English translation — חוקת ב

1.

On the verse¹

"And Moses made a copper serpent" Rashi copies the words "copper serpent",

and explains: "He was not told to make it of copper, but Moses said: The Holy One, blessed be He, calls it a serpent, and I will make it of copper, a play on words."

And behold, what Rashi wrote "He was not told to make it of copper",

his intention is simply to be precise

(and to say - with a question)

: For in the verse we do not find that the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded him to make it of copper²

- and on this Rashi explains Moses' reason for making it of copper,

because "the Holy One, blessed be He, calls it a serpent...

a play on words."

And we need to understand:

a)

The length of the language "It was not said to him to make it of copper,

but etc." — is it not the way of Rashi to precede the difficulty in understanding the verse that he explains and resolves in his commentary?

b)

In particular in our matter which this that "it was not said to him to make it of copper" is a thing proven from the language of the verse "And Hashem said to Moshe: Make for yourself a serpent etc." and no more,

would it have been for Rashi to explain briefly "Moshe said: The Holy One, blessed be He, calls it a serpent etc."?

c)

Rashi writes "

(Moshe said)

The Holy One, blessed be He, calls it a serpent and

(therefore)

I will make it of copper,

a play on words" - behold

Explicit in the verse³

that the Holy One, blessed be He, called it "

(Make for yourself)

seraph"⁴?

d)

Why does Rashi explain the words "copper serpent" after he explains the words "And it shall be that if a serpent bites a man, and he looks, etc."

- The opposite of the order of the verse⁵?

B.

And the explanation⁶

in this:

Above⁷

On the verse “And the Lord sent etc. the fiery serpents,”

Rashi: “Fiery serpents — that burn the person with the venom of their teeth.”

That is,

That the word “fiery” is an adjective for the serpents,

That is,

“The serpents that burn.”

And since the Holy One, blessed be He’s saying to Moses “Make for yourself a fiery serpent” is a continuation of “And the Lord sent etc. the fiery serpents,”

Thus it is understood that the meaning of “fiery” here is

(The adjective)

From the word burning

(And not a type of serpent)

And therefore it must be that the Holy One, blessed be He said “Make for yourself a serpent, fiery”⁸

(Serpent — the noun — that burns).

And that which is not explicit in the verse “Make for yourself a serpent, fiery”:

According to the simple meaning of the verse it is understood<sup>9</sup>,

that the Torah does not specify all the details of the things that G-d said to Moses in each and every command; and we find several times<sup>10</sup>

that a command of G-d to Moses is not stated in the Torah except in a general manner<sup>11</sup>,

and only afterwards

(when the command was transmitted by Moses to the children of Israel,

or at the time of the fulfillment of the command)

the details of the command are explained.

A.

Since it is clear that Moses our teacher did not command nor do anything on his own accord,

without having heard from the mouth of the Almighty<sup>12</sup>,

then certainly also all the details of the command that were added in the Torah

(in Moses' speech to the children of Israel,

or in its fulfillment)

were said to Moses from the mouth of the Almighty at the time that He commanded him about it,

except that they were not specified there in the Torah<sup>13</sup>].

And so it is in our subject:

In His command to Moshe, He said to him to make a "snake<sup>14</sup>

fiery" — corresponding to the punishment about which it is said "And He sent, etc., the fiery snakes" — except that the Torah did not specify except "fiery."

And the reason: the making of the "copper snake" was for rescue from the punishment of the fiery snakes,

and since all the calamity came by means of "that they burn the person," therefore only the main statement is written in the Torah: "Make for yourself a fiery [serpent]."

And especially that one could say that it relies on what is said in proximity and before this, "the fiery snakes."

3.

Based on this, it will also be explained why Rashi precedes his commentary on the words "And it shall be that if a snake bites, etc., and he looks, etc.,"

to his commentary on the words "copper snake":

According to what was explained above — that even though it is not written in the Torah that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moshe to make a serpent,

nevertheless it is understood that He indeed said to him in His command,

one must ask on the other side: From where does Rashi [know] that "he was not told to make it of copper",

for one can say that just as

He said to him to make a serpent

(except that it was not detailed in the Torah),

likewise He said to him to make it of copper,

except that the Torah abbreviated and did not detail¹⁵?

And in order to nullify this reasoning, Rashi precedes his commentary on the words "And it will be, if a snake bites etc. and he looks etc."¹⁶

- "that he was not quick

the bitten of the snake to be healed, unless he looks at it with intention,

And our Sages said, "Does a snake

dying from a snake<sup>17</sup>

except that when Israel looked upward and subjected their hearts to their Father in heaven they were healed, and if not, they were consumed.

for with this it is explained that the action of the "copper snake" is not to heal the bitten one

but rather to arouse the children of Israel to look upward<sup>18</sup>

and subject their hearts to heaven,

so that the Holy One, blessed be He, would heal them,

and for this action of the "snake" there is no difference from what material they make it,

and therefore there is no reason to say that the Holy One, blessed be He, told him to make it of copper

(except that in the Torah it is not explicitly stated).

but making it in the form of a snake, the benefit in this is understood simply: when the bitten one sees the thing that harmed him,

this itself arouses him more to repent for his sin<sup>19</sup>.

and particularly in our case,

that the punishment specifically by the snake — relates to the sin itself,

and as Rashi explains

(on verse 6)

: "Let the snake that was punished for slander come and exact punishment from the slanderers,

let the snake that all species etc. come and exact punishment from the ungrateful etc."

and it is very well understood that by looking at the "snake" they were aroused more to look upward to subject the heart to their Father in heaven.

and therefore reason dictates,

as above,

that in the command of the Holy One, blessed be He, to Moses regarding the making of "the Seraph" it is also stated

(the name)

"snake"

(and not only its description),

And after this is explained from Rashi above,

Rashi returns to explain on the words “copper serpent” “it was not said to him to make it of copper” — because there is no relevance to the action of the “serpent.”

