terminology for this concept is “Yerida L’Tzorech Aliya”, falling for the sake of rising. In other words, failure is needed in order to attain spiritual heights, so failing is an essential part of (a “heicha timtza” for) success -it’s all part of the same process (Tzavas HaRivash 64; Tanya chap. 31, 36; Tzidkas Hatzadik 67).