This entry is this substack's original intent: Raf's Dvar/Riff Torah -- Recently redirected for the "Is Raf OK?" series (at the well advised impetus of sister Tanya).
Select Parsha Highlights
זֹ֚את חֻקַּ֣ת הַתּוֹרָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֥ה יְהֹוָ֖ה לֵאמֹ֑ר דַּבֵּ֣ר | אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְיִקְח֣וּ אֵלֶ֩יךָ֩ פָרָ֨ה אֲדֻמָּ֜ה תְּמִימָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֤ר אֵֽין־בָּהּ֙ מ֔וּם אֲשֶׁ֛ר לֹֽא־עָלָ֥ה עָלֶ֖יהָ עֹֽל
This is the ritual law that יהוה has commanded: Instruct the Israelite people to bring you a red cow without blemish, in which there is no defect and on which no yoke has been laid. [JPS]
The aspects, attributes and applications of the Red Heifer.
A crisis of water.
Sticks, stones and words - granted
A request to cross the land of Edom - denied
The death of Aaron
War with the King of Arad
Another rebellion:
ה: וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר הָעָ֗ם בֵּֽאלֹהִים֘ וּבְמשֶׁה֒ לָמָ֤ה הֶֽעֱלִיתֻ֨נוּ֙ מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם לָמ֖וּת בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר כִּ֣י אֵ֥ין לֶ֨חֶם֙ וְאֵ֣ין מַ֔יִם וְנַפְשֵׁ֣נוּ קָ֔צָה בַּלֶּ֖חֶם הַקְּלֹקֵֽל
and the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why did you make us leave Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread and no water, and we have come to loathe this miserable food.” [JPS]\
A pestilence of venomous snakes [הַנְּחָשִׁ֣ים הַשְּׂרָפִ֔ים] besets the tribe
Moses is instructed to make a kind of copper-snake-amulet. Looking at this amulet cures one of a snake bite.
A request to cross the land of king Sichon of the Amorites - denied
A battle
And much more.
A parsha of words, deeds, amulets and the mystical. The ashes of the Red Heifer are, conceptually and practically, required to support the framework of ritual purity. This framework is given in this parsha and then built up further in the Mishnah and Gemara. Many of the principles flow from the verse:
יד: זֹ֚את הַתּוֹרָ֔ה אָדָ֖ם כִּֽי־יָמ֣וּת בְּאֹ֑הֶל כָּל־הַבָּ֤א אֶל־הָאֹ֨הֶל֙ וְכָל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר בָּאֹ֔הֶל יִטְמָ֖א שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִֽים
This is the ritual: When a person dies in a tent, whoever enters the tent and whoever is in the tent shall be impure seven days;
and
and every open vessel, with no lid fastened down, shall be impure.
We have a specific set of attitudes toward death. The attitudes are embodied in ritual effects of impurity. These effects apply to people and objects. The “roof-object” (the boundaries of the tent) contain how far the effect spreads.
And then we need some special ashes.
The ashes aren't used in making water or war. Those domains are activated with words and actions. First, Moses is to speak to the rock. Then to use the stick on the rock. [How to use the stick? That's another story.] When seeking to cross a kingdom, first a messenger is sent with words. When those words are met with swords, war ensues.
Twice in this parsha, the people complain. Not mutterings but "stop the show, Moses must listen right now" complaints. First:
ב: וְלֹא־הָ֥יָה מַ֖יִם לָֽעֵדָ֑ה וַיִּקָּ֣הֲל֔וּ עַל־משֶׁ֖ה וְעַל־אַהֲרֹֽן
The community had no water, so they assembled against Moses and Aaron.
ג: וַיָּ֥רֶב הָעָ֖ם עִם־משֶׁ֑ה וַיֹּֽאמְר֣וּ לֵאמֹ֔ר וְל֥וּ גָוַ֛עְנוּ בִּגְוַ֥ע אַחֵ֖ינוּ לִפְנֵ֥י יְהֹוָֽה
The people argued with Moses, and said, “If only we had expired the way our brothers expired before God.
