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בס“ד Toronto Torah Beit Midrash Zichron Dov To sponsor a Toronto Torah in memory or in honour of a loved one for $180, please email [email protected] or call 416-781-1777. Parshat Chukat 30 Sivan, 5771/July 2, 2011 Vol.2 Num. 40 It is a rare person who does not fear thirst of Marah. empty: Trust in Gd. Our fear regarding death – who, in the words of Batsheva, the disappearance of Gd at Sinai was Second: This week, as we learn the spe- will "laugh on the last day. (Mishlei empty: Trust in Gd. And our fear re- cific laws of the parah adumah, the sag- 31)" With the rite of the Parah Adu- garding death is also empty: Trust in es link this ritual with the sin of the mah, though, the Torah prescribes a Gd. Golden Calf. When Moshe disappeared method for mitigating our fear of mat- atop Har Sinai, the people feared that The Torah underscores this message ters moribund. they had lost their link with the Divine, by connecting the Parah Adumah's two The Parah Adumah purifies people and they created a calf as a substitute. appearances with Miriam, as well. Miri- from contact with death: A red cow is We use a cow for purification in order to am led the Jewish women in song im- killed, and then the carcass is inciner- counter that idolatrous calf; as one mid- mediately before the Torah's account of ated. [This does not happen frequently; rash on our parshah (Bamidbar Rabbah Marah, and Miriam's death is recorded the ash of a parah adumah lasts for 19:8) phrases it, "This may be compared immediately following the description generations, so that only nine parot to a maid's son, who dirtied the king's of the Parah Adumah in our parshah. adumot have been used in history.] A palace. The king decreed: Let the mother Miriam was all of six years old, appren- small amount of the ash is placed into come and clean up her son's filth. So Gd ticed to her mother as a midwife, when specially prepared water, and that wa- said: Let the cow come and atone for the the Egyptian Pharaoh ordered the two ter is sprinkled on a person who has deed of the calf." of them to kill all of the Jewish baby become impure from contact with There is another link between Parah boys. As the Talmud (Sotah 11b) em- death. The Jews learned about this Adumah and these two events, for phasizes, Miriam and her mother trust- Parah Adumah ritual twice, and ele- Marah and the Golden Calf provide the ed Gd with their lives, defied Pharaoh ments of each appearance demonstrate basic components of the Parah Adumah and saved the babies. Miriam trusted that this ritual is meant, at least in ritual: We burn the cow's carcass and Gd with her life when she guarded part, to help us overcome fear. reduce it to ash, reminiscent of the Calf Moshe in his basket on the river. And First: After the Jews crossed through which was burned and then ground into so Miriam's leadership precedes the Yam Suf, they traveled for three days ash (Shemot 32:20). We introduce the first Parah Adumah, and the conclu- without fresh water. Finally, they ar- ash into water, reminiscent of the water sion of Miriam‟s story follows the Parah rived at an oasis called Marah, only to at Marah as well as the dissolution of Adumah, as a lesson for all of us to find that the water was not potable. the Calf's ash in water. We then sprinkle trust Gd and so override our own fear Frightened, the Jews asked Moshe this mixture on the person who has of death. what they would drink, and Gd showed been intimate with death. Forty-two years ago this month, with Moshe how to sweeten the water. Then, Insertion of the laws of Parah Adumah the entire world of their day as well as we are told, the Jews were taught stat- into the Marah and Calf incidents, and future generations watching, three men utes and laws; Rashi says that this adoption of elements of each story into conquered their fear of the unknown, includes the Parah Adumah. [See To- the Parah Adumah ritual, hint that the- landing on the Moon in the Apollo 11 rah Temimah to Shemot 15:25, chal- se three entities share a message: Our mission. They used training and simu- lenging this edition of Rashi.] The par- fear regarding the lack of water was lators to get rid of the unknown; as ah adumah is eternally linked to the Buzz Aldrin wrote, “True fear is the fear of the unknown, and all our training had been geared towards eliminating the unknown as much as possible.” What do we learn from the Torah's extra words that "the whole When a human being confronts death, assembly" came to Midbar Tzin shortly before the death