TORAH READING FOR 10 TAMUZ 5782 SHMITAH Jul 8-9, 2022

From “Mishkan T’filah / A Reform Siddur”:

WEEKDAY MORNING p.33

MY GOD I thank You for my life, body, and soul; help me realize that I am something new, someone who never existed before, someone original and unique in the world. For if there had ever been someone like me, there would have been no need for me to exist…. Blessed are You, Eternal One, source of our health and strength.

PARSHA

From ReformJudaism.org https://reformjudaism.org/torah/portion/chukat

Chukat (חֻקַּת – Hebrew for “The Ritual Law”) – Numbers 19:1−22:1

The Eternal One spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: “This is the ritual law that the Eternal has commanded: Instruct the Israelite people to bring you a red cow without blemish, in which there is no defect and on which no yoke has been laid.” – Numbers 19:1-2

SUMMARY

• The laws of the red heifer to purify a person who has had contact with a corpse are given. (19:1-22)
• The people arrive at the wilderness of Zin. Miriam dies and is buried there. (20:1)
• The people complain that they have no water. Moses strikes the rock to get water for them. God tells Moses and Aaron they will not enter the Land of Israel. (20:2-13)
• The king of Edom refuses to let the Children of Israel pass through his land. After Aaron’s priestly garments are given to his son Eleazer, Aaron dies. (20:14-29)
• After they are punished for complaining about the lack of bread and water, the Israelites repent and are victorious in battle against the Amorites and the people of Bashan, whose lands they capture. (21:4-22:1)

HAFTARAH

Judges 11:1-33

RECOMMENDED READING

From ReformJudaism.org https://reformjudaism.org/torah/portion/chukat

Growth Means Taking Responsibility

By: Beth Ellen Young

STRUGGLING WITH TORAH and REFLECTION

You can read this week’s Torah Portion at https://www.sefaria.org/Numbers.19.1-22.1

From “The Torah / A Women’s Commentary” edited by Dr. Tamara Cohn Eskenazi and Rabbi Andrea L. Weiss, Ph.D.

חקת Chukat – Numbers 19:1–22:1

Leadership and Loss in the Wilderness by Adriane Leveen, p. 915

PARASHAT CHUKAT (“law [that]”) acknowledges the grim reality of death in the wilderness, a necessary succession in leadership, and the approach of the journey’s end. Repeatedly in this parashah, healing and new life follow death. In the face of the chaos and unpredictability of death and its contaminating powers, Numbers 19 responds with a priestly ritual, recording instructions that contain a great deal of regulatory detail, delivered in an orderly, precise tone. Numbers 20 focuses on two significant deaths in the community of Israel, that of Miriam and her brother Aaron. Numbers 21 focuses on new opportunities in spite of deep disappointment, as successful battles mark a positive change in Israel’s fortune. After the loss of his siblings, Moses remains, leading Israel ever closer to the edges of the Promised Land, a land that he himself will never enter.

The deaths of Miriam and Aaron are central to this parashah, providing us an opportunity to consider the role of each within the Israelite camp. Gender politics can be detected in the more elaborate details concerning the punishment and death of Aaron in comparison to the report of Miriam’s death. Nevertheless, the mere fact that the time and place of Miriam’s death are recorded is highly unusual and therefore quite striking. One intriguing detail even places her on a par with Moses: he too is condemned to death in the same literary unit in which Miriam and Aaron die. Could it be mere coincidence that these three siblings are grouped together in this fashion? Indeed, the prophet Micah places Miriam on a par with her brothers: “I brought you up from the land of Egypt, redeemed you from the house of bondage, and sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to lead you” (Micah 6:4). Miriam’s death provides an opportunity to reflect on her life and to appreciate the unique features of this biblical leader (see at 20:1).

Another View – by Ora Horn Prouser, p. 931

MIRIAM, WHO HAS PLAYED both a vital and a subdued role in the story of the Exodus and the wilderness wanderings, dies in this parashah. Her death is reported briefly: “Miriam died there, and was buried there” (20:1). There is no mention of people mourning her death or feeling the loss of her contribution to the Israelite people. Not long afterward, when Aaron is about to die, Moses in an elaborate ceremony publicly passes on Aaron’s ritual clothing, signs of his exalted position, to Aaron’s son Eleazar. Then, the people mourn him for thirty days (20:22–29). This contrast between Miriam’s and Aaron’s deaths is striking and troubling.

