Why Did The Water Stop When Miriam Died? - Chukas 5771

We are always taught that Tzaddikim B’misasan K’dolim Mai’B’chayeihem, חולין ז: סנהדרין מז the Zechusim of a Tzaddik after death are greater than the Zechusim of his lifetime. He can be Poel, he can do more in death then when he was alive. Certainly we see that by Eliyahu Hanavi and his influence on Elisha. I have a problem with the Parsha, we are told that for 40 years in the Midbar the Zechus of Miriam kept the B’eir flowing. Water kept flowing from the B’eir Bizchus Miriam. As soon as Miriyam dies in this week’s Parsha, the B’eir ceases to give water and it is necessary for Moshe Rabbeinu to have the incident with the Mei Miriva.

I don’t understand, Tzaddikim B’misasan K’dolim Mai’B’chayeihem. Why couldn’t Miriyam continue to be the Zechus for the B’eir at that time? Tzorech Iyun Gadol M’od.

First Miracles - Beshalach 5772

We make a big fuss over Kriyas Yam Suf, an extraordinary miracle, yet we find in the first Perek of the Chullin 7a (18 lines from the bottom) (מאי בהמתן של צדיקים דרבי פנחס בן יאיר הוה קאזיל לפדיון שבויין פגע ביה בגינאי נהרא אמר ליה גינאי חלוק לי מימך ואעבור בך אמר ליה אתה הולך לעשות רצון קונך ואני הולך לעשות רצון קוני אתה ספק עושה ספק אי אתה עושה אני ודאי עושה אמר ליה אם אי אתה חולק גוזרני עליך שלא יעברו בך מים לעולם חלק ליה הוה ההוא גברא דהוה דארי חיטי לפיסחא אמר ליה חלוק ליה נמי להאי דבמצוה עסיק חלק ליה הוה ההוא טייעא דלווה בהדייהו אמר ליה חלוק ליה נמי להאי דלא לימא כך עושים לבני לויה חלק ליה אמר רב יוסף כמה נפיש גברא ממשה ושתין רבוון דאילו התם חד זימנא והכא תלתא זימנין ודלמא הכא נמי חדא זימנא אלא כמשה ושתין רבוון) that a Tanna was able to split the waters in order to cross. Pinchas Ben Yair was Chileik Nahar Gina’i. When he had to cross a river he caused it to split so that he would cross. Of course Pinchas Ben Yair was a great person one of the greatest Tannaim. Still the majesty of the event of splitting the Yam Suf is presented here in the Torah and is part of our Davening. It is a major event in the history of Klal Yisrael as something that is so extraordinary. Yet we find that a Tanna someone many generations later was able to do the same miracle. This is something that needs some sort of explanation.

When the Navi Shiur began many years ago, one of the first events that we learned about at the beginning of Shmuel Aleph was the taking of the Aron by the Pelishtim in battle. The Pelishtim captured the Aron Hashem which had been taken into battle by Klal Yisrael. That Aron was later returned because of different tragedies that befell the Pelishtim in every place that the Aron was kept.

The Aron was returned by being put on a wagon and cows were attached to the wagon and left to walk wherever they desired. They went straight back to Beis Shemesh to a city of Klal Yisrael. Chazal teach us in Shmuel Aleph Perek 6:12 (וַיִּשַּׁרְנָה הַפָּרוֹת בַּדֶּרֶךְ, עַל-דֶּרֶךְ בֵּית שֶׁמֶשׁ, בִּמְסִלָּה אַחַת הָלְכוּ הָלֹךְ וְגָעוֹ, וְלֹא-סָרוּ יָמִין וּשְׂמֹאול; וְסַרְנֵי פְלִשְׁתִּים הֹלְכִים אַחֲרֵיהֶם, עַד-גְּבוּל בֵּית שָׁמֶשׁ) and Rashi brings that the animals miraculously sang Hallel as they came back to Beis Shemesh. The question we asked then was a very similar question to the one that I am asking here today. The Torah makes such a big deal about the speaking of Bilam’s donkey. Ad K’dei Kach, it is considered such an extraordinary miracle that the Mishnah in Maseches Avos says in the 5^th Perek (עשרה דברים נבראו בין השמשות--פי הארץ, פי הבאר, פי האתון, והקשת, והמן, והמטה, והשמיר, והכתב, והמכתב, והלוחות. ויש אומרין אף המזיקין, וקבורתו של משה, ואילו של אברהם. ויש אומרין אף צבת בצבת עשויה) a number of things were created Bain Hashmashos and one of them is the Pi Ha’ason (פי האתון). The idea that an animal can speak is considered to be so extraordinary and it is presented that way regarding Bilam, yet here we find that cows miraculously sang Shirah.

