The importance of a big sister

Chukat


Numbers 19:1 - 22:1

Précis: The parasha begins with a discussion of the Red Heifer, used for ritual purification after one comes into contact with a dead body. The story then shifts to the death of Miriam, and the mourning by the entire people for her in the wilderness of Zin. With her death, the well of water which had accompanied their travels disappears, and Moses strikes a rock to provide water to the People, and learns that as a result he will not enter the Land. Soon thereafter, Aaron also dies and the Israelites engage in warfare with the Canaanites in a series of battles which end the parasha.

Numbers 20:12 "Because you did not trust Me enough to affirm My sanctity in the sight of the Israelite people, therefore you shall not lead this congregation into the land that I have given them."

One might think that the Bible would tell us more about the crisis which suddenly puts an end to the leadership of Moses. For what appears to be little reason, he is denied entry into the Promised Land. His twice striking of a rock to produce water needed by the Israelites (instead of speaking to it as God had ordered him to do) seems wholly inadequate to justify his most cherished ambition.

As is often the case, when the text itself offers little explanation, the rabbinic literature seems to rush in to fill the void. As noted by Ismar Schorsch, writing in the Chancellor’s Parashah Commentary (6/16/99), paying attention to the sequence of events can give us clues to what is not explicitly stated.

In our parasha, in rapid-fire order, the people arrive at the Wilderness of Zin. Miriam dies, and is buried. The people demand water, and Moses strikes a rock, with the dire consequences we observe. The Sages saw a connection between Miriam’s death and Moses’ actions: the lack of water came about because she had died. While Miriam lived, God providing a travelling well to accompany the People. When she died, the well disappeared, and Moses was forced to find an alternative source, leading to his downfall.

Imagine, for a moment, how important Miriam must have been to Moses. He owed life to her, since it was she who protected him in the Nile and persuaded Pharaoh’s daughter to allow his birth-mother to serve as his baby nurse. She helped lead the celebration at the Sea. When she died, his capacity to lead the People, based on his unlimited love of the People, disappeared. He bitterly calls them “rebels” as he strikes the rock that will bring his doom. As Rabbi Schorsch reminds us, “Prophecy is as much about defending Israel before God as it is about delivering God's will to Israel.”

Lessons? I see that there is room in our tradition to revere the role of women in our lives, not only in the background, and not only in ways limited to their gender. We also learn here that the “feminine” attribute of unreserved love is a necessary to attain prophetic status. Speaking as a male, since we seem to be fairly short of prophets these days, we’d certainly all be better off if we sought to fashion our actions after Moses, who himself was best guided by his sister.