Thursday, Tammuz 7, 5785 / July 3, 2025
B"H
Thursday, Tammuz 7, 5785 / July 3, 2025
In this week’s Parsha, Chukat, we read about the passing of two of the greatest leaders of the Jewish people: Moshe’s sister Miriam, and his brother Aaron, the High Priest.
All three of them passed away within the period of one year - in the 40thyear after the Exodus. Miriam passed away first on the 10th of Nissan; Aaron passed away four months later, on Rosh Chodesh Av. Moshe passed away less than a year after Miriam, on the 7th of Adar. Miriam and Aaron’s passing is recorded in this week’s Parsha, Chukat. Moshe’s passing is recorded at the very end of the Torah.
As leaders of the people of Israel, Miriam, Aaron and Moshe contributed not only to the spiritual welfare of the Jewish people, but also to their physical welfare. To a Jew, physical and spiritual are connected.
Q. What were their contributions to the physical welfare of the people during their 40 years in the desert?
A. Throughout the 40 years which the Jewish people were in the desert, a wellwas imbedded in a rock, which traveled with them and supplied the Jewish camp withthe water they needed. When Miriam died, the well became dry. In Aaron’s merit, Jews were surrounded with “clouds of glory,” which protected them from the elements and from enemy danger. With Aaron’s death the clouds were gone. In Moshe’s merit they had their daily manna from heaven for forty years.
Q. From where did they get their water supply after Miriam passed away?
A. The story is told in this week’s Parsha. After Miriam’s passing the Jewish people complained that they had no water. G-d told Moshe to take his staff and together with Aaron speakto the rock and it will give water. However, instead of speaking to the stone, Moshe hitthe rock twice. Water began flowing from the rock again but because Moshe and Aaron didn’t obey G-d’s commandment to speakto the rock and hit it instead, Moshe and Aaron were punished and barred entry into the Promised Land.
Q. Why was the water supply for the Jewish people given in the merit of Miriam?
A. G-d rewards measure for measure.When Moshe’s mother placed him in a basket at the river’s edge, 120 years earlier, due to Pharaoh’s decree to drown all Jewish males, Miriam stood by the river to watch over her brother. Miriam made sure that Moshe was protected. Because of her dedication to Moshe at the river, she was rewarded that the water supply to the Jewish people was in her merit.
Also, Miriam had a special feeling and sensitivity for the young. While still in Egypt, under the threat of grave punishment, she devoted herself to taking care of and saving Jewish babies who were born under Pharaoh's death decree. Although Miriam was a prophetess and attained a very high spiritual level, yet she "lowered" herself and was devoted to bringing happiness and life to the "small" children. Thus, in her merit, G-d gave "water", which has the quality of descending from on high to the lowest levels.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
OUR HEARTS ARE WITH OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CAPTIVITY - MAY THEY ALL BE RELEASED NOW
Wednesday, Tammuz 6, 5785 / July 2, 2025
B"H
Wednesday, Tammuz 6, 5785 / July 2, 2025
This Shabbat we will read Parshat Chukat. The Parsha begins with the words, "Zot ChukatHatorah" - "This is the statuteof the Torah."
The 613 mitzvot in the Torah fall into one of three categories: Eidut, Mishpatimand Chukim.
While the mitzvot in the category of Eidut and Mishpation are mitzvot which we can understand their reason, the mitzvot in the category of Chukim(statutes) are mitzvot which have no logical reasonwhatsoever. G-d commanded us to observe them, without giving us any reason for them.
This week's Torah portion begins with one of the mitzvot in the category of Chukim. The mitzvah of Para Adumah- "Red Heifer."
The Torah tells us that when someone comes in contact with a dead body, they become "Tamei" - "spiritually impure". To become spiritually clean again, the Torah commands that Elazar HaKohen, son of Aaron the High Priest, sprinkle on the person water mixed with the ashes of a red heifer. The Torah describes in detail the entire process of preparing the red heifer and how the purification process is performed.
What is interesting about this mitzvah is that when performing the sprinkling process, the person who was unclean becomes clean, while the Kohen, who performed the purification process, becomes impure!
According to our sages, this is one reason why the mitzvah of "Para Adumah" is called "Chukah" - a mitzvah with no rational explanation to it.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe, of blessed memory, whose yartzeit was Sunday, the third of Tammuz, explains that although we can't comprehend the logic of this mitzvah, as the Torah didn’t give us the reason for it, yet we can learn a very important lesson from it.
“It teaches us,” says the Rebbe, “that we have to be ready to make personal sacrificesto help another Jew come closer to G-d. We cannot and should not pass the responsibility unto others.”
We learn this from the fact that the Torah commands the Kohen (priest) to personally help this individual even at the cost of temporarily becoming impure himself and being unable to enter the Holy Temple.
From this we learn that when we see a person who is spiritually lacking and we have the ability to help, we should not pass the job to someone else, it is up to us, even at the cost of self-sacrifice, to help them in their spiritual quest.
This was the motto of the Rebbe, of blessed memory, to care about the spiritual welfare of every Jew, throughout the world. May his memory bring blessings to us all in whatever we all need. Amen.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
OUR HEARTS ARE WITH OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CAPTIVITY - MAY THEY ALL BE RELEASED NOW
Monday, Tammuz 4, 5785 / June 30, 2025
B"H
Monday, Tammuz 4, 5785 / June 30, 2025
This coming Shabbat we read Parshat Chukat. It is the sixth Parsha in the Book of Numbers (Bamidbar). In it the Torah tells of the passing of two of our greatest leaders, Moshe’s sister, Miriamand his brother, Aaron. They together with Moshe led the Jewish people out of Egypt.