At that time we found in one of the Rishonim (I think it was the Chiddushei HaRaivad on Maseches Makkos) who said that the Ikkur of a miracle is the first time something happens. That such a thing can happen in the world. The fact that it repeats is not as miraculous because all of nature is a miracle that repeats itself. So every time it rains, water coming down from heaven is a miracle. But nature is a miracle that repeats itself. So although an animal speaking will forever be considered a miracle, still the first time it happens it has a special level of miracle. 

Now I have found that this Yesod is brought by Rav Shimon Sofer who printed the original printing of the Chasam Sofer’s Toras Moshe (Divrei Torah on the Chumash) and anywhere in the Toras Moshe that you have a paragraph with an asterisk at the beginning of the paragraph that asterisk denotes that the paragraph is a Chiddush of Rav Shimon Sofer.

Rav Shimon Sofer on the Posuk of V’shilachti Es Yadi discusses this Yesod on his own. He says anything that already had been before, that is the source of miracles that repeated themselves.  Then it is not as extraordinary when it repeats itself. With that he explains here by Kriyas Yam Suf. The fact that Kriyas Yam Suf is such an extraordinary miracle and yet we find that the miracle repeats itself by Pinchas Ben Yair. So this is the Yesod that he said.

I would add that based on this we can understand that the first time that the Man fell it was an extraordinary miracle and not so when it repeated itself and became nature to the people who grew up in the Midbar. That would explain why the first Man was put away (was hidden) L’doros. This is because the first Man was with an extraordinary miraculous power and therefore, that was hidden.

If you look at the Chasam Sofer he explains with this a Dvar Torah regarding Purim as well

