In the middle of Parshas Baha’aloscha, two reverse nuns (the Hebrew letter, not the devoted Catholic women) can be found surrounding two Biblical verses (Bamidbar 10:35-36). Our sages have learned (Shabbos 115b-116a) in the name of Rebbe Yehudah Hanasi, that these nuns serve as markers, creating a separate book of the Torah with the contents they surround. As such, the book of Bamidbar contains three books of the Torah (one from the beginning until the first reverse nun; the two verses contained within the nuns; and from the second reversed nun to the end of the book). When added to the other four books, accrues to a total of seven books of the Torah.

While analyzing the makeup and order of the Book of Bamidbar, an epic segue takes place at the beginning of parshas Chukas. It may not be discernable, but the distinction is very important, especially when trying to understand the cryptic affair that immediately follows the transition.

The episode at Mei M’rivah, the spot where Moshe struck the rock instead of addressing it, which was the Divine command, led to Moshe and Aharon’s denied entry into the Promised Land. According to the Talmud, this event took place in the 40th year, while every prior episode in the book of Bamidbar took place in the first two years after the exodus.

"רב דימי בר יוסף אמר רב נחמן, יום שכלו בו מתי מדבר דאמר מר עד שלא כלו מתי מדבר לא היה דיבור עם משה שנאמר, 'ויהי כאשר תמו כו אנשי המלחמה למות מקרב העם' וסמיך ליה 'וידבר ה' אלי לאמר' – אלי היה הדיבור" (בבא בתרא קכ"א.-קכ"א:)

“Rav Dimi bar Yosef said in the name of Rav Nachman: the fifteenth of Av was the day on which those destined to die in the wilderness ceased to die. This was cause for celebration, for the master stated: as long as those destined to die in the Wilderness had not ceased to die, there was no Divine communication with Moshe, as it says, ‘And it was when all the men of war ceased dying from the midst of the nation’ (Devarim 2:16) and the verse juxtaposed immediately after this verse states: ‘And Hashem spoke to me saying…’ This indicates that the communication was with me in a manner that it had not been previously.” (Bava Basra 121a-121b). [Another version of this statement can be found in Ta’anis 30b in the name of Rabba bar bar Chana in the name of Rav Yochanan.]

According to some of the classic commentaries on this passage (Rashi and Rashbam on the Talmudic texts and Rashi to Devarim 2:16), there was either no Divine communication at all from after the Sin of the Scouts until the 40thyear, or, there was very little and it lacked the intimate nature Moshe’s prophecy had previously enjoyed.

Rav Soloveitchik finds tremendous significance in the juxtaposition of the laws of the Parah Adumah (Red Heifer) with the sad story of Mei Merivah.

Why is the chapter of Parah Adumah (the Red Heifer) situated in Parshas Chukas? As explained above, it is not grouped with the other tumos (ritual impurities) in Shemini, Tazria and Metzorah (all in Vayikra) to emphasize thattumas mes (ritual impurity resulting from contact with a human cadaver) is of a separate rank of severity, whose taharah (ritual purification) requires hazaya (sprinkling of the water containing the ashes of the Red Heifer), in addition to the usual tevilah (immersion in a mikveh). But what is it doing in Chukas?

The chapter of Parah Adumah is a bridge spanning events that happened thirty-eight years apart, from the rebellion of Korach (chapters 16-18) to the arrival at the wilderness of Zin (chapter 20). It is a somber reflection of those tragic years during which the Yotzei Mitzrayim, the Exodus generation, was dying in the desert, making way for the generation of the desert, Dor Hamidbar, who were to enter the Holy Land. To represent the tragic death of an entire generation, the Parah Adumah chapter, with its message of triumph over the melancholy of death, is appropriately situated.

Korah’s rebellion took place in the second year after the Exodus. For the following thirty-eight years, a period ofhester panim prevailed, God turning His face, so to speak, from His people. Bnei Yisrael retreated, moving aimlessly without destination. It was a long, silent night without divine communication between God and Moses (Ta’anis 30b; Rashi, Deut 2:17). No new mitzvos were legislated. The sun had set for thirty-eight years before the dialogue was resumed and the painful vigil came to an end.

How did the yotzei mitzrayim die? Chazal relate a very strange story. They used to go out every Tisha B’av, at night. Everyone dug a grave for himself and slept there. In the morning, Moses declared: “let those who are living arise and separate themselves from the dead.” Every Tisha B’av the entire congregation died, with some regaining life the next day. They died 38 consecutive times in the desert. Life was no different from death, a life without hope and anticipation. The entire generation realized that they would eventually end up in the one of those graves. It did not matter if they survived any one particular year; eventually they would all die. They spent 38 years in a state of annihilation, separated from God.

This painful period, when an entire generation died is, like the Parah Adumah ritual itself, a chok, a divine decree beyond human comprehension. The symbol of this mournful period is the Parah Adumah, which removes defilements derived from human death. It represents a triumph over death, an affirmation of life, and qualifies one to resume participation in matters of kedushah. What does the parshah of Parah Adumah tell us? That man has to accept the Divine Will, suspend judgment and simply surrender to the Almighty. If he does so, then the haza’ah will take place and he will be saved. God is the ultimate purifier (metaher) who helps us overcome the depression of morbidity.

