Friday, Tammuz 8, 5781 / June 18, 2021
B"H
Friday, Tammuz 8, 5781 / June 18, 2021
This week’s Parsha, Chukat, tells of the passing of two of our greatest leaders, Miriamand Aaron.
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 midwife to the Jewish women, didn’t obey Pharaoh’s decree. Instead, she made sure that the babies lived and were taken care of.
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 will redeem them. They prepared tambourines while still in Egypt for this special occasion.
Throughout the forty years that Jews spent in the desert their water supply, which had to supply millions of people, 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.
There is an ancient custom to draw and drink water from a well or natural spring after Shabbat. This is based on the saying of the sages that the waters of Miriam’s Well flow through all the wells and natural springs every Saturday night, and anyone who encounters it and drinks of its waters will be healed. 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 ENTIREhouse of Israel mourned Aaron’s passing. Yet, with Moshe’a passing, 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 womenmourned. 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. Moshe’s strength was teaching Torah to the men. Thus, when he passed away it was mainly the men who mourned after him.
SHABBAT SHALOM
Montreal candle lighting time: 8:28 / Shabbat ends: 9:44
Wednesday, Tammuz 6, 5781 / June 16, 2021
B"H
Wednesday, Tammuz 6, 5781 / June 16, 2021
Parshat Chukat is read this Shabbat. It begins with the mitzvah of "Para 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 could enter into the Holy Temple or eat of the holy sacrifices. The sacrifices were forbidden for someone who was impure, especially those coming in contact with the dead.
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 Para Adumah – the red heifer, a person was transformed from a state of spiritual impurity to a state of spiritual purity.
The Torah calls this process "ChukatHaTorah." “Chukah” applies to the mitzvot in the Torah that have no logical or apparent reason. This mitzvah is considered illogical due to the paradox of this commandment. While the spiritually unclean person becomes clean through the process of the Para Adumah, the Kohen (Priest) who performs part of the process, becomes impure!
The irrationality of this mitzvah also has a rationale. This mitzvah teaches us that to make the leap from impurity to spirituality; one has to commit to G-d’s mitzvot beyondthe limitations of one's logic. One has to put their own rationale aside in order to perform G-d’s will.
There is another important lesson in this mitzvah. The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains that Para Adumah teaches us the extent a Jew must go to help another one spiritually. Just like the Kohen-priest who was prepared to become impure in order to purify and elevate another Jew, so too, if need be, one must make personal sacrificesto help a fellow Jew come closer to G-d.
Our sages tell us that when we make a personal sacrifice to help another person, we benefit from this too. The following story illustrates this point..
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 to by a doctor.
The one who massaged his friend boasted that hesaved his friend's life.
But the doctor told him, "True you saved his life, but he saved your life too... Had you not massaged him and used your hands and feet to help him, you too would have suffered from frostbite!" Sacrificing to help others is helping ourselves.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
Tuesday, Tammuz 5, 5781 / June 15, 2021
B"H
Tuesday, Tammuz 5, 5781 / June 15, 2021
This week’s Parsha is Chukat – the sixth Parsha in the Book of Numbers.
The Parsha begins with the laws of the red heifer whose ashes, mixed with water, were used for the purification process of those who became spiritually unclean by coming in contact with a dead body.
In the Parsha we also read about the passing of two of the greatest leaders of Israel, Moshe’s sister Miriam, and his brother Aaron, the High Priest. Both passed away the same year. Miriam passed away on the 10th of Nissan; Aaron passed away close to five months later, on Rosh Chodesh Av.
Moshe also passed away less than a year after Miriam, on the 7th of Adar. His passing is recorded at the very end of the Torah. Miriam was 125 and Aaron was 123 at the time of their passing.
As leaders and shepherds of the people of Israel, Miriam and Aaron contributed not only to the spiritual welfare of the Jewish people, but also to their physical welfare.
Q. What were their physical contributions to the Jewish people during their travels in the desert?
A. Throughout the 40 years which the Jewish people were in the desert, a well was imbedded in a rock, which traveled with them and supplied the Jewish camp with all their waterneeds. 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.
Q. From where did they get their water supply after Miriam passed away?
A. 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 speak to the rock and it will give water. However, instead of speaking to the stone, Moshe hitthe rock twice. The rock began flowing water again. However, hitting the rock was considered a sin and as a result, Moshe and Aaron were punished by being 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. After Moshe’s birth, when he was three months old, Moshe’s mother placed him in a basket at the river’s edge, due to Pharaoh’s decree to drown all Jewish males. Miriam, who was then five years old, stood at the river-bank to watch her brother. Miriam made sure that Moshe was protected. When Pharaoh’s daughter rescued Moshe from the water Miriam introduced her own mother (who was also Moshe’s mother) to nurse the baby. Because of her dedication to Moshe at the water, G-d rewarded her that the supply of water to the Jewish nation during their forty year journey in the desert, was in her special merit – measure for measure.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
Thursday, Sivan 30, 5781 / June 9, 2021
B"H
Thursday, Sivan 30, 5781 / June 9, 2021
Happy Rosh Chodesh. Today is the first day Rosh Chodesh Tammuz.
Hallel and Musaf are recited in the morning prayers. We read from the Torah the special Rosh Chodesh reading. Here are a few historical events which took place in the month of Tammuz:
Yaakov's son, Joseph, was born on the first or second of Tammuz.
Tammuz 3: On this day, during the battle of Givon, Yehoshua (Joshua) commanded the sun (and moon) to stop and not set until the battle was won (see Joshua 10).
Tammuz 3: On this day the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of blessed memory, leader of Chabad and world Jewry, passed away in the year 1994.
Tammuz 4: On this day Rabeinu (Yaakov) Tam - the famous grandson of Rashi passed away in the year 4931 (1171). Rabeinu Tam was one of the leading scholars and authorities on Jewish law. He differs with his grandfather, Rashi, as to the order in which the four Torah portions are placed in the Tefillin. As a result, after praying the morning service in the Tefillin according to Rashi, many put on a second pair of Tefillin which are made to the specifications of Rabeinu Tam (called Rabeinu Tam's Tefillin). Many Sephardic Jews use very small Tefillin and put on the Rashi and Rebeinu Tam Tefillin together, thus, wearing two Tefillin on the arm and two on their head at the same time.
Tammuz 9: The walls of Jerusalem were breached and the destruction of the First Temple followed.
Tammuz 16: Moshe's nephew, Chur, was killed when he tried to stop the Jewish people from worshipping the Golden Calf in the desert.
Tammuz 17: On this day, Noah sent out the dove the first time to see if the waters of the Great Flood had receded. The Torah tells us, "But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot and she returned to the ark..." (Gen. 8). On this day (about 800 years later) Moshe came down Mount Sinai with the first set of Tablets. He broke them when he realized that the people sinned with the Golden Calf.
The 17th of Tammuz is remembered for five tragic episodes: 1) Moshe broke the Tablets when the people of Israel worshipped the Golden Calf. 2) The daily sacrifice in the Holy Temple stopped; 3) The city of Jerusalem was conquered; 4) Apustomos the wicked burned a Torah; 5) An idol was placed in the Holy Temple.
Our sages found a hint to the tragedies of the 17th of Tammuz in the story of Noah and the dove. The dove's not finding a resting place alludes to the trials and tribulations and lack of rest which the Jewish people, who are likened to a dove, experienced on this day many generations later.
May this month of Tammuz be a blessed month of peace for us all.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY & WONDERFUL CHODESH
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