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July 18, 2025 - 23 Tamuz 5785
Dear Friends, In some way, shape, or form, all of us are teachers. No matter where we work or what we do, even if it's not in a classroom, what we do and what we say is what we put out into the world. Whether we are aware or not, we are teaching others in our orbit, of all ages, the way we think is okay to conduct ourselves in the world, with and around others. Not everything we "teach" is learned and integrated by those around us, but it could be, and who knows how many people have watched us in moments we'd rather no one sees. It occurred to me this week, upon a deeper exploration of Parashat Pinchas, this week's Torah portion, that Moshe Rabbenu, Moses whom we call our greatest teacher, imparts perhaps one of the most important of his manifold lessons. Without really saying a word. In Parashat Chukat, which we read two weeks ago, Moses lets his temper get the best of him, manifesting a rare moment of public frustration, hitting the rock with his staff instead of speaking to it to get water for the Israelites. His punishment? He's not allowed into the Promised Land: "Because you did not trust Me enough to affirm My sanctity in the sight of the Israelite people, therefore you shall not lead this congregation into the land that I have given them." After everything he has done for God and the people -- after standing up to Pharaoh, surviving rebellions and insurrections, pleading with God on multiple occasions to spare the lives of the stiff-necked people he had to deal with -- Moses doesn't get to go into Israel?!? I doubt any one of us would be surprised in the slightest if Moses protested God's decree. I certainly wouldn't blame him at all. In fact, midrashim from ancient days to modern times give voice to a Moses naturally heartbroken and upset at the realization he'd never set foot in Israel. I even wrote a poem in college from Moses' perspective that began with, "What?? For that I don't get to go in?!?" Once again, in this week's Parasha, God issues the divine sentencing to Moses: "Ascend these heights of Abarim and view the land that I have given to the Israelite people. When you have seen it, you too shall be gathered to your kin, just as your brother Aaron was. For, in the wilderness of Zin, when the community was contentious, you disobeyed My command to uphold My sanctity in their sight by means of the water." And yet, in terms of responding to this devastating pronouncement, Moses says...nothing. The first time, Moses continues his mission leading the people, turning to navigating the nation through foreign kingdoms. This second time, it seems to me, Moses displays his acceptance of this judgment in his concern for the future of the people after he's gone: "Let the Eternal One, Source of the breath of all flesh, appoint someone over the community who shall go out before them and come in before them, and who shall take them out and bring them in, so that the Eternal's community may not be like sheep that have no shepherd." And the Eternal One answered Moses, "Single out Joshua, son of Nun, an inspired individual, and lay your hand upon him." Rather than challenge God from a place of bitterness and sadness, as perhaps his people did to him and God many times, Moses instead turns back to however much life he still is blessed to have in front of him, to maximizing every moment as an opportunity to ensure that his legacy endures beyond him. He confronts his mortality and perhaps unfair judgment with grace, dignity, and integrity. In working conscientiously to end his chapter graciously, he enables the Jewish story to continue and flourish. Even the greatest teacher the Jewish people have ever known didn't get to enter Eretz Yisrael. But in the acceptance of his fate, in response to his devastating punishment, Moses teaches us how to handle and conduct ourselves, even and most especially, in moments of profound spiritual pain. How we respond speaks volumes about who we are at our core, and ripples out beyond us in the teachings of our lives. May Moshe Rabbenu inspire us to live with intentionality, and respond to life's struggles and disappointments with grace, dignity, and integrity. Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Joshua Strom
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