Alternatively, we could ask whether or not it is allowed to do something that is good or holy while also doing something illegal or spiritually harmful. In the Talmud the rabbis ask this question around a stolen etrog, the lemon shaped fruit used on Sukkot. The rabbis ask whether or not a stolen etrog may be used in the rituals of the holiday. Even though this particular case doesn’t come up often (or ever) in our daily life, the principle is valid everyday. In this week’s parasha, Hukkat, Moses and Aaron are charged with retrieving water from a rock in the desert. Both of these leaders are fed up with the bickering of the Israelites, and in a fit of anger, Moses disobeys God’s instructions for pulling water from a rock. God tells Moses to speak to the rock, and the rock would give forth water; instead, Moses strikes the rock, twice, and the water still comes out. Undoubtedly, giving water to thirsty people in the dessert is a mitzvah (both a good deed and a commandment), but Moses … [Read more...]