For almost 40 years while the Jews were traveling in the desert, their
source of water was the Be’er: a large rock that provided the water they
needed to survive. The Jewish nation consisted of about 3 million people,
and they took many animals with them when they went out of Mitzraim, so they
required millions of gallons of water each day. The Be’er provided all they
needed and more. But when Miriam died, the rock disappeared, and the Klal
Yisroel recognized that their survival was in jeopardy. HASHEM told Moshe
Rabbeinu to go out into the desert, speak to the rock, and bring it back.
When Moshe and Aharon went to seek the rock, they spoke to it and received
no response. Moshe then assumed that just as it was necessary to hit the
rock when the Jews first went out into the desert, so too now. When he hit
the rock, it began pouring forth water.
Later, HASHEM told Moshe and Aaron that they had erred. HASHEM told them to
speak to the rock, and it was through the power of speech that the miracle
was to come about. On some level they were lacking in their trust in HASHEM,
and this caused them to miscalculate. Had they been more complete in their
trust, they would have used words alone, and the rock would have provided
the water.
Rashi tells us that because of this mistake, the Jewish People lost out on a
great lesson. Had Moshe only spoken to the rock, the Jews would have said to
themselves, “A rock doesn’t require sustenance, yet it listens to the word
of HASHEM; surely, we, who rely on HASHEM for parnassa, must listen to Him.”
However, since Moshe hit the rock instead of speaking to it, that lesson was
lost.
Rashi seems to be saying that if Moshe had spoken to the rock, the Jewish
people would have increased their level of service to HASHEM. They would
have realized that their livelihood was dependent upon their doing Mitzvahs,
and this would have added focus and precision in the way that they fulfilled
them.
Reward for Mitzvahs isn’t in this world
There are two problems with understanding this Rashi. One is that the
Gemarah tells us that the reward for Mitzvahs is not in this world. While it
is true that HASHEM rewards every good a person does, the place of that
reward is in the World to Come. In fact, it is considered a curse to use up
your payment in this world – something that is reserved for wicked people.
The second problem with this Rashi is that any motivational system must be
tailored to fit the audience. The people of this generation received the
Torah on Har Sinai. They spent almost forty years eating Mon, surrounded by
the Clouds of Glory, completely immersed in Torah. They were on the highest
madreigah of any generation in history. How could they be motivated by
something so mundane as earning their daily bread? It sounds like a weak
motivation for this group.
Obstacles that prevent us from serving
HASHEM
The answer to this question is based on the Rambam in Hilchos Tshuvah, Perek
9 where he explains that even though we don’t receive reward for doing
Mitzvahs in this world, if a person keeps the Torah properly, then HASHEM
will remove all of the obstacles that normally prevent a person from keeping
the mitzvahs. For instance, sickness, war, poverty, and hunger prevent a
person from learning or fulfilling the Mitzvahs. If a person is happy and
dedicates himself to keeping the Torah, HASHEM will shower him with all of
the requirements to better serve Him, including peace, tranquility,
well-being, sustenance, and all else that a person needs to follow the
Torah.
The Rambam is telling us that since HASHEM created the world in order to
have man follow the Torah, when a person uses the world properly, then
HASHEM allows him to have his needs met in this world without strain. All
this will help him better serve HASHEM.
HASHEM was telling Moshe and Aharon that this lesson would have greatly
affected the generation of the desert, but it was lost. Had the people seen
the rock obeying HASHEM’s command, they would have been moved to a powerful
realization. The rock doesn’t have needs, yet it listens to HASHEM. How much
more so should we, who have so many needs. Who provides for our needs?
HASHEM. And HASHEM has promised that if we follow in his ways, He will
remove all obstacles from our path. But if we don’t listen…
That was a lesson that would have affected even this generation because
their very survival depends on it. While people may have many lofty motives,
one of our strongest drives is self-preservation. Had that generation come
to a more clear recognition that their existence was dependent upon keeping
the Torah, it would have changed even their appreciation — but it was a
lesson lost.
Earning a living isn’t easy
The concept that HASHEM takes care of our needs when we use our lives
properly can be a great source of motivation. Earning a living isn’t easy.
Market economies rise and fall. Entire industries come and go. Careers that
are in high demand in one decade are outsourced and sent overseas the next.
Financial security in an ever-changing world is fragile at best.
While our main motivation to keep the Torah is that HASHEM commanded us to
do it for our benefit in the World to Come, the reality is that we live in
this world. We have bills to pay, children to put through school, and many,
many financial obligations. Knowing that HASHEM will remove the obstacles
standing in my way, as long as I dedicate myself to passionately keeping the
Torah, can be a great impetus to growth.
This is not to say that life will be a bed of roses. There will still be
Nisyonos, life tests and different settings that we need for various
reasons. However, the basic starting position is that HASHEM will take care
of my needs so that I can better serve Him. That understanding can aid
people in focusing on their true purpose in this world and allow them a much
greater degree of success in all of their endeavors.
More on this topic please listen to Shmuz
#161 – April 15th The Test of Emunah
