Parshat Chukat reminds us to care not only for our own well-being, but also for those around us. It highlights how easily we take precious relationships and sources of support for granted.
The parsha begins with Miriam’s death and Bnei Yisrael crying out for water. The Tosefta Sotah explains that a be’er accompanied and sustained Israel throughout their forty years in the desert in Miriam’s merit. After she died, the well disappeared and later returned in Moshe’s merit. This midrashic tradition highlights how easy it is to overlook the gifts and people who sustain us. Often, only a crisis reveals how much we depend on them for our physical and emotional well-being.
The Ramban suggests that the well which returns may actually be a new one, rather than Miriam’s original well. There are numerous elements which support this position. For the first time the people themselves sing for the water: “Az yashir Yisrael.” Also, unlike at the splitting of the sea, where they sang alongside Moshe and Miriam, here they sing independently. This be’er represents a generation becoming more mature, empowered, and responsible for its own future.
Miriam remains a model of caring for ourselves and one another. She is repeatedly associated with water and the preservation of life: watching over her baby brother Moshe at the Nile and leading the women in songs of praise at Yam Suf, demonstrating faith in God’s salvation even when the future was unclear. Centuries later, the Beit Yosef records a tradition that Miriam’s well reappears on Motzaei Shabbat and brings healing to those who drink from it. Miriam’s well disappears and then reappears, symbolizing sustenance, renewal, and refuah.
May all those who are in need of healing find their sources of strength, renewal, and recovery. Shabbat Shalom -Karen Miller Jackson
Karen Miller Jackson 