Since this is so,

the question arises: why did Moses make the serpent of copper — and moreover the Torah details that Moses made it specifically of copper?

And to this Rashi continues: "But Moses said, the Holy One, blessed be He, calls it a serpent etc. 'a play on words'."

And this itself is also the reason for this that the Torah informs that Moses made the serpent of copper — to make known to us the lesson of "a play on words" — the practical law²⁰.

And from this we also know that the name of His word is²¹

— also regarding the deed.

D.

From the matters of "the wine of Torah" that are hinted at in this Rashi:

Since that which Moshe made the serpent of copper - is stated in the Torah,

this itself is a proof

(in the inwardness of the matters)

that also this detail has a connection to the entirety of the matter of healing that comes through the "serpent".

And this will be understood by prefacing an explanation of the matter of the healing of Bnei Yisrael through the "serpent":

Those who were bitten by the snakes - that kill with their bite,

since without "and he looked etc. and lived" they would die,

it is therefore understood that from the aspect of the snake bite itself they were in a state of dead²²

since because of the sin

as it is said that through the snake death was decreed in the world - and even those who had no sin - because of the snake they died²³]

And therefore it was necessary to have "and he looked etc. and lived" - the drawing down of life to this person.

And from this it is understood,

that one whom the serpent bit "

(and looked upon the copper serpent)

and lived" was fulfilled in him a kind of resurrection of the dead,

for

from their own standpoint they were dead.

And it is known²⁴

that the power “to revive the dead cannot be drawn from the aspect of the source of life”²⁵,

for “after the life-force has already departed, it cannot return and be drawn from this same level to revive the dead, except from the aspect of great mercy of the Essence of the Ein Sof, which is above the aspect of the source of life”²⁵,

“for there death and life are equal, and therefore even the dead can live”²⁶.

And this is that the healing of the children of Israel was through that “and he looked upon the copper serpent and lived”,

for since it was drawn from the aspect of the Essence of the Ein Sof, blessed be He, where “death and life are equal”,

there occurred a reversal from one extreme to the other,

that even the “serpent”,

whose essence is death,

was transformed²⁷

so that the place would become life for him²⁸.

And this drawing down of the essence of the Ein Sof, blessed be He, to transform the "serpent"

(the aspect of death)

into "life" — "

(And)

a serpent gives life" — is through the prior work

(and repentance)

of the children of Israel, in the pattern of the act of drawing down: "

(Rather)

Israel look upward and subject their hearts to their Father in heaven."

Subjection,

that is, the entire heart, including the evil inclination,

the aspect of the "serpent" within it²⁹

(so that in return for its opposing holiness, it transforms it to be subjugated)

to G‑dliness³⁰,

and thereby becomes vitality in holiness

("the serpent gives life")

— this work effects the transformation of the side of impurity in the world,

until the darkness itself shines³¹

— that even the "serpent" itself,

whose essence is death,

will be transformed to be drawn through the aspect of life³².

5.

Based on this, the connection of "copper" to the "serpent" is understood, through which vitality is drawn to the children of Israel,

for copper also indicates the aspect that is clothed in shells³³

; and this itself is the reason that copper is from the word serpent

(the matter of evil)

— "a play on words",

for the name of a thing indicates the vitality of that thing³⁴.

Therefore, when the aspect of "serpent" in the world is transformed to holiness

(through the work of man),

there is also a transformation in the aspect of "copper".

6.

Based on this, one can explain the reason why in the Torah the command was not stated in the language "Make for yourself a serpent" even though "the Holy One, blessed be He, calls it a serpent."

It was explained³⁵

in the commentary of our Sages, may their memory be for a blessing,³⁶

"They asked the Torah: A sinner, what is his punishment?

It said to them: He shall bring a guilt-offering and it will atone for him.

They asked the Holy One, blessed be He...

He said to them: He shall repent and it will atone for him" — for at first glance: behold, also according to the answer of the Torah "He shall bring a guilt-offering etc." he must repent

(for only then does the sacrifice atone).

And the explanation of this: According to the answer of the Torah,

repentance is effective so that intentional sins become "like unintentional ones, and not that they are completely atoned for"³⁷

Therefore he must "bring a guilt-offering"

(and after they become like unintentional ones, "the sacrifice is effective,

for through the sacrifice the unintentional sin is atoned for"³⁷),

And this is the innovation in the answer of the Holy One, blessed be He

"He shall repent and it will be atoned for him",

that repentance atones also for intentional sins,

and even that they become as merits.

And the reason for this: from the side of the Torah,

there are measurement and limit,

therefore repentance does not have the power to atone

(completely)

for intentional sins.

However, from the side of the Holy One, blessed be He, Who is above all measurement and limitation — for "Who can say to Him, 'What do You do?'"³⁸,

"And great are your transgressions, what can you do to Him?"³⁹

— therefore

(through repentance)

even the intentional sins become merits.

And this is in our matter:

The command "

(Make for yourself)

snake that by this "And he looked and etc. and lived",

is not explicit in the Torah,

to hint that from the power of the Torah, the intentional sins

(in the aspect of "snake" and death)

become and are transformed into merits

(life)

; but "the Holy One, blessed be He, calls it

(to this that when one looks upon it and lives)

nachash” - the power that even the serpent will be turned into a matter of life

that even the aspect of the lower-level fear of Heaven will be turned to good],

is drawn from the aspect of the Holy One, blessed be He - the Giver of the Torah,

which is above the Torah⁴⁰.

(From the talks of Shabbat Parshat Chukat-Balak

(12th of Tammuz),

from the year 5729)