How does Moses respond to Miriam’s death? While the text does not record his reaction, we can glean important insights from the way he handles (or mishandles) the subsequent crisis over water and from the way her name appears obliquely in this episode.

In the debacle that immediately follows Miriam’s death, when the Israelites clamor for water (20:2–5), Moses hits the rock instead of speaking to it as instructed (v. 8). God punishes both Moses and Aaron for this failure by having them die in the wilderness instead of permitting them to enter the Promised Land. The telling clue to Moses’ attitude is suggested by his words. Before hitting the rock, Moses cries out “Listen, you rebels!” (v. 10). The word for “rebels” is morim, and it appears nowhere else in the Bible in this form. Remarkably, in their unvocalized form the words, morim (rebels) and miryam (Miriam) are identical; both words are made up of the same four Hebrew consonants: m–r–y–m.

This verbal coincidence may intimate that Moses’ behavior has as much to do with losing Miriam as with his frustration with the Israelite people. It suggests that when faced with the task of producing water, Moses recalls Miriam as his older sister, his co-leader, and perhaps most of all, the clever caretaker who guarded him at the Nile.

Moses may have learned the hard way that the public silence about Miriam’s loss was a mistake. Perhaps, then, the elaborate mourning for Aaron reflects what Moses gleaned from that lesson.

PRAYERS

From “Mishkan T’filah / A Reform Siddur”:

FOR OUR COUNTRY p.516

THUS SAYS ADONAI, This is what I desire: to unlock the fetters of wickedness, and untie the cords of lawlessness; to let the oppressed go free, to break off every yoke. Share your bread with the hungry, and take the wretched poor into your home. When you see the naked, give clothing, and do not ignore your own kin.

O GUARDIAN of life and liberty, may our nation always merit Your protection. Teach us to give thanks for what we have by sharing it with those who are in need. Keep our eyes open to the wonders of creation, and alert to the care of the earth. May we never be lazy in the work of peace; may we honor those who have [served, suffered or] died in defense of our ideals. Grant our leaders wisdom and forbearance. May they govern with justice and compassion. Help us all to appreciate one another, and to respect the many ways that we may serve You. May our homes be safe from affliction and strife, and our country be sound in body and spirit. Amen.

FOR HEALING

We recite MI SHEBËRACH for the victims of abuse, brutality, conflicts, fear, natural disasters, pandemics, tragedies, violence of all kinds especially directed at individuals and specific communities including us, and war; for all those at home alone or lonely; for all those in need of physical, emotional, and mental healing. “R’fuah sh’lëmah” – a complete recovery!

YAHRZEITS/ANYOS

We say KADDISH YATOM for those of our friends and families who have died and been buried this last week; those in the period of Sh’loshim (30 days since burial); those who have died in the last year; and those whose Yahrzeits/Anyos occur at this time; as well as the victims of brutality, conflict, disease, natural disasters, pandemics, tragedies, violence of all kinds, and war.

This coming week, 10 Tamuz through 16 Tamuz, we lovingly remember:

Jay Hertz

TKH Memorial List

Samuel Klein

TKH Shofar Donor

Donald Annino

Father of TKH Lay Leader Doug Annino

Those victims of the Sho’ah (Holocaust) who died at this time of year.

“ZICHRONAM LIV’RACHAH” – MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE FOR BLESSING.

TORAH STUDY AND SHAZOOM

We will meet as usual at the regular times for Torah Study and Shazoom this evening, Friday, July 8, 2022.

Zoom regularly updates its security and performance features. Making sure you have the latest version of Zoom, please join us online this evening with wine/grape juice for Kiddush and Challah for Motzi.

Topic: Torah Study – Chukat (triennial part) Num. 20:22-22:1

Time: Jul 8, 2022 06:00 PM Arizona

and/or

Shazoom – Erev Shabbat Service

Time: Jul 8, 2022 07:30 PM Arizona

To join Torah Study and/or Shazoom click on the following link [you may need to copy it into your browser]: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/72510500854?pwd=Z3VQZWF4U1BBZytNYmh3aHFTWkFDZz09

Meeting ID: 725 1050 0854

Passcode: 4NrMk0

Hint: The last character of the password is the number zero.

Shabbat Shalom – Buen Shabbat!

-Ruben