Rabbi Reisman – Parshas Chukas 5770
20:5 ה וְלָמָה הֶעֱלִיתֻנוּ, מִמִּצְרַיִם, לְהָבִיא אֹתָנוּ, אֶל-הַמָּקוֹם הָרָע הַזֶּה: לֹא מְקוֹם זֶרַע, וּתְאֵנָה וְגֶפֶן וְרִמּוֹן, וּמַיִם אַיִן, לִשְׁתּוֹת Why did you bring us up from Mitzrayim to this terrible place, it is not a place of planting, nor of figs, grapes, or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink. The idea that it is not a place of planting is brought in Shulchan Aruch in Hilchos Kisui Hadam Siman 28, where it says that earth of the desert is not acceptable to be used for Kisui Hadam because you need Afar Haraui Litzmoiach, earth from which things can grow and since in the Midbar things can’t grow, it is not good earth.
We have a difficulty from Parshas Shelach 15:32 where we learned the story of the Mekoishesh Eitzim. לב וַיִּהְיוּ בְנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, בַּמִּדְבָּר; וַיִּמְצְאוּ, אִישׁ מְקֹשֵׁשׁ עֵצִים--בְּיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת This is the story of the person who according to the Gemara in Maseches Bava Basra 119a cut something that was growing from the ground on Shabbos which is the Issur of Toilesh and Koitzer. According to others he was Me’ameir, which is gathering things in the place that it grew. Either way, wood did grow in the Midbar. This would seem to contradict the Posuk here in Parshas Chukas that says that the Midbar is not a Makoim Zera, meaning that things can’t grow in the Midbar.
A second question. They complain that it is not a place of planting and that they do not have water. For the last 39 ½ years they had water however, now after Miriam’s death they do not have water. However, the complaint that they can’t plant anything is not something new, they had already lived like this in the Midbar for the last 39 ½ years. Why all of a sudden are they complaining now that it is not a place that things can grow?
A third question. It is not the nature of a person, who has never experienced something to complain about the lack of it, so since most of this generation had grown up in the Midbar why did they have this complaint about things not growing in the first place?
The Ohr Hachaim Hakadoish on the story of the Mekoishesh Eitzim in Parshas Shelach asks why did the Posuk say וַיִּהְיוּ בְנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, בַּמִּדְבָּר if throughout the whole Sefer Bamidbar the Yidden were in the Midbar? The Posuk is telling us that when Klal Yisrael was in the Midbar the Midbar was different. Normally nothing grew in the Midbar, however, when Klal Yisrael was in the Midbar the Be’eir Shel Miriam not only gave Klal Yisrael water to drink but also provided nutrients for the Midbar for things to grow like orchards and gardens. So the Posuk is really coming to answer our question. The Bnei Yisrael were in the Midbar and then there was a Mekoishesh Eitzim, because it was possible to find things growing in the Midbar at this time because of the Be’eir Shel Miriam. Mimeila all the questions are answered. This is why they were missing things that grew because Miriam had been Nifteres and there was no water to give nutrients to the earth in order that things should grow.
20:5 ה וְלָמָה הֶעֱלִיתֻנוּ, מִמִּצְרַיִם, לְהָבִיא אֹתָנוּ, אֶל-הַמָּקוֹם הָרָע הַזֶּה: לֹא מְקוֹם זֶרַע, וּתְאֵנָה וְגֶפֶן וְרִמּוֹן, וּמַיִם אַיִן, לִשְׁתּוֹת Why did you bring us up from Mitzrayim to this terrible place, it is not a place of planting, nor of figs, grapes, or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink. The idea that it is not a place of planting is brought in Shulchan Aruch in Hilchos Kisui Hadam Siman 28, where it says that earth of the desert is not acceptable to be used for Kisui Hadam because you need Afar Haraui Litzmoiach, earth from which things can grow and since in the Midbar things can’t grow, it is not good earth.
We have a difficulty from Parshas Shelach 15:32 where we learned the story of the Mekoishesh Eitzim. לב וַיִּהְיוּ בְנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, בַּמִּדְבָּר; וַיִּמְצְאוּ, אִישׁ מְקֹשֵׁשׁ עֵצִים--בְּיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת This is the story of the person who according to the Gemara in Maseches Bava Basra 119a cut something that was growing from the ground on Shabbos which is the Issur of Toilesh and Koitzer. According to others he was Me’ameir, which is gathering things in the place that it grew. Either way, wood did grow in the Midbar. This would seem to contradict the Posuk here in Parshas Chukas that says that the Midbar is not a Makoim Zera, meaning that things can’t grow in the Midbar.
A second question. They complain that it is not a place of planting and that they do not have water. For the last 39 ½ years they had water however, now after Miriam’s death they do not have water. However, the complaint that they can’t plant anything is not something new, they had already lived like this in the Midbar for the last 39 ½ years. Why all of a sudden are they complaining now that it is not a place that things can grow?
A third question. It is not the nature of a person, who has never experienced something to complain about the lack of it, so since most of this generation had grown up in the Midbar why did they have this complaint about things not growing in the first place?
The Ohr Hachaim Hakadoish on the story of the Mekoishesh Eitzim in Parshas Shelach asks why did the Posuk say וַיִּהְיוּ בְנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, בַּמִּדְבָּר if throughout the whole Sefer Bamidbar the Yidden were in the Midbar? The Posuk is telling us that when Klal Yisrael was in the Midbar the Midbar was different. Normally nothing grew in the Midbar, however, when Klal Yisrael was in the Midbar the Be’eir Shel Miriam not only gave Klal Yisrael water to drink but also provided nutrients for the Midbar for things to grow like orchards and gardens. So the Posuk is really coming to answer our question. The Bnei Yisrael were in the Midbar and then there was a Mekoishesh Eitzim, because it was possible to find things growing in the Midbar at this time because of the Be’eir Shel Miriam. Mimeila all the questions are answered. This is why they were missing things that grew because Miriam had been Nifteres and there was no water to give nutrients to the earth in order that things should grow.
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