ד: וְלָמָ֤ה הֲבֵאתֶם֙ אֶת־קְהַ֣ל יְהֹוָ֔ה אֶל־הַמִּדְבָּ֖ר הַזֶּ֑ה לָמ֣וּת שָׁ֔ם אֲנַ֖חְנוּ וּבְעִירֵֽנוּ
Why have you brought יהוה’s congregation into this wilderness for us and our beasts to die there?
וְלָמָ֤ה הֶֽעֱלִיתֻ֙נוּ֙ מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם לְהָבִ֣יא אֹתָ֔נוּ אֶל־הַמָּק֥וֹם הָרָ֖ע הַזֶּ֑ה לֹ֣א ׀ מְק֣וֹם זֶ֗רַע וּתְאֵנָ֤ה וְגֶ֙פֶן֙ וְרִמּ֔וֹן וּמַ֥יִם אַ֖יִן לִשְׁתּֽוֹת
Why did you make us leave Egypt to bring us to this wretched place, a place with no grain or figs or vines or pomegranates? There is not even water to drink!”
The People remember how bountiful life had been in Egypt, and observe how bleak their current environs. While we understand the Torah is not strictly chronological, we are reading this just two weeks after the Scouts' report that their destination is a place of abundance.
What to make of this contrast?
To the Tribe's credit, they seem to be "using their words." (In contrast to the incidents of Korach, the Golden Calf, and others.)
Some verses later:
ה: וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר הָעָ֗ם בֵּֽאלֹהִים֘ וּבְמשֶׁה֒ לָמָ֤ה הֶֽעֱלִיתֻ֨נוּ֙ מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם לָמ֖וּת בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר כִּ֣י אֵ֥ין לֶ֨חֶם֙ וְאֵ֣ין מַ֔יִם וְנַפְשֵׁ֣נוּ קָ֔צָה בַּלֶּ֖חֶם הַקְּלֹקֵֽל
and the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why did you make us leave Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread and no water, and we have come to loathe this miserable food.” [JPS]
The phrase "נַפְשֵׁ֣נוּ קָ֔צָה בַּלֶּ֖חֶם הַקְּלֹקֵֽל" is... challenging to translate. It is often translated as referring to the manna as "light/airy bread." In all events, it communicates dissatisfaction. That the "light bread's" quantity or quality leaves the consumer hungry or somehow wanting.
Across the variegated contexts (ritual impurity, drought and war), there is a consistent theme of actions over words: Are special ashes needed? Yes. But one still must wait a significant amount of time and perform a ritual in order to change states. Likewise, when it is time for the miracle of water, it isn't just words. An action with stick and stone is required. The action has effect even though Moses muffs, er, changes, the words from what G-d instructs.
The Copper Snake, however, differs. Profoundly, perhaps.
To recap, G-d sends venomous snakes against the People:
ו: וַיְשַׁלַּ֨ח יְהֹוָ֜ה בָּעָ֗ם אֵ֚ת הַנְּחָשִׁ֣ים הַשְּׂרָפִ֔ים וַיְנַשְּׁכ֖וּ אֶת־הָעָ֑ם וַיָּ֥מָת עַם־רָ֖ב מִיִּשְׂרָאֵֽל
G-d sent the venomous snakes against the people, and they bit the people, and many Israelites died.
What?
הַנְּחָשִׁ֣ים הַשְּׂרָפִ֔ים - Snakes [whose bites] burn. We might render it as "burning/flaming snakes" but it is clear, in all cases, that their bites are deadly: וַיָּ֥מָת עַם־רָ֖ב מִיִּשְׂרָאֵֽל - many people died [from their bites].
Why?
Rashi cites the Tanchuma (parentheticals by Raf):
וַיְנַשְּׁכוּ אֵת הָעָם יָבֹא נָחָשׁ שֶׁלָּקָה עַל הוֹצָאַת דִּבָּה וְיִפָּרַע מִמּוֹצִיאֵי דִּבָּה, יָבֹא נָחָשׁ שֶׁכָּל הַמִּינִין נִטְעָמִין לוֹ טַעַם אֶחָד וְיִפָּרַע מִכְּפוּיֵי טוֹבָה שֶׁדָּבָר אֶחָד מִשְׁתַּנֶּה לָהֶם לְכַמָּה מַטְעַמִּים (תנחומא):
And they bit the people. Let the snake, who was punished for slander [in the Garden of Eden], come and exact punishment from these people who slander [speaking out against Moses, Aaron and the National Project]; let the snake, to whom all types of food taste the same [an interesting assumption?], come and exact punishment from ungrateful people for whom one thing (the manna) can have several varying tastes.
