This week’s Parasha is Parshat Chukat 📖
The name of this week’s parasha teaches us a very important lesson. The root of the word is Chuk.
Chuk is a group of mitzvot that we do but do not know the meaning or the reasoning behind.
We are taught during Pesach that we are meant to learn and never hesitate to ask questions!
Nothing is off the table in terms of questioning is Judaisum.
So this week’s parasha reminds us that when we explore in the Torah we may never get the meaning of some things but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t go through the parshiot and ask “Why?”.
The perfect example is at the beginning of this parasha from the mitzvah of the parash aduma, the red calf.
What is the actual mitzvah? The Cohen is to take the ashes of the calf in order to purify someone who has come into contact with tuma – impurity, but in the process of sprinkling the ashes on that person, the Cohen himself becomes impure.
The natural question asked is how can something, a substance, that makes someone purified, render the one making it impure?
The Torah is teaching us a beautiful lesson about giving in general.
When we give something of ourselves to another person, tzedakah, our time, our efforts, it is not supposed to be something we do not feel.
We may be left at times feeling a little depleted, exhausted or sometimes sucked dry. But that may not always be a bad thing. It means you have really given your all.
But from this week’s parasha we learn that if you want to purify someone, with charity, lending a listening ear or help someone feel complete and grow as a person, it will at times come at a cost to you.
But we shouldn’t give up, we shouldn’t stop giving. We also need to learn how to fill our own cup in order to replenish ourselves so we can give more and continue to help spread kedusha and kindness.
We also see in the parasha that Moshe hits the rock, not once but twice. Not only did he get punished, but Aharon was also punished along with him. What did Aharon do in order to be punished with Moshe? The answer is simple and beautiful.
We also see in the parasha that Moshe hits the rock, not once but twice. Not only did he get punished, but Aharon was also punished along with him. What did Aharon do in order to be punished with Moshe? The answer is simple and beautiful.
If Moshe hit the rock once, he would have gotten away with that, but he hit it twice, and in front of Aharon who did nothing to stop him the second time.
There are different ways to give to your family and friends besides money and material objects. There are ways to give by helping and supporting the people around you and as we move into the 3 weeks the parasha reminds us to surround ourselves with people who will help us be the best version of ourselves, who help lift us up and to NOT “hit the rock again”.
✨ *Shabbat Shalom* ✨