Parshas Chukas

The mishna in Rosh Hashana says "Vechi nachash meimis oy nachash mechayah elah lomar luch shekol zman shohya Yisroel mistaklim klapia mallah umishabdim ess lebom huya misrapim..."
After Aharon was niftar the Torah relates that Klal Yisroel got impatient of the traveling and complained to Moshe about food and water. The Posuk continues "Then Hashem let the poisonous serpents loose against the people." After they did teshuva Hashem told Moshe "Make yourself a poisonous serpent and set it on a high pole, and everyone that is bitten, when he looks upon it shall live." The Mishna quoted above asks, does a snake have healing powers that just by looking at it one got healed? The mishna answers, that whenever one would look up to the heavens and dedicate their hearts to Hashem they'd be healed. The snake didn't have any special healing powers it was just a way to get the nation to look up and see Hashem. The point that needs clarification is why did Hashem give them this medicine at this time? Why did this sin get this punishment and this specific remedy?
Klal Yisroel at that point had what to eat - namely the mon - they were just not satisfied with it and they wanted real natural food that regular humans eat and drink. They asked Hashem to let them live naturally. The posak says Hashem let "Hanechashem" the serpents. Hashem didn't create or transfer new snakes to where Klal Yisroel was. All He did was let the serpents do their natural thing and attack the people. These were the same serpents that naturally roam the dessert, that he miraculously kept away from them for forty years. The snakes where always there but the Yidden didn't even see them, for Hashem kept them protected from all the dangers in the dessert. Now that they complained that they want to live a natural life Hashem gave them a taste of life in the dessert with all its dangers. The attacks of the serpents weren't a punishment but rather that is what they had asked for. The tshuva for this was to look up and see that there are snakes out there and the only one that's protecting you from them is Hashem. One who was bitten had to only fix the image of a serpent firmly in his mind so that he realizes that even when Hashem's gracious power will keep the serpents at a distance he will remember that the danger is still lurking and only with Hashem's mercy are we being saved. Just like the punishment was just what they asked for so to the medicine was just to help them see and correct their mistake and way of thinking.
We most learn from this Parsha that anything that comes our way is closely calculated by Hashem's great mercy. Any danger in life that doesn't come our way is a special protection from Hashem, and when c"v something not to pleasant comes our way, every big prize in the lottery that Hashem has failed to let us win, it is Hashem that in his infinite wisdom and mercy sending our way. We must have the lesson of the the serpents ingrained in our minds and be able to recognize that all of it has a reason and is directly from Hashem.
Taken from R. S. R. Hirsch zt"l