Poshut Pshat - Va'eira 5772

Let me begin with Rav Moshe’s Vort which is at the end of the Parsha 9:33. At the end of the Parsha we find the last Makkah in Parshas Va’eira the Makkah of Barad. When it comes to an end the Posuk says (וַיֵּצֵא מֹשֶׁה מֵעִם פַּרְעֹה, אֶת-הָעִיר, וַיִּפְרֹשׂ כַּפָּיו, אֶל-יְרוָר; וַיַּחְדְּלוּ הַקֹּלוֹת וְהַבָּרָד, וּמָטָר לֹא-נִתַּךְ אָרְצָה). The hail came to an end and the rain did not hit the ground. Rashi explains (ואף אותן שהיו באויר לא הגיעו לארץ). Even the rain drops that were already in midair did not hit the ground. Moshe was Mispalel for the Makkah to end and it came to an abrupt end.
The question naturally is what is the purpose of this extraordinary Nais this is more of a miracle than the rain and Barad just stopping on its own. It is sort of a Neis B’soch Neis, a double miracle. What is the purpose? Why did Hakadosh Baruch Hu do this extra miracle and make it not hit the ground and what is the lesson for us?
Rav Moshe says that this comes to teach us a lesson. Hakadosh Baruch Hu behaves or Kavayochel the way Hashem reveals himself to us as behaving in a way that human beings should emulate. Moshe Rabbeinu made a request and said let the Makkah come to an end. The Ribbono Shel Olam showed that when the Tzaddik is Gozer, Hakadosh Baruch Hu is Mikayeim. That when the Ribbono Shel Olam does what is asked of him he does it completely and totally. He does it in a way that the request is formulated. Just as the request was formulated for it to come to an end which implies that even that which is in midair not hit the ground, the Ribbono Shel Olam did so despite the fact that it was not a necessary piece or necessary part of the request.
Rav Moshe brings another example that the Ramban says there was never another locust infestation in Mitzrayim of the type that happened here. That was for the same reason, because Moshe Rabbeinu Davened that the Arbe (the Makka of locusts) come to an end and it came to an end totally even for future generations. Again, Moshe Rabbeinu didn’t mean it, but nevertheless since that is what he requested that is what took place. The lesson is to be Mikayeim to do the words of the Tzaddik as they were requested even though it wasn’t meant to that degree.
Says Rav Moshe, it is meant to teach us that that is the way we too should behave. This small Vort of Rav Moshe actually touches on an extraordinary Yesod which it says in a number of sources. There is a Mitzvah L’kayeim Pashtei Dik’ra. That even when Torah She’bal Peh teaches us regarding certain Mitzvos that they don’t have to be done precisely in the way that it is spelled out in the Torah, nevertheless Mitzvah L’kayeim Pashtei Dik’ra.
A source for this is a Ritva in the last Perek of Yevamos. The Ritva there refers to a Gemara regarding the shoe that is used during Chalitzah. The Posuk says in Devarim 25:9 (וְחָלְצָה נַעֲלוֹ מֵעַל רַגְלוֹ). She removes his shoe from his foot. The Gemara says does it have to be his shoe? It doesn’t have to belong to him. It is adequate that it fit his foot. On that the Ritva comments that even though during the Chalitzah ceremony it is not necessary that the shoe belong to the man, nevertheless Mitzvah L’kayeim Pashtei Dik’ra. The simple meaning of the Posuk is that it be his shoe and that is the way it should be done. That is indeed what we do. We are Makneh the shoe to the man and the man is the technical owner of the shoe until after the ceremony.
We find a similar idea in Yoreh Dai’a in the Halachos of Shiluach Hakan. The Mitzvah of sending away a mother is found in Devarim 22:6 -7 (ו כִּי יִקָּרֵא קַן-צִפּוֹר לְפָנֶיךָ בַּדֶּרֶךְ בְּכָל-עֵץ אוֹ עַל-הָאָרֶץ, אֶפְרֹחִים אוֹ בֵיצִים, וְהָאֵם רֹבֶצֶת עַל-הָאֶפְרֹחִים, אוֹ עַל-הַבֵּיצִים--לֹא-תִקַּח הָאֵם, עַל-הַבָּנִים ז שַׁלֵּחַ תְּשַׁלַּח אֶת-הָאֵם, וְאֶת-הַבָּנִים תִּקַּח-לָךְ, לְמַעַן יִיטַב לָךְ, וְהַאֲרַכְתָּ יָמִים). Taking the pigeon or the eggs. There is a Teshuva from the Chacham Tzvi which is brought in Yoreh Dai’a and in the Meforshim of Yore Dai’a. He was asked if it is necessary to take the babies or the eggs or is it enough to just send away the mother. He answered that the Mitzvah is just Shiluach, to send away the mother. Nevertheless it is a Mitzvah L’kayeim Pashtei Dik’ra. It is good to be Mikayeim the simple meaning of the Posuk and to pick up the eggs and acquire them. You can put them back afterwards. (וְאֶת-הַבָּנִים תִּקַּח-לָךְ), to acquire that which is in it. Again, Mitzvah L’kayeim Pashtei Dik’ra.
A third source is in the Mikraei Kodesh which is in the volume on Sukkos where it talks about the well-known Halacha that when one has Hadasim the leaves are supposed to be in groups of three. How much of the Hadas have to have Hadasim Mishulash (groups of three)?
The Halacha is Ruba K’kula, it is enough if most of the Hadas have it and you don’t need all of it. Nevertheless the Halacha says it is M’hudar (better) if the entire Hadas is Mishulash. Why? Rav Tzvi Pesach Frank in Mikraei Kodesh brings the same idea and he quotes the Ritva and says the same thing here. He says, the simple meaning of a Hadas is something that is Mishulash, something that is in 3’s and Mitzvah L’kayeim Pashtei Dik’ra.
By Hilchos Shechita we learn that it is enough to cut most of the Simanim, the required parts of the animal but L’chatchila we try to cut it entirely. Even though Ruba K’kula, Mitzvah L’kayeim the Pashtus of the Mitzvah which is to do it without an exemption of Ruba K’kula.
And so Rav Moshe’s Vort on the lesson of the Parsha ties in well with something that we do indeed find in Halacha, the idea of Mitzvah of Mitzvah L’kayeim Pashtei Dik’ra. Just as Hakadosh Baruch Hu showed us with his behavior towards Moshe Rabbeinu, he kept the words that Moshe Rabbeinu asked even though that wasn’t the intention of Moshe Rabbeinu to make the rain stop in midair, the same thing in our behavior and in our Hanhaga.