Devarim: self-esteem

When the Jewish people are told that they will be traveling through the territory of Eisav they are instructed to buy food and water from the locals, as Se'ir is Eisav's land and not to be conquered. Moshe then reminds the people that every one of their needs has been taken care of by G-d throughout their journey of forty years in the desert. Rashi explains that this does not mean that the people have everything and really do not need to do business with the local tribes -- had that been the intent the Torah should have said "You have all that you need." Instead, the Torah says "You are not lacking," meaning don't appear needy and wanting. To appear as beggars after G-d has provided for your every want and need shows a lack of appreciation.

Rashi reminds us of the importance of self-esteem. G-d has helped each of us in some way or another; one small way we can show our appreciation is by acknowledging that we are worth receiving his assistance.

Masei: refuge with hope

The halacha is that the cities of refuge set aside by Moshe on the west bank of the Jordan River did not provide safe haven until after the designated cities refuge were set up in Eretz Yisrael. The Meshech Chochma explains the reason for this law. A murderer was required to stay in the city of refuge until the death of the kohen gadol. Hashem revealed (34:17) that the allocation of land in Eretz Yisrael to the shevatim and families would be done by Yehoshua and Elazar, the kohein gadol. This meant that Elazar would definitely live through the 14 year period of conquest and division of land. A murderer who might go to a city of refuge during those fourteen years would have no hope of release! Therefore, there was no requirement to move to a city of refuge until after the land was divided and all the cities set up.

The Torah does not demand that a person live without the hope of freedom even for a finite period of time. The ability to see new potential and opportunity in each and every day is a special gift.

Pinchas: a mental battle

Last week's parsha ended with the story the Jewish people being led to commit idolatry by falling prey to the enticement of the women of Moav and Midyan. In our parsha Pinchas receives the reward of a bond of peace for his heroism in striking down the prince of Yisachar and the Midyanaite princess which he took. The parsha continues with the command to smite the nation of Midyan, "Ki tzoririm hem lachem b'nichleihem asher niklu lachem al dvar Peor", because they are afflicting you in the thoughts which they devised regarding the idolatry of Peor. Two grammatical points catch the eye: 1) The pasuk uses the present tense, "tzoririm", to describe the Midyanite continued affliction of the Jewish people, even though it would seem that the two nations were now separated; 2) The pasuk focuses on Midyan's thoughts, the planning, rather than on the action of enticement or idolatry itself.

The Noam Elimelech explains that the women of Midyan were in fact no longer physically present to tempt the Jewish people, but the Jewish people were still afflicted and haunted by their memory of the temptation of these women and their crime. It is not the "thoughts which they devised about you" which is the focus of the pasuk, but rather the "thoughts which they made you think", the recurring feeling of lust followed by guilt which remained long after the actual crime committed. The fight with Midyan was a process of mental catharsis, not just a physical battle.

Read in this light, there is a deeper connection between the reward of Pinchas and this command to do battle with Midyan. Netziv explains that the blessing of peace which Pinchas was rewarded with was peace of mind; even the justifiable violence of Pinchas can leave psychological scars that require healing.

The Torah recognizes that psychological stress is something that we must grapple with and do battle with. Mental strain can leave its mark even long after a trial has been overcome. Our hope is that we too can be blessed with the peace of mind given to Pinchas as a reward for our efforts.

Chukas: each individual has a gift

Rashi (20:2) explains that there is a connection between the people's demand for water and the death of Miriam recorded recorded immediately prior to their complaint. Until this point the people obtained water from from the well of Miriam which accompanied them through the desert, but with Miriam's death the well vanished and the people faced a crisis. Why is it that the well completely vanished and did not remain in the merit of Moshe or Aharon? The Sifsei Chachamim answers the well was a reward for the self sacrifice Miriam showed by waiting alongside the banks of the Nile and watching to see what would happen to the basket her baby brother Moshe was set forth in -- in the merit of her waiting by the water, she became the source of water. Moshe was a greater prophet than his sister Miriam, and Aharon in his position of kohen gadol was able to serve Hashem in ways in which Miriam could not, but neither Moshe or Aharon could substitute for the unique merit that Miriam had. There are people greater in Torah scholarship and avodah than any one of us, but the gifts each of us an individuals bring to the world have no substitute.