The people beseech Moses for relief from the snakes. They know why the snakes were set on them:
ז: וַיָּבֹא֩ הָעָ֨ם אֶל־משֶׁ֜ה וַיֹּֽאמְר֣וּ חָטָ֗אנוּ כִּֽי־דִבַּ֤רְנוּ בַֽיהֹוָה֙ וָבָ֔ךְ הִתְפַּלֵּל֙ אֶל־יְהֹוָ֔ה וְיָסֵ֥ר מֵֽעָלֵ֖ינוּ אֶת־הַנָּחָ֑שׁ וַיִּתְפַּלֵּ֥ל משֶׁ֖ה בְּעַ֥ד הָעָֽם
The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against God and against you. Pray to God that He remove the snakes from us.” Moses prayed on behalf of the people.
Moses turns to G-d, receives instructions, and then:
ט: וַיַּ֤עַשׂ משֶׁה֙ נְחַ֣שׁ נְח֔שֶׁת וַיְשִׂמֵ֖הוּ עַל־הַנֵּ֑ס וְהָיָ֗ה אִם־נָשַׁ֤ךְ הַנָּחָשׁ֙ אֶת־אִ֔ישׁ וְהִבִּ֛יט אֶל־נְחַ֥שׁ הַנְּח֖שֶׁת וָחָֽי
Moses made a copper snake and put it on a pole. If a snake had bitten a person and he looked/gazed/concentrated toward the copper snake, he lived.
Rashi citing Breshit Raba (parentheticals & emphasis by Raf):
נְחַשׁ נְחשֶׁת
לֹא נֶאֱמַר לוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹתוֹ שֶׁל נְחֹשֶׁת, אֶלָּא אָמַר מֹשֶׁה, הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא קוֹרְאוֹ נָחָשׁ וַאֲנִי אֶעֱשֶׂנּוּ שֶׁל נְחֹשֶׁת, לָשׁוֹן נוֹפֵל עַל לָשׁוֹן (בראשית רבה ל"א)
A copper snake. He [Moses] was not told to make it from copper. However, Moses said: “The Holy One, blessed be He, calls it נָחָשׁ, and I will make it from copper (נְחֹשֶׁת), since they are similar words.”
This is Rashi observing Moses being a linguist. Or a poet. It is doubly interesting because in the actual command to make a snake-on-a-stick, G-d does not use the world נחש - rather, the command is to "עֲשֵׂ֤ה לְךָ֙ שָׂרָ֔ף וְשִׂ֥ים אֹת֖וֹ עַל־נֵ֑ס" - make a viper and put it on a stick.
But the steak comes later in ט above:
וְהָיָ֗ה אִם־נָשַׁ֤ךְ הַנָּחָשׁ֙ אֶת־אִ֔ישׁ וְהִבִּ֛יט אֶל־נְחַ֥שׁ הַנְּח֖שֶׁת וָחָֽי
if a person was bitten, and הִבִּ֛יט at the copper snake, he lived
In the other verses related to this amulet, the simple word, לראות - look at/see - is used. But in the final verse which describes the amulet's actual use, a different word appears: להביט
להביט is defined as "turning one's attention toward." If you look at me with an angry face, it is מבט כועס. Unlike the simple action of “seeing” or “looking at,” להביט is focused, intentional attention. It is a deliberate orientation.
It is an action that includes intention.
This amulet heals in this way because the malady being cured, slander, arises from either lack of intention (read: carelessness) or an evil one.
The cure requires an adjustment at that level.
The amulet does not effect the cure. It is a prompt to cure thine self.
Amulet: Prompt.
In the parsha. Not the dictionary.
(Thanks to A.K.)