B"H

Tuesday, Sivan 29, 5782 / June 28, 2022

In the past few Parshiot, the Torah describes many of the episodes in which the Jewish people complained and rebelled against Moshe, which in essence means they rebelled against G-d. For example, we just read how they complained about the manna – their heavenly food that came each day. They also complained about going into Israel, after hearing the negative report from the 10 spies.  In this week’s Parsha, Korach, we read about another rebellion against Moshe and Aaron, this time by Korach and his 250 men.

Even though the events in the Torah took place over three thousand years ago, they contain a lesson for us today. “Torah” comes from the word “teaching.”  What lesson can we find in all these negative stories?

The Jewish people of that generation had seen great miracles; The Ten plagues, The Exodus, The Splitting of The Sea, The Pillar of Cloud and Fire which accompanied them in the desert, The Manna, a heavenly food which came from heaven each day and The Giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai etc., one miracle greater than the other. How can we understand the fact that they lacked trust in G-d?

The answer is that because they saw miracles continuously, they mistakenly viewed them as nature.   As a result, they took these things for granted and stopped appreciating the wonderful miraculous blessings that G-d provided for them daily. They stopped seeing G-d’s hand in everything and complained about trivial things.

The lesson for us is that we, too, must realize and appreciate our daily miracles!It is essential that we realize them as such and not take them for granted. If we only took the time to think how many breaths we inhale and exhale each day, how many steps we take every day and how many words we speak each day, etc. etc., we would appreciate the magnitude of our daily blessings. They’re all miracles.

Our appreciation of all these wonderful blessings would alleviate our feelings of anxiety and stress in our day to day life.

A mother was once walking along the seashore with her son, when a huge wave carried him out to sea.  The mother began praying, “Please G-d, give me back my child!” Shortly afterwards a huge wave deposited her child unharmed at her feet.  The mother embraced the child, “Thank you G-d!.  Thank you!  I will be forever grateful to you!” 

Then she looked at her child again, looked up to heaven and said sternly, “And what about his hat?”

Every morning we recite a number of blessings thanking G-d for giving us so many wonderful things in life. These blessings are found in the beginning of the Siddur (daily prayer book). Reciting these blessings each day, reminds us not to take things for granted, thus making our day a more meaningful day.

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY & SUCCESSFUL DAY

B"H

Monday, Tammuz 5, 5782 / July 4, 2022

This week’s Parsha (in the Diaspora), Chukat, begins with the mitzvah of "Parah Adumah" - "Red Heifer". The ashes of a red heifer mixed with water, were used to purify those who came into contact with a dead body so they can enter into the Holy Temple.

Death symbolizes the very opposite of holiness and G-dliness, which is called "life". One who came in contact with a dead person became spiritually contaminated and had to go through the process of "purification." Through the process of Parah Adumah and immersing in a mikvah, a person was transformed from a state of spiritual impurity to a state of spiritual purity.

Since the time of Moshe, nine red heifers have been used for spiritual cleansing. Since the destruction of the Temple, the process of Parah Adumah was stopped. Moshiach will use the tenth "Parah Adumah" to purify the people of Israel.

The Torah calls this mitzvah, "Chukat HaTorah."  It is one of the many mitzvot in the Torah that have no logical or apparent reason, which is why this category of mitzvot is called Chukah. This mitzvah is considered illogical due to the following paradox; while the spiritually impure person becomes pure through the process of Parah Adumah, the Kohen (Priest) who handles the ashes becomes impure.

The irrationality of this mitzvah teaches us that to make the leap from impurity to spirituality, one has to commit to G-d’s mitzvot beyond the limitations of one's logic.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains that Parah Adumah teaches us the extent a Jew must commit to help another one spiritually. One must make personal sacrifices to help a fellow Jew come closer to G-d.

Our sages say that even when it seems that we are making a sacrifice to benefit someone else, in the long run, it is we who benefit from it too. The following story illustrates how helping others helps us.

Two peddlers were walking from village to village to sell their wares.  One cold winter day it began snowing heavily and walking became treacherous. After many hours, one of them was so overcome by the cold and exhaustion, that he fell to the ground.

The partner, also shivering from cold, realized that his friend would freeze to death if left alone. He immediately went to work on his friend, massaging him, moving his hands, feet and limbs, so they wouldn't freeze.  He worked for many hours, even though he too was freezing from the cold.  Finally, a coach drove by, picked them up and brought them to the city where they were attended by a doctor.

The one who massaged his friend boasted that he saved his friend's life.  However, the doctor said to him, "True you saved his life, but he saved your life too... for had you not massaged him and used your hands and feet to help him, you too, would have suffered from frostbite.." Helping others benefits us.

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY & SUCCESSFUL DAY

B"H

Wednesday Tammuz 7, 5782 / July 6, 2022

In this week’s Parsha, Chukat, the Torah tells about the passing of Moshe’s sister, Miriam and of his brother, Aaron. Miriam was 125 at the time of her passing and Aaron was 123.

Miriam passed away first. She passed away on the 10th day of Nissan. Aaron passed away about four months later on Rosh Chodesh Av. Moshe passed away close to a year after Miriam.

After Miriam’s death, the “rock/well,” which accompanied the Jewish people throughout their 40 year journey in the desert and supplied them with fresh water for all those years, went dry.

Not having any water to drink, the people gathered against Moshe and Aaron, and they said to Moshe, “Why did you bring us to this desert so that we should die here from thirst?

G-d told Moshe, “Take the staff, together with your brother Aaron, you should assemble the congregation. In their presence, SPEAK to the rock and it will produce water..”

Moshe and Aaron gathered the congregation. Moshe was angry at the people. He called them, rebels. But, as a result of his anger, instead of speaking to the rock as G-d commanded, Moshe HIT the rock. When water didn’t come out, Moshe hit the rock a second time and water came flowing forward.

Our sages say that Moshe’s mistake came as a result of his anger. This mistake cost Moshe and Aaron dearly. G-d punished them that they were barred from going into Israel. G-d said to Moshe and Aaron, “Because you didn’t believe in Me to sanctify Me in the presence of the Children of Israel (for you hit the rock instead of speaking to it), therefore you will not bring this congregation into the land…”

Forty years earlier, right after the Exodus, when they didn’t have water, G-d told Moshe to hit the rock. But this time he was to speak to the rock.  

All of Moshe’s pleas to recind the decree didn’t help. Moshe and Aaron died in the desert. In this Parsha we will read about Aaron’s passing. Moshe’s passing is recorded at the end of the Torah. Miriam, Aaron and Moshe all passed away in the span of one year.

Q.Why did G-d tell Moshe to hit the rock forty years earlier and now to speak to the rock?

A. All of this was to serve a lesson to the people. The staff represents fear of punishment. We fulfill G-d’s commandments in one of two ways; As a result of fear of punishment or as a result of love for G-d. When Jews first came out of enslavement, they were not yet expected to observe G-d’s commandments out of love for G-d. It was enough if they did it out of fear of punishment, just as the rock gave water as a result of being hit by Moshe. But now, at the end of forty years, as they were ready to enter into Israel, G-d wanted to teach them that observing G-d’s commandments should be out of love for G-d, not as a result of fear of punishment. This is why G-d told Moshe this time, to speak, not to hit the rock.  

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY & SUCCESSFUL DAY