The Torah discusses the laws of the spiritual impurity associated with death. The person that came in contact with a corpse would have to undergo a purification process in order to be cleansed of his defilement. This seven-day process required a Parah Aduma, a completely red cow that was slaughtered and its flesh burnt. The ashes of the flesh were mixed with spring water and a few other items, and were then sprinkled on the defiled person. On the seventh day, the person could then immerse in a mikveh and be cleansed.
The Parah Aduma is considered the quintessential chok, or mitzvah that does not conform to normal logic. It actually defies logic, for although it purifies those who are impure; it actually contaminates the people involved in its preparation. The observance of the chukim shows a total commitment to keeping G-d’s mitzvos, as they are not kept for any rational reasoning besides the fact that they are the will of G-d.
Immediately following the Parah Aduma the Torah relates the account of Miriam’s passing. The Talmud explains this juxtaposition to mean that just as the Parah Aduma atones for sin, the passing of the righteous also atones for sin. Appreciating the loss that lingers upon the loss of a righteous person inspires the survivors to better themselves, thus providing atonement.
Throughout the forty years in the desert, the people drank water from a well that miraculously followed them in their travels. The well had been in Miriam’s merit, and thus dried up after her passing. The people complained about their thirst and G-d instructed Moshe to take his staff and speak to the rock and it would give forth water. Moshe disobeyed to some extent, and was told that because he failed to sanctify G-d’s name he could not lead the nation into the Promised Land.
The commentaries disagree as to how exactly Moshe sinned. Some commentators say that he did not follow G-d’s instructions properly, hitting the rock instead of speaking to it. Others say that he admonished the people too strongly. Still others say that he displayed impatience. The fact that the Torah is unclear about the specifics of the sin implies that it was only a minor infraction. Yet, because of Moshe’s great spiritual stature, he was held to a high standard and punished severely.
The nation again complained about the manna. Their ingratitude for the heavenly food was punished by a plague of poisonous snakes that killed many of the Jews. Moshe interceded on their behalf. G-d told him to fashion a copper pole with the image of a snake on top. Whenever the people would look at the snake they would recover from the snakebites. The Talmud explains that it was not the copper snake that healed, but rather when they looked up they were reminded of G-d and His commandments.
…he said to them, “Listen now, you rebels, shall we bring forth water for you from this rock?” (Num. 20:10)
A young child was making some noise at the Chazon Ish’s synagogue, disrupting the people’s prayers. The boy’s father became angry and sharply reprimanded his son. After the services were concluded, the Chazon Ish called over the father and spoke to him softly. “This morning, you have taught your son two lessons for life. One lesson is that one should not speak during prayers, and the second is that it is sometimes permissible to lose one’s temper. I am not certain how well the first lesson was absorbed, but I am positive your son will retain the second lesson.”
Did You Know...
The primary purpose of the kaddish is to allow the son of a deceased parent to sanctify G-d’s Name in public, by having a congregation respond, “Yehei shmei rabba,” or “May His Name be blessed,” to the kaddish. This sanctification brings peace and elevation to the soul of the deceased. If possible, kaddish should be recited at least once daily at each prayer service. If a person only leaves over a daughter, although some authorities permit her to recite the kaddish from the women’s section, most authorities discourage this practice and recommend having a different man recite the kaddish instead. If there are several mourners, they must be careful to say the kaddish in unison to ensure that at least ten men respond to each kaddish.