of he can‟t eliminate the unknown; there Miriam? (20:1) is no „death simulator‟ available. None- (Rashi, Ramban, Ohr HaChaim) theless, the message of the Parah Adu- What was Moshe‟s sin at Mei Merivah? (20) (Rashi, Ibn Ezra, mah, this opaque law which defies ra- Rambam, Ramban, Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch) tional explanation, is this: Trust Me. Why did Moshe need to be reassured by G-d before waging war Just as HaShem was at our side at the waters of Marah, and just as HaShem against Og? (Rashi, Ramban and to Bamidbar 21:34) was present at Sinai, and just as Ha- For children: Which nation attacked the Jewish people after the Shem was present for Miriam, so Ha- death of Aharon? (Rashi to Bamidbar 21:1) Shem will be with us now to protect us. “HaShem spoke to Moshe and to Aaron, struggle from the start. Only an element understood in light of the interfacing of saying „This is the statute of the of “gaava dekedusha” can restore his self- different midot. The midot of the Torah…‟”(Bamidbar, 19:1-2) confidence and the will to face the husband have an impact on those of his wife, and visa versa. We have here a The parsha of “Parah Adumah” was given challenges and overcome temptation. synthesis of personalities, a joining of two to both Moshe and Aaron. Although it Thus “shifalut” alone, without “gaava”, is individuals to form a new union, a new was Aaron who implemented the process an incomplete personality whose success entity. We say about HaKadosh Baruch of the Parah Adumah, it was Moshe, as in “avodat HaShem” is in jeopardy. Hu: “oseh Shalom bimromav”. Shalom is Beit Din HaGadol, who supervised it. Let “Gaava dekedusha” alone, on the other an positive entity, not just the absence of us understand the respective roles of hand, is equally problematic. In this case, division. It is something that exists, and Moshe and Aaron from a hashkafic the “yetzer hara” argues: “you‟ve it emerges from the integration of traits perspective, reflecting the principle accomplished so much. You‟ve achieved and characteristics. Husband and wife “shivim panim laTorah”. such levels of sanctity and purity that you bring into the mariage their own The Netivot Shalom writes that Moshe need not work hard to face new and great individual “midot” and “hashkafot”, and and Aaron represent two distinct challenges.” as a result of the integration of these personalities which must work together Let us look at Yosef HaTzaddik facing the “hashkafot”, a new entity called Shalom in all that pertains to avodat HaShem. temptation of the wife of Potifar. The verse emerges. Moshe embodies the characteristic of says “Vatitvasehu b’bigdo vatomar shichva The Midrash on the verse: “Sh’ma Yisrael “anava” (humility) or “shiflut”, as the imi”. The word “beged” can mean a HaShem Elokeinu HaShem Echad”, points Torah states, “now the man Moshe was garment or a rebellion (begida). According out that everything HaShem created was exceedingly humble, more than any to a homiletic interpretation of this verse, created “zugot” (pairs). The Heavens person on the face of the earth.” Aaron, offered by the Slonimer Rebby, she said to and Earth, the sun and the moon, Adam on the other hand, represents the him: “You‟ve already committed many sins and Eve. Only HaShem is One and characteristic of “gaava” (pride), not in and rebellions acts in the past, why singular. HaShem Echad. the negative sense, but rather pride of shouldn‟t you commit this sin as well?” greatness and kedusha. About Aaron the Such is the seductive power of the “yetzer What is the significance of the concept of Torah writes: “You shall make vestments hara”. What was Yosef‟s response? “zugot”? Why is this concept so central to of sanctity for Aaron your brother, for “Einenu gadol babayit hazeh mimeni v’eich the Divine scheme of creation? The glory and splendor.” (Shmot, 28:2) These e’eseh haraah hagedolah hazot v’chatati answer, I believe, is that all systems two personalities must complement one l’Elokim”. Yosef spoke to her about his express a symbiotic relationship of another, as each one, unto itself, is great status in the house of his master. “mashpia” (active agent) and lacking and incomplete. This dialogue between the wife of Potifar “mushpa” (passive agent). The light of the sun, for example, is reflected by the Take the attribute of “shiflut”. An and Yosef symbolizes our method of moon. The heavens influence the earth, individual who exemplifies this “middah” combatting the influence of the “yetzer and via versa.

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