Shalom Friends;
This week, our Parshat HaShavua, Chukas is being sponsored by Dr. Ari and Rivka Stern of Ramat Beit Shemesh dedicated in honor of their children and grandchildren — that they should all be matzliyach to do the Ratzon Hashem and for a refuah shleima for all of the cholim as well as for the safety of all Chayalim and for the good health and security and true peace for all of Am Yisrael. . To the Stern family, many thanks for your sponsorship and for your continued kindnesses.
You can celebrate a Simcha — a birth, a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, a Chassuna or other Simcha event in your life, or commemorate a Yahrtzeit of a loved one, or for whatever other reason by sponsoring a Parshat HaShavua.
Please forward to your relatives and friends and encourage them to sponsor a Parshat HaShavua. And please be in contact with me with any questions, or for further details.
Best Regards,
Moshe Burt
olehchadash@yahoo.com
Subscribe to the Israel and the Sin of Expulsion blog, to ask questions or to sponsor a Parsha Vort at: olehchadash@yahoo.com
****************************************
To open this vort on Parshat Chukas, we provide this excerpt from Rabbi Goldin’s Parsha Summary in his Sefer, “Unlocking the Torah Text (pages 179 – 180) :
The text… records Miriam’s death, as the historical narrative resumes toward the end of the nation’s forty-year sojourn in the wilderness.
Finding themselves without water, the people rise in protest against Moshe and Aaron. Hashem instructs Moshe to speak to a specific rock in order to bring forth water. Moshe complies with Hashem’s initial requests, but then deviates by chastising the people and striking the rock twice, causing water to flow. Hashem informs Moshe and Aaron that, as a result of their failure to publicly sanctify Him during this episode, they will not merit bringing the Am Yisrael into… Cana’an [Eretz Yisrael].
Moshe sends emissaries to the king of Edom, asking for right of passage through his territory. When the Edomite king refuses and responds by massing his army, Am Yisrael turn from his border.
Upon the nation’s arrival at the mountain of Har HaHar, Hashem commands Moshe to accompany Aaron and Elazar, Aaron’s son, to the mountain’s summit, There, he is to remove the priestly garments from Aaron and place them on Elazar [who would succeed Aaron as Kohen Godol], in preparation for Aaron’s passing on the mountain-top…. The Am Yisrael descend into mourning.
The nation responds to the attack by the Cana’anite king of Arad, and with Hashem’s help, defeats the enemy….
When Am Yisrael requests right of passage through the territory of the Emorites, Sichon, the Emorite king, responds by massing his people and attacking. The B’nei Yisrael roundly defeat the Emorites in battle. When subsequently Og, king of Bashan, launches an attack, the B’nei Yisrael are again victorious.
As an aside, Chumash places Moshe’s efforts to bring the B’nei Yisrael through the territory of Edom after both Miriam’s passing and the incident of Moshe’s striking the rock in violation of Hashem’s command to speak to the rock.
Rabbi Moshe Weissman discusses the B’nei Yisrael’s battles with the Cana’anites and Emorites in his sefer “The Midrash Says” on Sefer Bamidbar, on our Parshat Chukat. (pages 280 – 282) :
[Note: Rabbi Weissman’s account, citing numerous commentaries, regarding one of Israel’s battles seems to differ from Rabbi Goldin’s commentary above]
Aaron HaKohen Godol passed away at the age of 123, on the first day of Av, 2487. Klal Yisrael had been shielded by the Clouds of Glory [Ananei Hakavod] in his merit. With his death, they disappeared.
The enemies of the Jews soon heard that after Aaron’s death, the Camp was no longer surrounded by the Clouds of Glory. The Jews were now traveling by following the Aron rather than a Cloud of the Shechina. The gentile took this as Heavenly sign that G’d had abandoned the Jews and that they would be favored if they now attacked Am Yisrael.
For which sin of Am Yisrael did the Almighty subject them to an attack by enemies?
1. The Jews were punished for having falsely accused Moshe after Aaron died. [Rabbi Weissman citing Tiferet Tzion]
2. Whenever a Tzaddik passes from the world, evil follows, because his merits no longer shield his generation. Therefore, after Aaron was gathered unto his people, Klal Yisrael’s enemies attacked. [[Rabbi Weissman citing
Tanchuma Hayashan, Devarim]An ancient foe, Amalek, decided to take revenge against the Jews. The Amalekite well remembered the previous battle against the Jews in which they were defeated because Moshe raised his hands in tefillah [as was explained at the end of Parshat Beshalach]. The Amalekim therefore devised a plan [which they thought would] prevent B’nei Yisrael from using the power of prayer… They borrowed Cana’anite costumes, so as to come to battle in the guise of Cana’anim. The Amalekim reasoned, “The Jews will mistake us for Cana’anim and pray to Hashem to destroy the Cana’anim. Their prayers, directed at a different people, will be ineffective.”
Upon seeing the enemy soldiers approach, the fright of the Jews was immense. They attempted to flee back to Egypt and retreated seven stations… and broke out in bitter crying and mourning for Aaron’s death. They realized that this calamity had come upon them because of the absence of the Tzaddik.
Although the enemy soldiers [Amalekim] were clad in Cana’anite costumes, the B’nei Yisrael were uncertain of their identity… The Jews… decided to pray to the Almighty without specifying the enemy’s name. They did Teshuvah for their sins and vowed, “Hashem, if you will give this people [whichever nation it is] into out hands, we will not derive any benefit from their spoils but will destroy them.”
The Almighty, Who is close to His people, accepted their Teshuvah and Tefillah and gave B’nei Yisrael victory.
