The Parsha begins “this is the chok of the Torah” and proceeds to discuss the laws of Parah Adumah (the red heifer), a mitzvo which is impossible to understand according to human logic. The Ohr HaChaim Hakadosh asks why this mitzvo is called the ‘chok of the Torah’, it would have
Read more →The Parsha ends with a history of how the Jewish people came to conquer the city of Cheshbon from the Emorim. It had previously been part of Moav until Sichon, King of the Emorim, defeated Moav and acquired Cheshbon. With regard to that war, the Torah tells us, “Therefore say the
Read more →“This is the mystery of the Torah that Hashem commanded saying, tell the people of Israel to take to you a red cow, a perfect one, that has no flaw, and never had a yoke on it.” Bamidbar 19:2 The mystery of the Torah[1] is that we take
Read more →Author: Rabbi Bourch Leff(based on the teachings of Rav Yaakov Weinberg zt’l) Chukim he first Rashi brings the famous question concerning Chukim. When the goyim and the satan ask us why we do certain mitzvos which don’t seem to have a reason we are to react with
Read more →Zos chukas HaTorah (literally, “this is the Torah’s law”) (Bamidbar19:2). The Torah’s expression is intriguing. The mitzvah of parah adumah is but one of the 613 mitzvos, so how do we justify using this expression, which implies that it constitutes the entire Torah? Even if we assume that this mitzva represents the entire
Read more →This class covers the following topics: All Mitzvos are really Chukim. The “travels” of the Desert. Miriam dies and there is no water. Moshe strikes the rock. All Mitzvos are really Chukim. Even though we speak of different categories of mitzvos, essentially they are really Chukim. To
Read more →This week’s parsha relates the mitzvah of the Red Heiffer, which purifies a person who has come into contact with a dead body. This Parsha also contains the deaths of Aaron and Miriam explicitly and Moshe’s death sentence implicitly, through his disobeying G-d at the Waters of
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