Parshas Mattos- Masei: Salute the Messenger

Parshas Mattos- Masei: Salute the Messenger



The Torah (Bamidbar 31:2) describes that Hashem commanded Moshe to go to war with Midian because of Midian’s actions, and Moshe immediately assembles an army. Curiously, when the army departs (Bamidbar 31:6), it is not Moshe who leads them but rather Pinchas. Why is it that Moshe wouldn't be engaged in the battle in some form?  

The Midrash Rabbah (22:4) fills in the missing detail. Moshe felt it was inappropriate for him to personally wage war against Midian because that was the land that had once given him refuge. After fleeing Egypt, Midian became the place where he found safety, married Tzipporah, and built his family. Although Midian now deserved punishment for leading Klal Yisrael to aveiros, Moshe could not be the one to strike the nation from which he had once benefited. The Midrash expresses this with a great visual: "בור ששתית ממנו מים אל תזרוק בו אבן"; "Do not throw a stone into the well from which you drank." 

Moshe's decision reflects a profound lesson in hakaras hatov: we are obligated to recognize and appreciate the people, places, and even things that Hashem places in our lives to help shape who we become. 

Yet this is far from the first time the Torah highlights this sensitivity. When the time for makkas dam (plague of blood) arrived, Hashem instructed Aharon, not Moshe, to strike the Nile (Shemos 7:19). The same occurred with tzefardaya (plague of frogs) (Shemos 8:1). Rashi explains that because the Nile had protected Moshe as an infant, it would have been inappropriate for him to strike it. Likewise, during kinnim (lice), Aharon struck the dust (Shemos 8:12), because the sand had protected Moshe by concealing the Egyptian he killed. Later, when Miriam was afflicted with tzara'as, the Torah (Bamidbar 12:15) tells us that the B’nei Yisroel did not travel until Miriam returned. Rashi explains that this was in recognition of when Mriam waited and watched Moshe when he was placed in the river as a baby. Even Mitzri’im themselves are included in this principle, The Torah (Devarim 23:8) commands not to abhor a Mitzri, because in some way we derived benefit as residents, despite late enslaving us, in Mitzrayim. 

The obvious question is: why does the Torah return to this lesson so many times, particularly through Moshe Rabbeinu? 

Perhaps the answer is as follows. Who more than Moshe Rabbeinu lived a life that was so obviously and openly led by hashgachas Hashem. He was chosen to redeem Klal Yisrael, receive the Torah, and become the greatest prophet who ever lived. Every opportunity, every challenge, every success, and every turning point was a product of Hashem's clear Hashgachah Pratis. If anyone could have said, "The Nile didn't save me, Hashem saved me," it was Moshe. If anyone could have said, "Midian didn't provide for me, Hashem simply chose Midian as the place where I would find refuge," it was Moshe. 

Yet the Torah teaches the exact opposite. Recognizing Hashem as the true manhig and orchestrator the world, and with a hashgacha p’ratis on individuals, does not diminish our obligation of hakaras hatov; it deepens it. The people, places, and even objects in Moshe's life possessed no independent power. They were simply the instruments and messengers through which Hashem chose or allowed bechirah to execute His ratzon. But that does not make them insignificant. Precisely because Hashem chose them to play a role in Moshe's journey, they deserved to be acknowledged and appreciated.  

If this is true for Moshe Rabbeinu, how much more so for ourselves as well. Whether for our own middos to ultimately better appreciate Hashem’s kindness, or out of a true hakaras hatov for those who choose to help and support us, an acknowledgement and feeling of gratitude is absolutely necessary. The more we recognize Hashem as the Sender, the more grateful we become for every messenger He places along our path. Recognizing the messenger never diminishes our appreciation of the Sender. Rather, it is one of the truest ways of recognizing Him.

 

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