Parashat Chukat
Question
A Gutten Erev Shabbos!
In this week’s parsha, Parshas Chukas (5786, according to the reading in Eretz Yisrael), the Torah tells us that after Miriam HaNeviah passed away, there was no water for the nation to drink. Since the well existed in her merit, once she passed away, the water stopped, and the people became thirsty.
Hashem then told Moshe:
“Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying:
Take the staff and gather the assembly, you and Aharon your brother, and you shall speak to the rock before their eyes, and it shall give its water. You shall bring forth water for them from the rock, and you shall give drink to the assembly and their animals.”
The Question:
The passuk first says that the people should drink, and only afterwards the animals should drink.
Shouldn’t it have been the opposite?
As it is written in the passuk:
“And I will give grass in your field for your animals, and you shall eat and be satisfied”
We learn from this that before a person eats, he must first give food to his animals, as the Gemara says:
Berachos 40a:
Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav:
It is forbidden for a person to eat before giving food to his animal, as it says: “And I will give grass in your field for your animals,” and only afterwards, “and you shall eat and be satisfied.”
So why were the people allowed to drink before the animals?
Answer
Indeed, this question is a major discussion among the poskim, and I would like to first share with you their discussion, and then the Halacha in practice.
We could actually ask the same question with regard to Eliezer and Rivka.
As it is written:
Bereishis 24:19
“When she finished giving him to drink, she said: I will also draw water for your camels, until they finish drinking.”
We see that Rivka first gave Eliezer to drink, and only afterwards gave the camels. Why?
The Explanation of the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh
The Ohr HaChaim, both by Eliezer and Rivka and by Mei Merivah, explains that really a person must first give his animals to drink before drinking himself.
However, these two cases were different because they were so thirsty that it was becoming dangerous.
By Eliezer, he had just arrived from traveling and was extremely thirsty. Likewise, by Klal Yisrael, they were in danger because they had no water and could have died from thirst.
The Ohr HaChaim explains that this is also hinted in the words:
As it says, “Vatechal lehashkoso” - “When she finished giving him to drink.”
Why did Rivka stop him from continuing to drink? Why didn’t she wait until he finished ?
The answer is that at first she gave him to drink because he was in a dangerous state. But once she understood that he was no longer in danger, she stopped him, so that now the camels come first.
According to this explanation of the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh, we see that there is no difference between eating and drinking. In both cases, the animals come first, unless there is a situation of danger, where the person comes first.
The Halacha
However, we do not pasken like this.
The Mishnah Berurah (Siman 167:40) writes:
Regarding giving food to animals, ….The Magen Avraham brings in the name of the Sefer Chassidim that regarding drinking, a person comes before his animal, as we find by Rivka, who said to Eliezer: “Drink, and I will also give your camels to drink.”
So we see that lehalacha we learn from Rivka that there is a difference between eating and drinking.
Two Questions that need to Be Explained
1. Why should there be a difference between eating and drinking?
2. According to the Ohr HaChaim, there is no proof from Rivka, because once the danger to Eliaezer was averted, she actually stopped Eliezer in order to give the camels first.?
Why Is Drinking Different Than Eating?
The Har Tzvi (Orach Chaim 1:90) gives two explanations:
1. The pain of thirst is greater
Since the suffering of being thirsty is much stronger, a person is not obligated to put his animal first when it comes to drinking.
2. The concern is that a person may forget
The reason the animal comes first by eating is because a meal continues for some time, and there is a concern that a person will become involved in his meal and forget that his animal still has not eaten.
This is similar to what we find regarding eating before davening, where there is also a difference between eating and drinking water.
However, drinking is quick, and there is no concern that he will forget, and therefore he may drink before his animal.
Another Beautiful Explanation
The Yad Ephraim (Siman 167) gives a very interesting explanation.
The reason we specifically find this halacha by food is because it could be that the very reason a person has food is in the merit of his animals.
As the Midrash (Parshat Emor) says on the passuk:
“Man and animal You save, Hashem”
That sometimes a person does not have enough merits of his own, and he is sustained in the merit of his animals.
Therefore, since his food may be coming in the merit of his animals, it is only proper that they eat first.
This also fits with the passuk which is the source of this halacha:
“You shall gather your grain, and you shall eat and be satisfied.”
The Gemara in Berachos explains that this refers to a situation where people are not fully doing the will of Hashem, because otherwise their work would be done through others.
However, regarding water, which is readily available in the world, we do not find that it comes in the merit of the animals, and therefore a person does not need to give them first.
What About the Ohr HaChaim’s Question From Rivka?
Although the Ohr HaChaim explained that “she finished giving him to drink” means that she stopped Eliezer in order to give the camels first, we can say that the Sefer Chassidim would explain the possuk like the other explanation brought by the Ohr HaChaim.
That since Eliezer came from a long journey and was extremely thirsty, drinking too much at once would have been dangerous.
Therefore:
“She finished giving him to drink.” Rivka stopped him from drinking too much at one time, in order that he should not overdrink and endanger himself.
Halacha Le’Maaseh – In Practice
Based on what we learned, that one must feed his animals before eating, we asked HaGaon HaRav Amrom Fried shlit”a two questions:
1. Does this only apply to a proper meal, or does it apply to all foods, for example mezonos?
2. If someone traveled far away and forgot to put food out for his animals, how much effort and money must he spend in order to feed them before eating?
The Rav shlit”a answered:
1. It applies to all types of food. Only drinking is permitted before giving the animals.
2. Even when a person is not at home, he may not eat before feeding his animals, as is explained in Shu”t She’eilas Yaavetz (Vol. 1, end of Siman 17). This applies even when it involves effort. However, if it involves a large financial expense, he is not obligated.
The Yaavetz writes:
From the Gemara at the end of Gittin we learn an additional chiddush, that even someone who is not at home may not even taste anything until he first gives his animal food. Therefore, someone who owns an animal cannot eat even in another person’s house as long as he has not first provided his animal with its food at the proper time.
On Behalf of the entire Sheilot staff, we wish you a Shabbos Shulem Umevorach.
