Having recently moved to New York I was able to experience dining in a really fancy kosher restaurant. I ordered a glass of wine and to my surprise the waiter poured me barely a mouthful. Perhaps this was to compliment the equally small portions that these restaurants are notorious for. The waiter, seeing my confusion, explained that this was just a taste. Should I find the wine to my liking he would give me a full top-up. This incident gave me new appreciation of an event in this week's Parsha.

Emerging from the Sea of Reeds, The Jewish People travelled for three days with no water, finally arriving in Marah. To their dismay the water in Marah was too bitter to drink. Moshe was instructed to throw a particular tree which when cast into the water miraculously sweetens it. At the end of this episode, the Torah adds a rather cryptic verse There He (G-d) gave them a decree (Chok) and an ordinance (Mishpat) and there He tested them.

Our sages deduce that at Marah, G-d gave The Jewish People some Mitzvos with which to occupy themselves; the laws of Shabbos, honouring one's parents, the civil laws and the law of the Red Heifer. The civil code is the Mishpat referred to in the verse. Mishpat also means justice, and it is the umbrella category for laws which could be conceived by the human mind - primarily to do with social justice. The law of the Red heifer is the Chok referred to in the verse. A Chok describes those laws which have no rational basis. We keep them purely because they are G-d's will. The Red heifer is the ultimate Chok, beyond even the grasp of the wise king Solomon.

On what basis do the sages infer that the Mitzvos of Shabbos and honouring parents were also given to the Jewish people prior to the giving of the Torah? When Moshe recounts the Ten Commandments in the book of Devarim, he adds the phrase As Hashem your G-d has commanded you to both the fourth and fifth Commandments - keeping the Shabbos and honouring parents. When had G-d previously issued these commandments? At Marah.

So these were the laws, but what was the test that the Torah describes? The Mitzvos were themselves the test. G-d wanted to test how the Jewish people would accept His Mitzvos. Would they embrace the Mitzvos with joy and sincerity? Would they fulfill them meticulously? Or would they treat them as a burden and neglect this great privilege? Like my wine incident, Bnei Yisroel were given a foretaste to see whether they deserved the 'full glass' at Mount Sinai six weeks later.

Why specifically were these Mitzvos the test? The Chok (those laws which have no logical basis) represents faith and submission which supersedes understanding. The Mishpat (the laws which could be conceived rationally) represents the need for understanding and intellectual appreciation. These two diametrically opposed perspectives come together in the acceptance of the Torah. The acceptance of the Torah was with the words Naaseh veNishma - we will do and we will hear (understand). On one hand Torah requires wholehearted acceptance of the Mitzvos irrespective of whether we understand their rationale. On the other hand, we have an obligation to study and come to an intellectual appreciation of Torah. The Chok and Mishpat at Marah was the test of this dichotomous mind frame, the balance between faith and knowledge.

The incident at Marah was a test to ascertain whether The Jewish People were spiritually mature enough to appreciate the Torah.

Now we can understand the entire sequence of events. The Jewish people, thirsty from their travels are brought to a waterhole whose contents are bitter. The tree used by Moshe was itself bitter, yet it was able to sweeten the bitter waters - just as a bad tasting medicine cures an illness.

Water is a metaphor for life and the tree is a metaphor for the words of Torah - the Tree of Life. Even though the path of Torah and Mitzvah observance may seem 'bitter' initially (taking time, effort and expense), it holds the key to sweetening our lives. The Torah that we study and each Mitzvah that we perform connects us to our Creator, illuminates our souls, fills our minds with Divine knowledge and gives us a deeper more meaningful existence.

Passing the test at Marah the Jewish People merited the Giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. By devoting ourselves to the Mitzvos with joy, striving to connect to G-d through faith and understanding we can have our glasses topped up, overflowing with spirituality, holiness and blessing.

 

~ Rabbi Yoni Johnson

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