Chukas - Water's Song

Why do the Jewish people sing a song at the end of their 40 years for the miraculous well that accompanied them throughout that time? What were the awesome miracles that occurred at this time that paralleled the miracles at the Yam Suf (sea of reeds)? Why were the waters of the well used to inform the Jewish people about the miracle that had been done for them? Why did the mountain on the side of Israel extend out toward the mountain outside of Israel?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Running time: 21:06

Succos - Waters of Appreciation

What is the concept of water? Why does it come into play so much during Succos? How does it relate to the clouds of glory? How does it relate to the Lulav and the Succah (schach)? What is the connection between drawing the water to be offered on the mizbe’ach and ‘drawing’ Divine Inspiration? How does being engulfed in the Divine Presence create love? How is that reflected in Moshe’s bracha to Binyomin in v’zos habracha?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 22:42

Noach - Illusion and Reality

If water is a creative force, why is the world being destroyed by water? What is the connection between the cooling of the waters and cooling of the anger of Achashverosh in the story of Purim? What is the parallel between the water's destruction here, and the water's destruction of the Egyptians as the Jews made their exodus? What is the significance of the Jewish people traversing 'dry land in the midst of the sea?' Why is Noach called 'Ish Ha'adamah' - isn't this the opposite of the concept of tzaddik who we would equate with water?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Running time: 19:31

Breishis - Waters of Love

Why is the creation of water not mentioned in the narrative of Creation? What is the concept of the upper and lower waters? Why was the lower water originally a mixture of water and earth? Why is the water gathered to reveal the land? What is the meaning of R' Bachya's statement that the water's nature is to be on top and the earth's nature is to be below? Why were they to defy their nature? What is the deeper concept of water?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Running time: 20:59

Chukas - Waters of Desire

What is the concept of the well? When was the song of the well sung? Who sang the song? Why was there a song connected to the water? Why was it specifically the merit of Miriam that was the cause of the miracle of the well? What was underlying the sin of Moshe when he struck the rock? What is the general concept of water?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Running time: 36:05

Beshalach - Water, prophecy and song

Why is the climax of the Exodus specifically at Yam Suf, a body of water?
What is the significance of the fact that there was an incredible level of prophecy at yam suf? Why does the Torah stress, a number of times, that the water was a wall for them, to their right and left? What is the secret of the three verses of 72 letters and the 72 letter name of Hashem? What is the deep connection to Succos, where we see that the 72 letter name is used, as per Rashi in Succah? What is the deeper connection between water, ruach hakodesh, and song? Why did each of the twelve tribes get their own path? What is the significance of the miracle that they were able to see through the water and view each of the other tribes? Why was Moshe back involved in this miracle, after being left out of bechoros?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Running time: 22:36

Chukas - The death of Miriam

Why did Miriam die just as the Jews were about to enter Israel at the end of the forty years? Why is the matter of her death not discussed by any commentaries? What is the connection between her death and the Red Heifer? Why was her special death, which was similar to the death of Moshe and Aharon, not mentioned explicitly? Why did the Jews merit to have a special well of water as long as she was alive? What was Moshe's sin in striking the rock instead of speaking to it?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Succos, willows and water

What is the significance of the water libation ceremony? Why was it accompanied by the joyous water drawing festival? What is the significance of the Willow ceremony that was done in the Temple? What is the significance of the fact that the willow does not have a taste and smell? Why is the willow referred to as a 'river willow?' What does all this have to do with Succos?

Find out in this special edition of the Parsha Podcast.

The Moon and the war - part two

As I was reading the article mentioned in the previous post about the moon, I wondered what the significance is to the phenomenon that the tides and waves are caused by the moon's gravity. What could the message behind this be?

I was נתעורר to some interesting thoughts when I saw a piece from the Ben Ish Chai.

He is explaining how the concept of מים - water - has to do with the concept of מודים - admitting. He points out that if you spell out the letters of מים you get the following: מ"ם יו"ד מ"ם. When you take the middle letters, you find the word מודים. We need, of course, to understand what this signifies.

