Parshat Chuka
(Numbers: 19:1- 22:2)
(Shoftim 11:1-33)
(Pirkei Avot 5)
- [20:12] “…You will not bring this congregation to the land…” Moshe is later buried on Mount Nevo which, at first, is outside of the land of Israel (Deuteronomy 34), but later becomes part of Eretz Yisrael. Therefore, even though God said that Moshe would not enter the land, Moshe really had entered the Land of Israel. What can we learn from this fact?
- [21:9] “And Moshe made a serpent of brass…” When the Israelites were attacked by poisonous snakes, God tells Moshe to put a statue of a snake on a high stick. Whoever would look up at the model of the snake would be cured of the poisoning. How can we understand this and what lessons can we learn from this?
- [Shoftim: 11:15] “Israel did not take away the land of Moav…” Yiftach felt that he had to morally justify the fact that Israel took over the land of Moav. In the political climate of that time, he did not have to do that. Why did he try to justify the acts of the Israelites?
- [Pirkei Avot 5:13] “One who wants to give [charity], but does not want others to give..”. Why would a person who gives charity not want others to give? How could one rid himself of this quality?
- [Pirkei Avot 5:17] ” …that [argument] which is not for selfless motives will not endure.” How does an argument for selfless motives endure?
Commentary
A person should serve God with all his strength, because everything has a holy aspect, and God wants a person to serve him in all ways. Sometimes a person is talking to people, or is on a journey, and cannot serve God with prayer and learning. Nonetheless, God wants people to serve Him in all possible ways, so God sends someone to different places in order to do some service there.
–R. Yisroel ben Eliezer, the Ba’al Shem Tov, 1698-1760, Carpathia.
This study page is dedicated to the memory of Gad Eliahu ben David and Kochava–Eli Zucker
And to the memory of Sarah Beila Kummer bat Yitzchak and Chana, Chaim Yosef Yechiel ben Eliyahu Kummer and Eliyahu and Margaret Kummer