Parashat Chukat: The Trait You Need to Serve Hashem Better

One of the most intriguing details in the mitzvah of the Red Heifer appears in this week's parasha. The Torah commands:

"And the Kohen shall take cedar wood, hyssop, and crimson wool, and throw them into the burning of the cow" (Numbers 19:6).

Chazal explain that these items symbolize opposite qualities. The tall cedar tree represents pride and self-importance, while the lowly hyssop represents humility. In fact, the Midrash teaches: "If a person became haughty like a cedar, let him lower himself like hyssop."

But this raises an obvious question.

If the cedar symbolizes pride, a negative character trait, why is it included alongside the hyssop as part of the purification process?

The Netivot Shalom offers a profound answer that reveals a fundamental principle in serving Hashem.

Two Truths Every Jew Must Hold

A Jew must live with two seemingly opposite truths at the same time.

On the one hand, a person must be humble. We recognize our limitations, our weaknesses, and our complete dependence on Hashem.

On the other hand, a Jew must also possess a form of holy pride.

Why?

Because while our physical existence may be small and limited, our soul is anything but ordinary. The Jewish soul is a spark of holiness, a portion from Above. A Jew is not meant to see himself as worthless or insignificant.

True spiritual growth comes from holding both perspectives together.

Humility without confidence can become weakness.

Confidence without humility can become arrogance.

The challenge is to combine them properly.

The Danger of Humility Alone

The Netivot Shalom explains that these qualities can appear in both positive and negative forms.

There is destructive pride, which stems from arrogance and self-importance.

But there is also holy pride, which comes from recognizing the greatness of the soul that Hashem placed within us.

This holy pride is not merely beneficial. Sometimes it is essential.

The Beit Avraham points to Yosef HaTzaddik's confrontation with the wife of Potiphar as an example.

When she attempted to seduce him, the Torah says she grabbed him by his garment. The commentators explain that this can also hint to something deeper. The yetzer hara often attacks by reminding a person of past failures.

"You've already made mistakes."

"You've already fallen."

"You've already disappointed yourself."

"So what difference does one more sin make?"

Many people know that voice.

It whispers that because we have stumbled before, there is no point trying again.

Yosef's Response

Yosef answered differently.

"There is no one greater in this house than I am... How could I do this great evil and sin against Hashem?"

At first glance, the response sounds surprising. Why emphasize his greatness?

The Netivot Shalom explains that Yosef was speaking from a place of holy dignity.

He understood who he was.

He understood the greatness of the soul Hashem had given him.

He knew he was capable of more.

A person who remembers that he is a child of the King can answer the voice of despair.

How can I act in a way that contradicts the will of my Father in Heaven?

How can I lower myself when I was created for something greater?

Why the Cedar Comes First

This, explains the Netivot Shalom, is why the cedar wood is included in the purification process.

The cedar does not represent arrogance.

It represents holy pride.

It reminds a Jew of his value, his purpose, and his potential.

The hyssop, meanwhile, represents genuine humility—the recognition that all our strengths come from Hashem and not from ourselves.

Both are necessary.

Interestingly, the Torah mentions the cedar before the hyssop.

The Netivot Shalom sees great significance in this order.

A person must first recognize the greatness of his soul.

He must know that he is a child of the King.

He must believe that he can rise, grow, and accomplish great things.

Only afterward should he focus on humility and self-nullification before Hashem.

If a person begins only with thoughts of his own lowliness, he may become discouraged and lose hope altogether.

The Balance That Leads to Growth

Parashat Chukat teaches that serving Hashem requires balance.

A Jew should never be arrogant.

But neither should he view himself as worthless.

We need the humility of the hyssop and the strength of the cedar.

We need to recognize our dependence on Hashem while also appreciating the immense value of the soul He entrusted to us.

When those two qualities come together, a person can serve Hashem with confidence, gratitude, surrender, and joy.

And that, teaches the Netivot Shalom, is the path to genuine spiritual growth.