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THE CHEVRA Shabbos Parshas Young Israel of Fair Lawn the Morris J THE CHEVRA Shabbos Parshas Young Israel of Fair Lawn The Morris J. Kraut z’l Torah Center Chukas שבת פרשת חקת www.yifl.org Rabbi Eli Belizon Avi Zanjirian President June 22, 2018 Weekly Iyun Chabura Welcome! Our weekly Iyun Chabura learning Welcome to Ari and Shira Lewis ט תמוז תשע"ח Shacharis 7:00 AM Maseches Sanhedrin is on who moved into their new home Mincha 6:45 PM Wednesday nights starting at 9:15 with week with their children, Candle Lighting 6:58/8:14 PM pm. If you are interested in Amalya and Tani. Repeat Shema 8:57 PM participating, sponsoring ($54) and/or need help finding a chavrusa Parshas Ha’Shavua June 23, 2018 email [email protected]. Parashat Hukat – The Well of Miriam י תמוז תשע"ח Chevra Mishnayos 7:50 AM Scholar in Residence Rabbi Eli Mansour Shacharis 8:35 AM This shabbos we will be hosting Sof Zman K”S 9:11 AM Rabbi Jesse Horn of Yeshivas This week’s parasha, Parashat Hukat, Hakotel. Rabbi Horn will be giving begins with the laws of the para aduma Kiddush following davening the Shabbos morning drasha, a shiur (the red heifer), and then relates the (Everyone is reminded to help out and to women shabbos afternoon and the unfortunate death of Miriam. clean up after your children.) The Jewish people arrived at the shiur at Seudah Shelishis. wilderness of Zin… Miriam dies there and was buried there (Bamidbar 20:20). Boys’ Mishnayos and Boys’ Mishnayos The Talmud (Moed Katan 28a) asks why Women’s shiur 4:00 PM Boys’ mishnayos will take place at the section which relates the death of Seder 7:30 PM 4:00 pm at the shul. Miriam is placed immediately after the section of the red heifer. The gemara Mincha 8:00 PM suggests that it teaches the following Women’s Shiur comparison: “What is the purpose of the Seudah Shelishis sponsored by The women’s shiur will be given by sacrifices? They effect atonement! So, Yeshivas HaKotel Alumni Rabbi Horn at the shul at 4:00 pm. too, does the death of the righteous effect Maariv following Rabbi Horn’s atonement!” Immediately following Miriam’s death, shiur Shul BBQ Our annual shul barbecue has been the Torah (ibid. 21) relates that “the nation was without water.” The Talmud (Taanit rescheduled to July 4th at the Belizon Shabbos Ends 9:23 PM 9a) teaches that the well of Miriam dried home, at 12:30 pm. Please RSVP at up after her death, because “during the http://www.yifl.org/event/shulbbq entire forty years they had the ‘well’ Sunday through Miriam’s merit.” Upon her death, Shacharis I 7:30 AM Women’s Event the water disappeared. Shacharis II 8:30 AM On Sunday, at 10:00 AM at the shul, The Torah then relates that after the Well of Miriam dried up, the people Devora Farrell will be speaking on complained, saying “If only we had Monday-Friday how to get organized. To register, perished when our brothers perished at the Shacharis 7:00 AM please visit instance of the Lord.” They asked why Night Seder (M-Th) 8:45 PM http://www.yifl.org/event/womense God even brought the Jewish people, and Maariv (M-Th) 10:00 PM vent their animals, to the desert if they are to die of thirst. In response, Moshe Rabbeinu and Aaron fell upon their faces at the entrance to the Ohel Moed. God subsequently tells Moshe and Aharon would bring the Jewish people into the He wanted to become intellectually that they should “take the rod and gather land of Israel. equivalent to G-d. the community and speak to the rock in What do we learn from the episode? Those The way to correct the sin that brought front of all of the people, and it will yield who study Torah have a special merit. It death to the world is by teaching man that water.” Moshe and Aharon gathered the isn’t the horses and chariots which bring to reverse the effects of death; he must people by the rock, and said, “Listen, you victory, but rather the study of Torah. If undergo a procedure about which he rebels, shall we get water for you out of we only believe that, and internalize this understands NOTHING. Rather than the rock?” Moshe Rabbeinu then raises his message, then we will merit great understanding everything, by eating from hand and strikes the rock, twice, and out blessing. the forbidden tree, Man ruined everything. came the water. The correction of that sin is to nullify ones This is a very, very troubling story. We Parshas Chukas – Tumah understanding, to engage in a process might ask why Moshe and Aharon need to which defies understanding. Even Shlomo gather