Blog problems! Sorry that it seems no post has appeared here for a while...it seems to be working again!
So now on to the Torah portion Chukat....
The children of Israel are, to say the least, not an easy bunch! They reject their covenantal responsibilities time and again for a piece of meat, a golden calf, a sexy Moabite; they yearn for the “good old days” in Egypt. They are truly children, infantilized by slavery and unable to endure freedom.
Pushing this difficult group, Moses has the voice of the prophet, confronting evil, yet he remains humble. He demands that they understand the Torah they are receiving and refuses to accept either God's or the people's demands that his status be elevated. Yet the Torah is unequivocal – Moses is fatally flawed. He is condemned to die in the desert, forbidden entry to the Land of Israel, a land to which the people have dreamed of returning for 400 years.
In this week’s Torah portion the people rebel once again, complaining to Moses about the lack of water. God tells Moses to order the rock to yield its water. Moses then responds to the people: "Listen, you rebels, shall we get water for you out of this rock?" In his frustration with them, Moses hits the rock, water pours out and the people temporarily quench their thirst.
After enough pushing, even Moses lost his temper. This is exactly what makes Moses a realistic role model for all of us! He succumbed to his frustration, lost his temper, and hit the rock. He was human! How do we handle the most challenging situations in our lives? Can we avoid making a mistake that might have a negative impact on us or on others? Perhaps we should remember, through our own difficulties, that even Moses struggled with this problem and that there are no easy answers.
