This Shabbos the learning was in memory of David’s grandmother, Zahava bat Shaul, whose yahrzeit is today. David spoke about how this is his mom’s mom, who came to Israel from Lithuania.
This Shabbos, we discussed Parsha Chukat, including commentary from Rav Yeager. Howard mentioned that this is his bar mitzvah parsha. David Schlesinger led discussion.
This Shabbos, we discussed Parsha Chukat, including commentary from Rav Yeager. Howard mentioned that this is his bar mitzvah parsha. David Schlesinger led discussion.
We discussed how the Torah seems to skip over the 40 year period when we were wandering the desert, following the sin of the spies. Howard commented that Parsha Chukat, occurs after the opening up of the earth and swallowing of many people that occurred in last week’s parsha Korach. This would cause all the survivors in the current parsha, to feel very vulnerable after witnessing the perishing of others.
Both David and Howard commented that the Torah skips over a large period in which the purpose was to wait for an entire generation to die off. David commented that the primary purpose of the Torah is not to give a chronological historical accounting of our people, but to use historical accountings to illustrate themes and concepts to us. We discussed that often we skip periods of time, and then come back to them later, because the main purpose of the Torah is to present important themes. One of those themes we have discussed is that Hashem is not only the creator, but plays an active role in our lives today. The stories in the Torah are meant to illustrate this, rather than simply be a historical narrative.
We discussed how Judaism is a religion which celebrates and emphasizes life, which is why we come impure after coming in contact with the dead. We discussed the purity laws in the parsha, including using the ashes of the red heifer to regain purity. Although Judaism does not glorify death, we do honor and respect the deceased, while being primarily a religion of life. Dave W commented that many hospitals are named Mt. Sinai, which is where we were kept alive to receive the Torah.
We discussed that perhaps the Torah skips over this time period when we are in the dessert, to bring together a direct comparison between the prior generation that was not ready to enter Israel, and the current generation that still faces obstacles but has changed in significant ways. We discussed that hopefully while wandering the desert the next generation grew spiritually to have a greater connection and faith in Hashem, which is necessary to deal with the obstacles that would face us in conquering and entering Israel. We discussed how many of us thought we could enter the land of Israel, and then no longer have to be accountable to Hashem, but this is not the case.
David commented that just like we faced obstacles in conquering and settling the land of Israel, which required faith in Hashem, we have obstacles in our personal lives today, which require faith in Hashem to overcome. We discussed that we should consider the meaning of events in our life, including obstacles, with respect to our relationship with Hashem and his plans for us. These events may seem to not be there just for us, because they affect everyone, however we should consider events with respect to Hashem’s role in our own life, and let others consider events with respect to Hashem’s role in their life.
We discussed how in the parsha, Moshe is instructed by Hashem to speak to a stone which will then provide water. We discussed how Moshe did not follow Hashem’s instructions, and hit the stone instead. We discussed that Moshe was not allowed to enter the land of Israel, not only because he did not follow Hashem’s specific instructions, but because his leadership style – symbolized by his hitting of the stone – was not the best suited for the spiritual level of the new generation. Dave W commented that hitting the stone with a stick, resulted in a solid turning into a liquid, whereas hitting the water of the Red Sea with a stick, resulted in a liquid turning into a solid. A solid turning into a liquid would seem to indicate more progress than the other way around.
We discussed that even stones have purpose, especially if we as humans use them for spiritual purposes. We discussed how in the Torah there are sections in which stones play a role. In particular, in this week’s parsha the stone’s role is to bring forth water. Moshe thought the best way to get water from the stone was to hit it. Moshe’s leadership style was to force things in a more aggressive way, than what would be most suitable for the new generation. We discussed that this is the reason why Moshe was not allowed to enter Israel, it was not solely that he did not follow Hashem’s specific directions. Moshe was not the best leader for our next stage of history.
Finally, we discussed how the most important decision we have to make is whether or not to believe and have faith in Hashem. If Hashem revealed himself in a more obvious way, this would take away our free will. Hashem wants us to choose to believe in him, rather than being forced.
This is a summary of what we discussed. No halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.
We discussed that perhaps the Torah skips over this time period when we are in the dessert, to bring together a direct comparison between the prior generation that was not ready to enter Israel, and the current generation that still faces obstacles but has changed in significant ways. We discussed that hopefully while wandering the desert the next generation grew spiritually to have a greater connection and faith in Hashem, which is necessary to deal with the obstacles that would face us in conquering and entering Israel. We discussed how many of us thought we could enter the land of Israel, and then no longer have to be accountable to Hashem, but this is not the case.
David commented that just like we faced obstacles in conquering and settling the land of Israel, which required faith in Hashem, we have obstacles in our personal lives today, which require faith in Hashem to overcome. We discussed that we should consider the meaning of events in our life, including obstacles, with respect to our relationship with Hashem and his plans for us. These events may seem to not be there just for us, because they affect everyone, however we should consider events with respect to Hashem’s role in our own life, and let others consider events with respect to Hashem’s role in their life.
We discussed how in the parsha, Moshe is instructed by Hashem to speak to a stone which will then provide water. We discussed how Moshe did not follow Hashem’s instructions, and hit the stone instead. We discussed that Moshe was not allowed to enter the land of Israel, not only because he did not follow Hashem’s specific instructions, but because his leadership style – symbolized by his hitting of the stone – was not the best suited for the spiritual level of the new generation. Dave W commented that hitting the stone with a stick, resulted in a solid turning into a liquid, whereas hitting the water of the Red Sea with a stick, resulted in a liquid turning into a solid. A solid turning into a liquid would seem to indicate more progress than the other way around.
We discussed that even stones have purpose, especially if we as humans use them for spiritual purposes. We discussed how in the Torah there are sections in which stones play a role. In particular, in this week’s parsha the stone’s role is to bring forth water. Moshe thought the best way to get water from the stone was to hit it. Moshe’s leadership style was to force things in a more aggressive way, than what would be most suitable for the new generation. We discussed that this is the reason why Moshe was not allowed to enter Israel, it was not solely that he did not follow Hashem’s specific directions. Moshe was not the best leader for our next stage of history.
Finally, we discussed how the most important decision we have to make is whether or not to believe and have faith in Hashem. If Hashem revealed himself in a more obvious way, this would take away our free will. Hashem wants us to choose to believe in him, rather than being forced.
This is a summary of what we discussed. No halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.
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