In Parshat Chukat, when Bnei Yisrael speak negatively about the manna, they say: נַפְשֵׁנוּ קָצָה בַּלֶּחֶם הַקְּלֹקֵל – We are disgusted with this rotten bread. What suddenly happened? They had been eating it for the last 38 years, seemingly without issue. What changed and why did they suddenly wake up to claim it will one day explode in their stomachs? As we know, manna was like the food of angels and produced no waste, and they thought it was building up in their systems and would one day soon explode. But this was not because the manna actually caused problems, but rather because the manna revealed to Bnei Yisrael their sins and they had no interest in such. It arrived every day at their doorstep, but one who sinned was forced to go outside the camp to fetch their portion. So, they began to speak negatively about Hakadosh Baruch Hu and Moshe Rabbeinu, and their punishment was the arrival of הַנְּחָשִׁים הַשְּׂרָפִים – the venomous snakes, and many died as a result. How was this punishment then lifted? Moshe was instructed:
וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל־מֹשֶׁה עֲשֵׂה לְךָ שָׂרָף וְשִׂים אֹתוֹ עַל־נֵס וְהָיָה כָּל־הַנָּשׁוּךְ וְרָאָה אֹתוֹ וָחָי׃ וַיַּעַשׂ מֹשֶׁה נְחַשׁ נְחֹשֶׁת וַיְשִׂימֵהוּ עַל־הַנֵּס וְהָיָה אִם־נָשַׁךְ הַנָּחָשׁ אֶת־אִישׁ וְהִבִּיט אֶל־נְחַשׁ הַנְּחֹשֶׁת וָחָי׃
G-d said to Moshe: make for yourself a venomous serpent and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looks upon it, shall live. And Moshe made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of bronze, he lived.
The Kli Yakar asks the obvious question. Moshe was commanded to make a שָׂרָף and proceeded to make a נְחַשׁ. Why? The answer is simple. Both נְּחָשִׁים and שְּׂרָפִים were sent to punish Bnei Yisrael. The נְּחָשִׁים were sent because they spoke negatively about Hakadosh Baruch Hu, and the שְּׂרָפִים were sent because they spoke negatively about Moshe. Hakadosh Baruch Hu told Moshe that what they said about Him, He forgives, but what they spoke about Moshe He did not forgive. Moshe said the exact opposite, however, willing to forgive for what was said against him but unwilling to forego the honor of Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Thus, the instruction to make a שָׂרָף and the actual forming of a נְחַשׁ.
Rashi adds that Moshe made a נְחַשׁ נְחֹשֶׁת due the similarity and connection between the two words, but the Maharal disagrees. He says it is not because the words sound the same, or are one letter off from one another, but because they are indeed the same thing! Both the snake and the metal of bronze are chutzpanim and liars. The snake, in Gan Eden, stood tall on its legs, and was later punished by having to slither on the ground. Why does it matter how it stood, walked, or slithered? The Maharal says standing on its feet does not just mean it literally stood up high off the ground. The snake said to Chava, “Hakadosh Baruch Hu said not to eat from the Eitz Hada’at, but you’re a strong woman and should show some independence. Form your own decision. There’s no need to bend over all the time – stand tall and hold your ground!” That is why one who does not bend to the will of Hakadosh Baruch Hu is like the snake, who pushed Chava to ignore her commandment and stand tall. The Maharal adds (Netiv Ha’Avodah), the snake pushed Adam HaRishon not to submit himself to the will of Hakadosh Baruch Hu. He told Adam he was a Melech, with his own free will, and should not be bending over. Therefore, the snake who insisted everyone stand tall was punished by having to live flat on the ground.
