Chukat: Sources of Well-being

Leave a comment

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

Parshat Ki Tetze: How and Why we Remember

Leave a comment

“Zachor” – Three times parshat Ki Tetze instructs us to remember a pivotal event in biblical history. When the Torah says “zachor” it wishes to convey a moral and spiritual awareness to carry with us always. 

First, we are instructed to remember (zachor) what God did to Miriam in the desert, when she was punished for speaking lashon ha-ra (slander) against her brother Moshe. Second, when the parsha presents a list of mitzvot regarding how to treat the stranger, orphan, and widow, these commandments are framed by the charge to remember (zachor) that we were once slaves in Egypt.  Third, the parsha ends with the instruction to remember (zachor) what Amalek did to us on the journey out of Egypt – they lacked fear of God and attacked the Jewish people at their weakest. 

Ramban sees deep meaning in the word “zachor” and comments: zachor signifies that these memories — the story of pure evil (Amalek) and the story of evil speech (Miriam) — must be actively remembered and verbally conveyed to future generations, underscoring their seriousness. While other commentators view the command to remember Miriam’s lashon ha-ra as a recommendation, Ramban argues that it is one of the 613 mitzvot. A similar point is applied to the third zachor, remembering that we were slaves in Egypt, which we verbally recall in daily tefillah and at the Passover seder. This zachor compels us to be particularly sensitive to the plight of the vulnerable and reinforces the value of freedom.

Actively remembering these three episodes may have held different meanings for different generations. Today, we can internalize their messages as follows: 1) We remember acts of evil and hatred against us to protect ourselves and in hope of a better future, 2) We must be mindful of how we speak about our brothers and sisters, and 3) We must remember our right to be a free people in our own land. Shabbat Shalom -Karen Miller Jackson