the people? And why did God tell and Tahara Defy Our HaMelech [King Solomon], the wisest of Moshe Rabbeinu to bring a stick? And Understanding men did not understand it: “I said I would finally, why was Moshe commanded to make myself wise, but its interpretation is speak to the rock? What is a person meant Rabbi Yissocher Frand far from me.” [Koheles 7:23]. This is the to say to a rock? tikun [correction] for the sin of partaking The whole ceremony of Parah Adumah Interestingly, the Targum Yonatan ben of the forbidden fruit, which was [Red Heifer] is the quintessential chok Uziel explains that when God commanded supposedly to give man G-dlike [mitzvah-decree with no apparent reason]. Moshe Rabbeinu to speak to the rock and understanding and knowledge. Rashi cites the Medrash that the Satan and to bring a stick, the intention was that only The Gemara in Shabbos [31a] expounds the nations of the world mock Israel if the rock did not yield water should the pasuk in Yeshaya [33:6]: “V’haya concerning this commandment – taunting Moshe take the stick and hit the rock. In Emunas Itecha Chosen Yeshuos us to explain its rationale. other words, the stick was intended only Chochmas V’Daas (yiras Hashem hi The Parah Adumah contains within itself as a “back-up” plan. Our questions, otzaro)” [the faith of your times will be the the greatest of paradoxes. Ashes of the however, remain. strength of your salvations, wisdom and Parah Adumah mixed with water have The Yalkut Shimoni asks a very important knowledge, (fear of Hashem that is man’s purifying powers. They are the only mode question. Why, in Parashat Beshalah treasure)]. The Gemara says that each of by which a person who has come in (Shemot 17:1-7), is Moshe told to hit the those six words represents one of the six contact with a dead corpse (tumas mes) rock, and here he is told to speak to the orders of the Mishneh. Emunas = Seder may become pure again. And yet the rock? He explains that the Jewish people, Zeraim (because farmers who plant need halacha is that the people who prepare the upon leaving Egypt, were ‘young’ and faith that Hashem will help their crop Parah Adumah, that sprinkle its waters, they only understand the demonstrative grow); Itecha = Seder Moed, having to do and that have anything to do with it act of hitting. However, forty years later, with time; Chosen = Seder Nashim; become tameh (spiritually impure) they are older and more mature, and Yeshuos = Seder Nezikin; Cochmas = themselves. therefore Moshe Rabbeinu is commanded Seder Kodshim; and V’Daas = Seder The Rambam writes at the end of Hilchos to speak to the rock, to pray, to study, and Taharos. Mikvaos: It is a clear matter that the laws in the merit of Torah blessing will come to The reason why Daas [knowledge] of impurity and purity are Divine decrees the world. In other words, God tells represents Seder Taharos is because Seder (gezeiros hakasuv hem) and we cannot Moshe Rabbeinu that in a time of drought, Taharos requires nullification of one’s understand their rationale. They are in the we should pray, and study Torah, and only Daas. It requires one to put his own category of Jewish law known as chukim. then will we merit receiving rain. understanding (sechel) on the shelf, so to Likewise, the fact that immersion in a If so, God intended to teach the Jewish speak, and say I will study it anyway even mikveh removes tumah is a chok, because people a lesson. Just as in a time of though it is beyond my comprehension. tumah is not dirt that can be removed by drought Moshe Rabbeinu was The reason for this is because the first man water. commanded to learn Torah next to the sought to know everything. That is The Shemen HaTov addresses the paradox rock, and the fire of the Torah was meant impossible. Certain things are beyond our of the Parah Adumah. The Parah Adumah to destroy and bring forth water from the comprehension. Thus, tikun of that sin are comes to purify from death impurity rock, so too we are supposed to used our the laws of tumah and taharah, which (tumas mes). When did death begin? It words, and turn to Torah study and prayer require a person to nullify his started at the beginning of time with the in times of crisis. Unfortunately, Moshe understanding and subjugate his power of sin of Man’s eating from the Tree of Rabbeinu was unable to united the people reasoning to that of a Higher Power Knowledge. Why did Adam eat from the behind this solution, and therefore, he (sechel Elyon).
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