Chukat: Following the Doctor's Orders

[Chanan Morrison]

Chukat: Following the Doctor's Orders

Three men became ill with the same dangerous disease. All three went to the same doctor.

The first sick man followed the doctor's orders to the letter. He did not try to understand the logic for the doctor's instructions, but followed them faithfully. He recovered from the illness.

The second man was a medic by profession. Due to his medical background, he did not take the doctor's orders on faith. He followed those medicines and treatments that made sense to him, but the rest he ignored. Sadly, this man died from the illness.

The third patient was also a medic. But he understood that the doctor had much more training and experience than he did. He decided that even if some of the treatments didn't make sense to him, he would rely on the doctor's expertise and follow his advice.

Nimshal:

Most people keep mitzvot with emunah peshutah, in simple faith without intellectual inquiry. They are like the first patient

Those with an intellectual bent, on the other hand, are accustomed to inquiring into the reason for things. They are liable to reject anything they fail to understand.

King Solomon thought that his great wisdom would help him to better understand the Torah and keep its mitzvot. "I thought I would utilize my wisdom." But in fact, the opposite occurred - "yet it is distant from me" (Ecc. 7:23). Precisely because of my wisdom and intellectual inquiry, I found it difficult to do that which I do not understand.

When Solomon examined the mitzvah of Parah Adumah (red heifer), he realized that this mitzvah was completely beyond his intellectual grasp. Here was a clear sign that the Torah's wisdom is beyond human understanding. Like the third patient, he realized that we must rely on the wisdom of the One Who gave us the Torah.

Adapted from Mishlei Yaakov, pp. 328-329

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