Timeless Torah

Moses is having a lousy week. (1) His sister Miriam dies. (2) ‘Someone’ upstairs shuts off the well. (3) The people complain bitterly about Moses’ leadership abilities. So, in his anger, Moses strikes the rock. (4) He is censured by G-d for distorting His command. (5) He forfeits his entrance pass into the Holy land. (6) The Edomites refuse the Jews passage thru their territory and threaten war. (7) Moses is forced to lead the Israelites on a more circuitous route. (8) His older brother Aaron dies. (9) The Clouds of Glory depart. (10) The Jews are attacked by Amalek. (11) The people continue to whine, “Why did you bring us to die in this wilderness...our souls are disgusted with the light fare of manna!” (12) Heaven responds with venomous snakes. (13) Sichon and his Emorite army give battle. (14) The fearsome giant Og gets into the ring for a one-on-one, no-holds-barred, last-man-standing wrestling match with, none other than, Moses!  read more »

I think we can all agree, Moses is having a lousy week. Throughout this entire Biblical reading, he suffers one setback after another. First, (1) his sister Miriam dies. Then (2) ‘Someone’ upstairs (guess Who!) shuts off the faucet from the miraculous well. Consequently, (3) the people complain bitterly and wonder about Moses’ leadership abilities. So, in his anger, Moses strikes the rock (instead of speaking to it) and (4) is censured by G-d for distorting His command. For that slight mistake, Moses is informed (5) that he has forfeited his entrance pass into the Holy land. Next, (6) our cousins, the Edomites, emphatically refuse the Jews passage thru their territory and threaten war. Left with no wiggle room for negotiations, Moses (7) is forced to lead the Israelites on a more circuitous route. Then (8) a terrible blow befalls our beloved leader. His older brother Aaron dies and Moses is truly alone, an old-timer not understood or even completely appreciated by the new generation.  read more »

The title of this week’s Torah portion, Chukas, is commonly translated as statute, decree, or law. This particular word should not be confused with the general term Mitzvah, which is generic in nature. In fact, mitzvot, or commandments, can be divided into three distinct categories. The first of the three classifications is called Mishpatim. These laws of logic, such as the prohibitions against murder or robbery, have become the cornerstone of all decent societies. The second grouping referred to as Eidut, usually rendered as testimonies, includes the mitzvot of Shabbat and Holidays. These laws, unlike Mishpatim, are not logically compelling. Rational men might never have dreamed up Yom Kippur or Passover. Nevertheless, after the mitzvah has already been decreed, one senses the historical, social, and spiritual forces which make these Eidut reasonable.  read more »

No less than twenty two verses are utilized to describe in graphic detail the procedure of the red heifer (Parah Adumah). Although a mitzvah that is practically impossible to fulfill in our time and one that is completely incomprehensible, the Torah finds it necessary to elucidate.  read more »

Moses is denied entrance into the Land of Israel as a result of his hitting the rock at the Waters of Merivah. Many of the Torah commentaries are baffled as to the exact nature of Moses’ sin. Maimonedes is of the opinion that the great Jewish leader blew it when he publicly lost his temper and exclaimed, “Listen here you rebels, shall we bring forth water for you from this rock?”  read more »