I started thinking about something we say at קידוש לבנה. We say כשם שאני רוקד כנגדך ואיני יכול לנגוע בך כך לא יוכלו כל אויבי לנגוע בי לרעה - just as I am dancing in front of you and I can not touch you (the Moon), so should my enemies be unable to touch me for evil. As we say this, we raise our feet in a little dance, similar to the motion of kedusha.

This also needs explanation. What kind of tefillah is this? Just like I can't touch the moon, my enemies should not be able to touch me? This seems like such a strange thing to say. What's the פשט?

Coming back to the concept of the Moon, it has no light of its own - all its light is from the Sun. It represents Klal Yisrael who reflect the light of Hashem, but it also represents the idea that one can only accomplish when we recognize that we have no power of our own. וזכרת את ה' אלוקיך כי הוא הנותן לך כח לעשות חיל - you should remember Hashem your God, for He is the one who gives you power to be mighty. When we forget where our success stems from, we lose our might. When we realize that we are only reflecting Hashem's light, it indeed shines brightly through us. When we think we produce our own light, Hashem allows us to try to create our own, and we are left with nothing.

When we make that motion, up and down, reaching for the Moon and recognizing that it is beyond our grasp, we inject humility into ourselves. We have learned the lesson of the Moon that only reflects the Sun's light and does not create its own. This humility is what gives us the power against our enemies - the power that is Hashem's - ה' ילחם לכם ואתם תחרישון - Hashem will fight for you and you will be quiet! This, I believe, is what we are saying - Just as I am dancing and can not reach you (humility!), so should my enemies be unable to touch me for evil (with Hashem's help).

It struck me that this motion that we do as we reach for the Moon and recognize our inability, is the same motion that waves do. They go up and down, up and down, constantly pulled by the gravity of the moon, constantly reaching up and coming back toward Earth. The motion of the water itself hints to that power of הודאה - of admitting. The waters are pulled to admit by the ultimate representation of admittal - the Moon. This is why the word מים contains the word מודים, because the motion of the worlds waters teaches us the lesson of הודאה.

This could also be why the Torah, which is compared to water, can only be acquired with humility. The Gemara in Nedarim says ממדבר מתנה וממתנה נחליאל - כיון שעושה אדם עצמו כמדבר שהוא הפקר לכל תורה נתנה לו במתנה - when a person makes himself like a wilderness - ownerless to all - the Torah is given to him as a present. The Torah can only be acquired by one who has made himself empty of ego, because the Torah is the ultimate source of Hashem's light, which can only shine through one who has no light of his own.

I heard the following story from a reliable source close to the Gadol about whom this story was told.

It was Friday, the seventh day of the Gaza war, and the ground troops were getting ready to invade Gaza that Friday night. The shamash of the Gadol received a phone call from one of the higher ups in the Israeli army, who asked to receive a bracha for the impending military operation. When the shamash brought this request to the Gadol, he responded that he could not give a bracha for the operation if it would begin that night, as it would involve too much desecration of Shabbos. Not only that, but the operation would not see any סימן ברכה if it began on Shabbos.

The Shamash called back the general and relayed the words of the Gadol. The response was that the army had strong reason to believe that Hamas would begin attacking over Shabbos, and they wanted to begin with a surprise attack. The shamash reiterated the Gadol's words that if they would begin the operation on Shabbos, they would see no סימן ברכה, and added the Gadol's reassurance that nothing would happen over Shabbos.

Indeed, nothing happened over Shabbos, and on Motsaei Shabbos, the shamash received a call from the same general. He said that the army had decided to take the Gadol's advice into account, and had waited until after Shabbos to begin. The Gadol gladly granted the requested bracha, and the operation then began.

The power of this story is that there was a surge of humility that would be with the entire IDF throughout its fight against this enemy whose entire existence is pride. Hashem has shown tremendous miracles at every stage, and continues to do so. Let us hope that the humility will continue, and Hashem will surely continue to shine His light through us, until it bursts forth to the entire world, may it be speedily in our days.