פרשת פינחס
In this week’s parsha, there is an interesting juxtaposition of two sections. In one passage Moshe, conceding that he will not be privileged to lead the Jewish people into Eretz Yisrael, requests Hashem to appoint a new leader who will be able to do so. In the passage following Moshe’s request, Hashem tells Moshe to command the Jewish People to offer the Korban Tamid, which Hashem refers to as “My offering, My food, and My pleasant aroma.” Is there any connection between these sections?
Rashi answers that there indeed is a common thread that connects these two passages. The Sifri says that immediately after Moshe asked Hashem to choose a new leader for the benefit of the people, Hashem told Moshe, “Before you tell Me what to do about My children, tell My children what to do about Me.” When Moshe discovered that he was not going to continue to guide the people and they would enter Eretz Yisrael without him, he shouldn’t have focused solely on their needs, petitioning Hashem to look after them. Moshe should have focused on what Hashem desired from the nation in regards to their service of G-d, and prepared the people accordingly. Instead of asking Hashem for a new leader, Moshe should have aroused the people to do teshuva and to completely integrate his teachings, so that they would be fully prepared to continue in G-d’s service without him when the time would come. The stress should have been on inspiring the people to do what G-d was seeking from them. To be focused on one’s self and not Hashem is a very common mistake that one can make in one’s relationship with G-d. It is natural for a person to concentrate on himself, instead of searching for what he can do for Hashem. Sometimes, since a person looks to G-d for everything he needs, he can become overly concerned about Hashem fulfilling his wishes. Not only is this the wrong perspective, but with such an approach to life one can easily become distressed, and one’s love of G-d can be severely damaged by the disappointment of unmet expectations. The proper outlook of a Jew is to constantly look for ways that he can improve his service of G-d. One has an obligation to know that the only thing in life with which he should be concerned is enhancing his performance of the mitzvos. One shouldn’t worry about anything else. In truth, Hashem knows how to take care of us and knows exactly what we need. All we need to do is focus on G-d.
However, a question still remains. Since this is such a critical pillar of Jewish thought, why did the Torah decide to teach this message specifically here, in the narrative that describes the transfer of leadership from Moshe Rabbeinu to Yehoshua? The Sfas Emes answers that the message to focus solely on how to actualize G-d’s will, without looking for G-d to shower us with personal benefits, was particularly timely at this moment in Jewish history. After the death of Moshe Rabbeinu, G-d’s constant, miraculous intervention on behalf of the Jewish people ended. In the days of Moshe Rabbeinu, the entire nation was surrounded by the Clouds of Glory, ate Mann, drank from Miriam’s well, and dressed in clothes that never wore out. However, when Yehoshua assumed leadership, the nation faced the challenges of battling the hostile peoples in the country, developing a functioning society, and ultimately achieving a state of complete stability and self-sufficiency. To accomplish such a great task required the Jewish people to take responsibility for their own fate and not to rely on Hashem to take care of them each step of the way. If we want to get close to Hashem we need to realize that we no longer live in an era in which Hashem will take us by the hand and pamper us until we can’t help but fall into His arms. Although Hashem will certainly help us in many ways, Hashem really wants us to strive on our own to reach Him. We shouldn’t need miracles to get close to G-d and keep His Torah. We need to realize that if we are going to have a relationship with Hashem, we are going to have to truly invest our selves. The Ramchal writes in Daas Tevunos that this very idea is in fact represented by the Korban Tamid itself. The Tamid offering was brought every day without fail, and it was a pure act of giving. This is the way a person becomes close to Hashem; by working very hard and constantly applying one’s self more. With such sincere effort we get truly close to Hashem.
Rav Yehoshua Neuwirth z”l was a special man who never cared about himself but constantly looked for ways to help others in their service of G-d. One of his most celebrated accomplishments was the publication of Shemiras Shabbos C’Hilchosa. However, something many people don’t know is that Rav Yehoshua didn’t write the book because he had many chiddushim that he wanted to share regarding hilchos Shabbos. His primary concern was that there should be a comprehensive work on the laws of Shabbos that would help more people to keep Shabbos correctly. Rav Neuwirth so desired to spread this knowledge that he even learned English for the purpose of properly translating the book for a wider, English speaking audience. When Rav Neuwirth found out that there were families in the community that struggled to find yeshivas that would accept their children, he immediately started his own yeshivas that would accept all those who desired to learn. Furthermore, although he started three different institutions that comprised hundreds of students, Rav Neuwirth never assumed the title of Rosh Yeshiva. Even as a bucher, Rav Neuwirth constantly looked for ways to help others. When he was still very young he once arranged a project that entailed shipping books from America to poor families in Eretz Yisrael at discount prices. Many people would have not been able to afford their own sefarim had it not been for Rav Neuwirth’s efforts. Rav Neuwirth constantly looked for ways to spread the knowledge of Torah and it was well-known that his door remained open to those who had questions until very late at night. When Rav Moshe Yehuda Shlessinger, the Rosh Yeshiva of Kol Torah, was asked how Rav Neuwirth was able to accomplish so much in his life, Rav Shlessinger had a very simple answer. “Everything Rav Neuwirth did was purely for the service of Hashem and to help others serve Him. How could Hashem not help him?”
May we all be zoche to put our full focus on our Torah and mitzvos!!!