In pursuit of the Amalekim, the Jews traversed again all the seven stations they had previously retreated. They destroyed the enemies and their possessions. The Amalekim did not kill or injure a single Jew. As long as Moshe lived, no Jew ever fell in a battle commanded by Hashem.The Clouds of Glory were only briefly absent from the camp. Hashem restored them to the people in Moshe’s merit.
In our generation, as well, at the turn of last decade and through the current decade, we’ve lost great Tzaddikim as well. In the aftermath, we, as well as the world, suffered the Corona epidemic, followed, of course, two years later by the War of Simchat Torah.
To this author, there would seem to be something of a parallel between the sins of the generation of Bamidbar and their consequences, and those of our generation’s sins resulting in our current matzav — the two-and-a-half year duration of the War of Simchat Torah with the barbarous, animalistic, cannibal-like Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the so-called “Gazan Civilians,” having invaded Southern Israel through tunnels and fences, raping and murdering 1,200 Jews and others — including babies, while taking over 250 hostages — torturing and enslaving them and keeping them under the most inhumane conditions, with a little help from their UNRWA friends.
We might ask, as Rabbi Weissman asks in his “Midrash Says,” what sins could have brought about the single most catastrophic massacre of our brethren since the Sho’a?
Could it be the lack of unity among various factions of Am Yisrael? Or could it be the ideologically agendized, dictatorial secular Israeli judiciary appointed by non-representative lawyer committees? Or could it be leftist-agendized segments of secular Israelis’ sinat chinam against their brethren, and who rebel against the Biblical, Torah designation of Eretz Yisrael while cleaving to so-called “pre-67 borders”? Or could it be the lack of organized, consistent — day-by-day, in the streets mass protests by Am Yisrael against Oslo, against Ehud Barak’s dead-of-the-night demolition of the “Good Fence” and abandonment of our Ally, the South Lebanese Army, resulting in Hezbollah filling the void?
Or would it be Sharon’s Expulsion of the Jews of Gush Katif — in spite of a referendum within his then Likud party which voted massively against such an expulsion — leaving Hamas, Islamic Jihad and their terrorist friends to fill that void by taking full control of Gaza? Or maybe it is all of the above and more? Food for thought?
May it be that our leadership — governing, judicial and IDF high command echelons, as well as kol Am Yisrael come to achieve a faithfulness and consistency in our avodah — both V’Ahavtah L’Arecha Kamocha, as One, and in our Service of Hashem, B’Ezrat Hashem
May our government and military bring about the total and complete, Final and Decisive victory over Hamas, their 7 October so-called “civilians(sic)” collaborators, Iran and the entire terror cabal, B’Yad Hashem, and become Totally self-sufficient as to manufacture of military equipment and aircraft, weaponry, munitions — heavy munitions, as well as showing independence of actions responding to any threat, regardless of so-called “super powers.”
May we see, from here on, that border guard personnel at all points of possible danger are listened to and treated with respect and dignity. May we see, with Operation Roaring Lions — the joint action by our Chayalim and the United States against the Mullahs of what has been the Islamic Caliphate dictatorship controlling Iran, that Islam and its barbarous terrorist tentacles of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, as well as Qatar, Turkey, the Houthies of Yemen, Pakistan, Iraq, Afganistan, possibly Egypt, and all who seek war against the Jews be totally eradicated, both in Israel’s neighborhood, as well as internationally, B’Ezrat Hashem. May we see a government of Israel secure in it’s foremost service of, and emunah in HaKadosh Borchu, B’Ezrat Hashem! And may we see the restoration of true unity within Am Yisrael. May these words come to fruition B’Ezrat Hashem.
May we, the B’nei Yisrael be zocha that our brethren — the refugee families from Gush Katif be permanently re-settled in Gush Katif, once the IDF, by the Yad Hashem, destructs and eradicates the wild beasts of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, all other terror entities, and if necessary Iran, and that our brethren be made totally whole — be totally restituted for all that was stolen from them, that the thrice expelled families of Amona be restored to their rebuilt homes and the oft-destroyed Yeshiva buildings in Homesh be rebuilt, as well as the buildings of Yishuv Elchanan, all at total government expense. May our Chayalim return from battle unharmed — physically, mentally and spiritually. Baruch Hashem that our dear brother Jonathan Pollard is now in his sixth year at home in Eretz Yisrael and continues in a new chapter in his life. May Esther Yocheved bat Yechiel Avraham have an aliyah in Shemayim and may her spirit and memory continue to lift Jonathan to at least 120 years. May the MIAs be liberated alive and returned to us in ways befitting Al Kiddush Hashem — as with the return in April, 2019, via Russia, of the remains of Zachariah Baumel, the recent recovery of the remains of Tzvi Feldman as well as the recoveries of the remains of Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin from the Gaza War of ten years ago. May we have the courage and strength to stand up and physically prevent the possibility of Chas V’Challila any future eviction of Jews from their homes and prevent Chas V’Challila the handing of Jewish land over to anyone, let alone to enemies sworn to Israel’s and Judaism’s destruction and eradication. May we fulfill Hashem’s blueprint of B’nei Yisrael as a Unique people — an Am Segula, not to be reckoned with as with “the nations” and may we be zocha to see the Moshiach, the Ge’ula Shlaima, as Dov Shurin sings; “Ki Karov Yom Hashem Al’Kol HaGoyim”, the Ultimate Redemption, bimhayrah b’yamainu — speedily, in our time”, — Achshav, Chik Chuk, Miyad, Etmol!!!
Good Shabbos and Chodesh Tov!
———————————————————
Moshe Burt, an Oleh, is a commentator on news and events in Israel and Founder and Director of The Sefer Torah Recycling Network. He lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh.
Moshe is available for editing of English language documents, articles, manuscripts and more. Please be in contact with him at olehchadash@yahoo.com for your English language needs.
*********************************************************