Understanding the Sedra: Shemini Atzeret

A year.

It has been a full year since the war broke out on Shemini Atzeret in 2023 (due to the Jewish leap year).

That's 383 days of heroism by our brave soldiers.

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Over 9,000 hours of soldiers' wives stoically holding the family unit together.

Over 550,000 minutes of national generosity and a charitable hand.

Over 33 million seconds of companionship and care.

Where does this spirit come from?

Praying for rain – Tefillat Geshem – We recite about Shemini Atzeret and say: “When your beloved people thirsted for water, (Moses) struck the rock and water came out…For the sake of his righteousness, give water abundantly!”

If Moshe was punished for hitting the stone instead of speaking to it, why is he cited as a source of merit?

Furthermore, the Torah concludes by praising “…the mighty hand…which Moses accomplished before the eyes of all Israel” (Devarim 34:12). Rashi says this refers to the breaking of the tablets, an act that Hashem both approved of and praised.

If we generally try to end each portion of the Torah on a positive note (Rema OC 138:1), then why does the final verse of the entire annual Torah reading cycle evoke the memory of Moshe's shattering of the tablets, something seemingly so negative?

Our Sages (Shemot Rabbah 43) teach us that the tablets resembled a marriage contract between Hashem and Am Yisrael and that by breaking the tablets, Moshe protected Am Yisrael by tempering the nature of our spiritual infidelity with the Golden Calf. In doing so, explains the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Moshe emphasized the principle that the Torah was created for Am Yisrael (Tanna Devei Eliyahu 14).

Concluding the Torah with this episode was thus the ultimate praise for Moshe – that he was willing to place Am Yisrael's fate above all else, including his own work and legacy!

Similarly, explains Rav Meir Shapiro, Moshe struck the stone because he knew that if spoken to, it would “obey” and produce water, which would negatively impact Am Yisrael, who would not listen when spoken to . His actions, while personally harmful, served Am Yisrael, and that is the credit we claim.

What we have seen this year more than anything else in recent memory, and perhaps more than ever before in our history, is the willingness of so many to put our nation's interests above their own. We have heard, read and seen firsthand the heroic sacrifice of our people's Blessed Sacrament.

May Hashem bless us with the sweetest year ahead, as a credit to the heroes among us who have selflessly sacrificed for Am Yisrael.