No Need To Understand

The Be’ar Yosef asks why didn’t Hashem give the reason of parah adumah?  He explains that the Torah is teaching us that we do the mitzvot because Hashem commanded us, not because we understand.  Similarly, we find in the Or HaChaim who asks why is it called chukas haTorah, it should be called chukas hatumah?  He explains that when one fulfills a mitzvah even though he doesn’t understand it, it shows that he is willing to fulfill the entire Torah.  See the Sichos Mussar that elaborates on the Or HaChaim and explains that a person must be a servant of Hashem and a servant does everything the master says even without understanding. 

The Alter from Nevarduk asks what was the great sin that Moshe did by hitting the rock?  Why was it fitting of such a harsh punishment not to enter Eretz Yisroel?  He explains based upon a midrash that Moshe didn’t hit the rock that Hashem told him to speak to, rather another rock.  Why did Moshe do this?  He explains that Moshe thought if he would just talk to the rock that Hashem told him to talk to, then Klal Yisroel would suspect he did it through witchcraft and he only had power over the rock they asked for.  Therefore, Moshe thought it would bring greater honor to Hashem’s name to bring out water from another rock, therefore out of great passion he hit the rock twice.  However, in reality there was a kiddush Hashem anyway for the midrash says that water poured out from all the rocks.  The Alter says that Moshe wasn’t punished for his action which was done with the best of intentions, rather he was punished for the intentions.  To violate the word of Hashem with intentions to do better shows a lack of complete acceptance of the word of Hashem (see further elucidation in Sichos Mussar parshas Tetzaveh on the haftorah of Zachor.) 

However, there is a time and place for calculations.  Verse (21:27) על כן יאמרו המושלים. The Gemorah Babba Bathra 78b says a derash it’s referring to those that rule over there yetzer harah and calculate the reward of a mitzvah versus the loss and gain of an averah.  The Gemorah says the canopy of those that don’t make this cheshbon will be burnt from those that do.  The Or Yahel says we see from the Gemorah that this cheshbon isn’t the difference between tzaddikim and reshaim, but even between different levels of tzaddikim.  

We see from this parsha good chesbonos and bad ones.  One must not make calculations to go against the word of God, but must calculate to make sure he is going on the path of Hashem.