Parah Adumah is the transition between the period of rejection and death, and the resumption of Divine communication when they arrived in Midbar Zin, in the fortieth year of their wanderings. Rashi explains that the words ‘kol ha’edah’ in this verse signify that those who were to die in the desert had all expired, and that these people, the new generation raised in the desert, Dor Hamidbar, were to live. [Boston, 1976; Reflections of the Rav, Vol 2, pp. 110-113.Also Chumash Mesoras Harav, the Neuwirth Edition, Bamidbar, pp. 160-161).

As Rav Soloveitchik points out, in addition to death in the wilderness, another consequence of the Sin of the Scouts was a distancing of God’s presence, the Shechinah, from Moshe and the nation, until that generation perished. Perhaps Rav Soloveitchik’s comments are based on a beautiful observation by Rabbi Meir Simcha of Dvinsk, in his Biblical commentary Meshech Chochmah (parshas B’haaloscha Lama Nigara) One manifestation of the absence of God’s presence during those 38 years was the fact that aside from the first year in the wilderness, at no other time did the nation offer the korban Pesach.  

The Talmud (Kiddushin 37b) presents an opinion that when the Torah employed language connoting coming to the Land of Israel and/or dwelling in the Land of Israel, it has a legal ramification, namely, that the mitzvah does not become operative and incumbent until the nation has conquered and dwelled in the Land. The latter, of course, occurred during the leadership of Yehoshua. Our sages point out that Pesach Sheni, a second chance to offer the Paschal lamb for those indisposed on the 14th of Nissan, takes place earlier than the events described in the beginning of the book of Bamidbar. Why does the Torah not follow the chronological order here? (Note that Ramban argues that the Torah is in chronological order, but is a minority opinion). The standard answer given is because there is shame in the fact that during the 40 years in the desert, the Children of Israel only offered that one paschal offering, in the first year. If, according to the Talmud, they were not obligated to offer a paschal offering until they dwelled in the land, where was the shame, asks Tosafos (Ibid, Ho’il v’ne’emra.). It seems, says Tosafos, that the question is why did they sacrifice in the first year and in the first year of Yehoshua’s leadership, both preceding the conquering and dwelling of the land? They were exempt until they settled the Promised Land? He answers, she’asu al pi hadibur, that God specifically instructed them to offer it those two years, without elaboration. Tosafos then asserts that the shame was that due to the Sin of the Scouts, it took them 40 years to enter the land.

Meshech Chochmah attempts to explain why God specifically instructed the Children of Israel to offer the Korban Pesach those two times. He suggests that the paschal offering serves as the means of weaning the Children of Israel off idolatry. During the night of the exodus, the offering clearly marked their elevation from serving the gods of Egypt to worship of the Almighty. They needed cleansing from the spiritual pollution of Egypt. The paschal offering in the beginning of the second year from the exodus came to purify them from the sin of the Golden Calf, a horrible lapse back to paganism. The other anomalous paschal offering during Yehoshua’s leadership came to navigate the young nation back to the proper course after the horrific fall at Ba’al Pe’or, where they were seduced by the Midianite women and performed lascivious acts of idolatry. The Pesach sacrifice serves as a reminder of God’s Divine Providence, that He alone guides His chosen nation whom He separated from all the rest of the peoples.

Chapter 20 of Bamidbar begins with the nation of Israel arriving at the wilderness of Tzin, mourning over Miriam’s death, in whose merit water quenched the thirst of the Children of Israel in the desert. Upon her demise, the water source dried up. Our sages note the juxtaposition to the next verse, which describes the lack of hydration for the congregation. The rest of the tragic story is known. Moshe hits the rock and is denied entry into his beloved Promised Land.

But Rashi points out here that at this point all of those destined to die had expired. So this episode takes place in the fortieth year, with a new generation. The children (anyone under 20 during the sin of the Scouts) are now the nation.

I present this to add context to all the voices analyzing Moshe’s sin. See Ramban for an analysis of several opinions of the Rishonim ranging from disobeying a Divine command (Rashi), losing his temper (Rambam) and not attributing enough the miracle of bringing the water out of a rock to God alone (Rabbeinu Chananel).

Rav Soloveitchik claimed elsewhere that the punishment meted out to Moshe and Aharon itself is a chok, an inexplicable action that we must nonetheless follow. He cites opinions that the punishment was aimed at the wayward nation who did not merit Moshe. Had Moshe entered the land and built the Temple, Jewish destiny would have immediately entered the messianic era with all its utopic grandeur.

The above analysis demonstrates two changes that occur in Chapter 20, and I believe they are relevant to the discussion. First, this is Moshe’s first interaction with the new generation. The generation of the exodus who witnessed as adults the miracles in Egypt and at the Sea was also a contentious lot who forgot very quickly what they saw. At their ultimate betrayal, siding with the 10 evil scouts, they lost the ability to enter the Promised Land. As Rabbi Soloveitchik describes so eloquently, they sunk into a dark depression. A new generation arose, the ones who would realize the dream of the patriarchs and re-enter the Land of Israel. Their first interaction with the greatest of the prophets was not a positive one.

Second, as the Talmud points out, Moshe, once again, receives communications from God in a manner he has not experienced for close to four decades.

It may be that Moshe committed an error, and even the slightest errors in the scorecards of the righteous, can have the direst of consequences. It may be that the new generation proved itself unworthy of Moshe’s leadership and accompaniment. But the transition is certainly relevant and seminal to the tragedy that unfolded.