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July 4, 2025 - 9 Tamuz 5785
Dear Friends, There are moments in life when the way we do or say something matters much more than the actual deeds or words we are offering. We know that the tone and volume of our voice, our body language, our demeanor, all have an outsized impact on the way what we're doing or saying will be received. Sometimes we do something nine times in a row just perfectly, but doing it the tenth time engenders frustration and exasperation. Not only is the intended effect missed, but sometimes it can even undo part or all of our previous successes. Moshe Rabbenu has such a moment in this week's Parashat, Chukat. After his sister Miriam dies, the Israelites are without water. They resort, once again, to railing against Moses, with their similar refrain: "If only we had perished when our brothers perished at the instance of the Eternal! Why have you brought the Eternal's congregation into this wilderness for us and our beasts to die there? 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!" Sounds familiar. No? God tells Moses and Aaron to assemble the people, to take the rod, and "order the rock to yield its water." Simple enough. Yet Moses, at the peak of years of frustration at the Israelites' grumbling and lack of faith, essentially goes rogue. Moses and Aaron gather the people in front of the rock, and Moses says to them, "Listen, you rebels, shall we get water for you out of this rock?" The text then tells us: וירם משה את ידו ויך את הסלע במטהו פעמים ויצאו מים רבים ותשת העדה ובעירם "Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod. Out came copious water, and the community and their beasts drank." So, they got their water. Right? All's well that ends well. Right? Wrong. The people may no longer have been thirsty, but God was displeased with Moses. The end-result may have been achieved, but how Moses did so was upsetting to Adonai. "Because you did not trust Me enough to affirm My sanctity in the sight of the Israelite people," God says, "Therefore you shall not lead this congregation into the land that I have given them." This must have been the most devastating spiritual gut-punch of all time. Moses let his anger get the best of him just one time, and suddenly God decrees that Moses will not have the privilege of setting foot in the Promised Land. By lashing out at the people, and specifically striking the rock rather than speaking to it, Moses stole the spotlight from God, making it about him rather than God. And God responds by saying, "Enough is enough. It's time for someone else to lead these people." One action, one tough instance, one moment of allowing emotions to get the better of us, can change everything. It can be a watershed, "before and after" kind of moment. One that we recall with rue and regret, and lament where it takes us. Perhaps this is unfair. Perhaps the punishment is greater than the crime. But that is also, unfortunately, how life is sometimes. One second, one word, one action, can be an inflection point in our lives. Rather than be fearful of that fact, we can embrace it, and be inspired by it, to be as present and conscious as we can possibly be, in order to make as many of our moments as possible good and meaningful, for ourselves and those around us. May we be inspired by Moshe Rabbenu to be wary of our deeds and words, knowing that even the smallest of them can have an enormous and lasting impact. Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Joshua Strom
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