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Into The Weekly Parsha

JULY 16, 2016 This week's Insights is dedicated in loving memory of Faigy bas Rav Nachum by VOLUME 6, ISSUE 40 Channah Finkel. "May her Neshama have an Aliya!"

10 TAMMUZ Based on the of our Rosh HaYeshiva HaRav Yochanan Zweig PARSHAS CHUKAS

HaShem spoke to Moshe and Aharon saying: Speak to Bnei Yisroel and they shall take to you a perfectly red cow… (19:1-2)

This week's Parsha describes the with the main purpose of the Parah mitzvah of Parah Adumah; the Adumah, that of purifying those that process of achieving forgiveness by extremely rare occurrence of a have come into contact with a dead reciting the Thirteen Attributes of perfectly red cow whose ashes would person? Mercy that we have incorporated into be used in the process of purifying the Yom Kippur Davening. The Gemara (Shabbos 146a) informs us those that had come into contact with that death left the world when HaShem The Parah Adumah, whose actual the dead. gave the Torah on Har Sinai to Bnei purpose is to remove the defilement Rashi (ad loc) is bothered by the term Yisroel. Death came into the world that comes from being in contact with a “to you” which is in the singular even when Adam sinned by eating from the dead person, is therefore an atonement though HaShem was addressing both tree of knowledge. In other words, Bnei on the sin of the golden calf which was Moshe and Aharon. He goes on to the cause of death returning to the explain that the Parah Adumah was a How did Moshe come to world. This explains why Moshe is mitzvah that would always be referred acquire the naming rights forevermore credited with the mitzvah to as the cow that Moshe prepared in of Parah Adumah; it was he who the desert. In other words, this mitzvah to the Parah Adumah, and pleaded with HaShem not to destroy is permanently associated with Moshe why this mitzvah as Bnei Yisroel after the sin of the golden Rabbeinu. opposed to any other? calf. The Parah Adumah, in effect, serves the exact function that Moshe What exactly does this mean? While it Yisroel accepting the Torah was a accomplished when he prevailed upon is true that Moshe organized the rectification of Adam’s sin and HaShem to spare Bnei Yisroel. Having procedure in the desert, why would a therefore death left the world. The Moshe’s name attached to the mitzvah Parah Adumah a thousand years later Gemara continues; when Bnei Yisroel is the very definition of the purpose of still be referred to as Moshe’s? How did sinned by the golden calf death the Parah Adumah. Moshe come to acquire the naming returned. In fact, HaShem had rights to the Parah Adumah, and why proclaimed a death sentence on the this mitzvah as opposed to any other? entire Jewish people. Rashi, in his addendum to the end of Moshe was the only one not included in For more inspiration visit the section describing the Parah the death sentence of the golden calf. RabbiZweig.com for live Adumah, describes ten similarities Actually, HaShem offered to rebuild the broadcast classes! between the processing of the Parah Jewish people solely from Moshe, but Adumah and the sin of the golden calf.  The Splendor of Shabbos Moshe refused. Instead, Moshe In other words, the Parah Adumah is  pleaded on behalf of Bnei Yisroel that Parshas HaShavua meant as an atonement for the sin of HaShem should spare them. HaShem  Business Professional Parsha the golden calf. How does this dovetail relented and, in fact, taught Moshe the …Miriam died there and she was buried there. There was no water for the assembly and they gathered against Moshe and Aharon (20:1-2). In this week's Parsha, after Sichon, King of Emorites, attacks and is Chazal (Tashbatz Hakatan 447) use this exegetical analysis is a perfectly valid defeated by Bnei Yisroel, Og, the King as a source of the Jewish custom of way of teaching us a concept. As an of Bashan, does the same exact thing pouring out all the water in the example; nowhere in the Torah does it – and, of course, he is soundly immediate vicinity of someone who has say that one must fast on Yom Kippur. defeated as well. But what's died. This is also mentioned in the The ( 77b) proves the interesting to note is the manner in Shulchan Aruch (Yorah Deah 339.5) and obligation from the same type of which he died: The Gemara (Berachos the Shach (ad loc) explains that this exegetical analysis. Yet everyone knows 54b) says that Moshe was ten Amos story in the Torah is the source. The that we must fast on Yom Kippur. So too tall, his staff (or axe, as Artscroll reason given is that when the angel of here, once we have an exegetical defines it) was ten Amos tall, he death uses his sword to take a person’s analogy, everyone knows that Miriam jumped ten Amos high, and only hit life he dips his sword in the nearest died through a kiss. So why is it his ankle. If this is to be understood available water to clean his blade and considered “hidden”? literally, (and Rashi there confirms the blood of the deceased, where one’s that Moshe was 10 Amos) this would Finally, if there was no angel of death nefesh resides as it were, enters the make his ankle 60 feet high (according involved in Miriam’s death, then how water. We therefore pour out all the to the Chazon Ish that an Amah is two can that be the source for the custom of water in the immediate vicinity. feet). pouring out water in the area around Rashi (ad loc) explains that Miriam died one who has died? But exactly how tall was he? All we through a kiss. This is referring to a need to do is compare him to a The essential difference between the death directly through HaShem without regular sized person, with bigger death by the hand of the angel of death the intercession of the angel of death. numbers. A normal six foot person is and of a kiss by HaShem, is that by the Rashi explains that although by the 72 inches with about three inch ankle angel of death a murder is essentially space. So a person’s height is 24 times deaths of Moshe and Aharon the Torah taking place. But by HaShem the soul three inches, or 72 inches. Therefore says “by the mouth of HaShem,” by recognizes its source with which it Og’s (minimum) height is 24 times 60, Miriam’s death there is no such yearns to be reconnected and the soul or 1,440 feet tall! statement because it is not respectful to leaves the body willingly, and as a body HaShem to speak in such a manner. To put this in perspective; this is taller without a soul cannot survive it dies. In Therefore it was, in effect, hidden. than the Empire State Building and this case the body isn’t violated in the 240 times the size of a person. Even at Chazal, based on the Gemara ( same way that the angel of death his height, he had plenty of space to Katan 28a), explain that we know that performs his function. breathe, as humans can live at an Miriam died through a kiss by the extra This is the explanation of Miriam dying altitude of almost 20,000 feet. At 240 word “there” that appears in the in a hidden manner. This doesn't mean times the size of a normal person he Possuk. In other words, the Torah could that we do not know how she died; it’s would “only” have to eat about an have simply written “Miriam died and only that her manner of death wasn't entire cow a day, as it contains a little was buried there.” From the extra word made apparent to the Jewish people at over 500,000 calories. In addition, if a “there” we make an exegetical analysis that time because it isn't a respectful six foot person were standing next to as an analogy to the deaths of both way to conceive of HaShem. How do we Og he would be almost exactly this Moshe and Aharon where the word know that it was hidden from them? big: [ ]. His body, being that huge “there” also appears by their death. Just Because they poured out all the water (and we imagine, pretty impossible to as their deaths were through a kiss, so (“there was no water for the move), should be found somewhere too was Miriam’s. assembly”), indicating that they thought around the Golan Heights, because On the face of it this is perplexing; why she died through the angel of death. Josephus (Antiquities 4:5:3) identifies does it matter how we know that Bashan as being somewhere near the Miriam died through a kiss? An Golan Heights.

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