B"H

Friday Tammuz 9, 5782 / July 8, 2022

One of the episodes in this week's Parsha, Chukat, is about the story of the "Nechash Hanechoshet" - "The Copper Serpent."

This episode took place at the end of the 40 years which the Jewish people spent in the Sinai desert. By this time, they were very close to The Promised Land and hoped to cross through the land of Edom into Israel.  But the nation of Edom refused to let them go through their land. As a result, the Jewish people had to make another turn and take a longer route through the desert.

The people congregated against Moshe, "Why have you taken us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?"

G-d punished the people for their rebellion.  The Torah tells us that, "G-d sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, and many of the people of Israel died."

Realizing their mistake they approached Moshe and said, "We have sinned for we have spoken against G-d and against you.  Pray to the L-rd that he take away the serpents from us."

Moshe prayed and G-d said to Moshe, "Make a fiery serpent and set it upon a pole so that when one is bitten by the serpent they will look up at the serpent on the pole and be healed.  Moshe made a serpent of copper.. and whoever was bitten by the venomous snakes they would look up to the snake on the pole and would be healed."

Our sages ask, "Is it possible that a serpent brings life? And why was the serpent placed on a pole?" 

They reply, "By placing it on a pole the people had to look up! As long as the Israelites looked upward and subjected their hearts to their Father in Heaven, they were healed."   

In other words; the serpent was only a messenger from G-d.  It was not the serpent which brought death or healing.  Rather, it was important that the Jews "look upward" to G-d.  Thus, the same type of messenger which caused death brought healing when the Jewish people repented and turned to G-d for help.

A Chasid, who found himself in a very difficult situation, came to Rabbi Shalom Dov Ber of Lubavitch and asked for his advice and blessings.  The Rebbe said to him, "I cannot help you."  After leaving the Rebbe's room, the Chasid went into the shul and burst out crying.  The Rebbe's brother took pity on him and said to the Rebbe, "Even if you cannot help him, at least give him your blessings."

The Rebbe thought for a while and asked that the Chasid come back.  Once inside, the Rebbe blessed him and told him not to worry for everything will be O.K.

The Rebbe's brother was puzzled, "Why didn't you give him your blessings the first time?"

The Rebbe answered, "When he first came to me I saw that there was no hope for his situation and I didn't see any way that he could be helped.  However, when he realized that I couldn't help him he prayed to G-d from the depth of his soul.  As a result of his prayers and crying, the decree has been nullified and he will be blessed."

SHABBAT SHALOM

Montreal candle lighting time: 8:26 / Shabbat ends: 9:40