Miriam is first mentioned in the Torah in the Book of Exodus (Shmot) in connection with Pharaoh’s decree that every Jewish male who will be born shall be thrown into the river. Miriam, who served as a midwife to the Jewish women, didn’t obey Pharaoh’s decree. Instead, she made sure that the babies lived and were taken care of.
When Moshe was placed in the basket by the river, it was Miriam who stood there to watch over him and through her intervention with Pharaoh’s daughter, he was given back to his mother for feeding.
We also find that after the Jewish people crossed the Sea; Miriam led the women in song. The Torah tells us that she and the women took their tambourines and sang G-d’s praises for His great miracles. Our sages tell us that the women had more faith than the men. They were sure that G-d would redeem them. They prepared tambourines while still in Egypt for this special occasion.
Throughout the forty years that Jews spent in the desert their entire water supply, came from a well embedded in a rock. The well travelled with them wherever they went. This rock-well was in the merit of Miriam. Thus, when Miriam passed away, in this Parsha, the water supply stopped. It returned only when Moshe mistakenly hit the rock, instead of speaking to the rock. The Parsha tells us that for this mistake, Moshe was barred from entering into the Promised Land.
Miriam passed away at the age of 125. Our sages say that G-d took Miriam’s soul via a G-dly kiss.
Aaron’s passing is also in this Parsha. G-d told Moshe to tell Aaron and his son, Elazar, to go up the mountain called Hor Hahar. There they entered a cave. Moshe took off Aaron’s special Priestly garments and he put them on Elazar. G-d wanted Aaron to see his son becoming High Priest.
In the cave there was a bed prepared and a lamp lit. Moshe told Aaron to lay down on the bed; stretch out his feet & close his mouth and eyes. At that moment G-d took Aaron’s soul with a G-dly kiss. When Moshe saw how peacefully Aaron’s soul was taken, he desired to die the same way. Indeed, Moshe also merited to die the exact way Aaron did, via a G-dly kiss.
Aaron was 123 years when he died. The Torah tells us that the ENTIRE house of Israel mourned Aaron’s passing. Yet, with Moshe’s passing, which is recorded at the end of the Torah, it doesn’t say that the entire house of Israel mourned. Our sages explain, that for Aaron, not only the men but also the women mourned. Because Aaron was a peace maker. Whenever he saw people quarreling he would try to bring peace between them. He would especially get involved in bringing peace between husband and wife. Thus, the ENTIREhouse of Israel (men and women) mourned his passing.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
OUR HEARTS ARE WITH OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CAPTIVITY - MAY THEY ALL BE RELEASED NOW
Friday, Tammuz 1, 5785 / June 27, 2025
B"H
Friday, Tammuz 1, 5785 / June 27, 2025
Today is the second day of Rosh Chodesh Tammuz. The Torah portion which we will read this Shabbat is Korach. It begins with the rebellion which Korach, Moshe’s cousin, from the tribe of Levi, led against the leaders of the Jewish people, Moshe and Aaron.
Realizing that the Jewish people of that generation will not go into Israel and that they will stay another 38 years in the desert as a result of their refusal to go forward into the Promised Land, Korach felt that now was the right time to start a rebellion against the leadership of Moshe and Aaron.
Korach was jealous of Aaron being the High Priest. Korach gathered 250 people, mostly from the tribe of Reuben, together they rebelled against Moshe and Aaron. Korach, who wanted to be the High Priest, argued against Moshe and Aaron by claiming equality for everyone.
Korach said to Moshe and Aaron, "The entire congregation is holy... Why do you exalt yourselves above the congregation?" He used a noble cause to further his argument, equality, but in reality he cared only for himself. Korach caused a tremendous division within the Jewish people and as a result close to 15,000 people died in a plague.
The lesson from this story: One can be the champion for a good cause, such as equality for all, as Korach did, but at the same time causing tremendous harm. While G-d created us all equal with a goal of making this world a better place. He gave different duties to certain people. By fulfilling our obligations in what we excel in, to the best of our ability, we all fulfill our life mission exactly as G-d intended.
For example: If a scholar, whose financial means are limited, will make his life goal to give charity and the wealthy person will excel in teaching Torah, rather than giving charity, the world would be lacking. Each one has to excel in what G-d blessed them with. Then we have a win-win situation.
Q.As mentioned, Korach’s revolt was supported by people from the tribe of Reuben. Why did the people of the tribe of Reuben join Korach’s rebellion more than the other tribes?
A. The family of Kehot, from which Korach was a descendent, was encamped on the south side of the Mishkan (Tabernacle). The tribe of Reuben was also encamped on the south side of the Mishkan, right next to Korach and his family. Being neighbors, Korach was able to influence them to join his revolt.
Our sages teach us: “Keep a far distance from a bad neighbor; Do not associate with a wicked person.. Envy and the search of glory and honor remove a person from this world.”
Sunday is the 3rd day in the Hebrew month, Tammuz, commemorating thirty-one years since the leader of our generation, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, zt"l, passed away. The Rebbe's impact on Jewish life, through his Shluchim (emissaries) and followers all over the world is felt to this day. It is an auspicious time to reflect and strengthen our own commitment to Judaism & to bring more spiritual holiness into our home. It is a time for resolutions to strengthen our support for Jewish education and to our community.
CHODESH TOV – A HEALTHY, SUCCESFUL MONTH & SHABBAT SHALOM
Montreal candle lighting time: 8:29 / Shabbat ends: 9:45
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