JUNE 17 • 2021 | 41
An Urgent Need
M
any paradoxes
occur in the Torah.
For example,
Deuteronomy 15 states: “There
shall be no needy among you;”
(v. 4), and “There will never
cease to be needy ones
in your land.
” (v. 11)”
In another example,
upon creating the first
human being, God
declares people to be
very good (Genesis
1:31), but just five
chapters later, God
describes the human
being as evil (Genesis
6:5).
It should not
surprise us to read
in parshat Chukat
the paradox of the
red heifer. In describing the
ceremony for removing ritual
impurity after contact with
a corpse, we learn that by
removing another’s impurity,
the “healer” then becomes
afflicted with his/her own
impurity!
Water, which plays a central
role in Chukat, is itself a
paradox. We can’t live without
water. A drought, a water
main break or contamination
are but three of the ways
people have suffered and even
died from lack of sufficient
water. On the other hand,
too much water is dangerous
as we know from floods
and drownings. So water
symbolizes the breath of life; it
is almost always a blessing, but
not without risks.
This Shabbat, after reading
about the red heifer cleansing
ritual (which requires water),
we learn that there is no water.
This is the story, of course, of
Moses being commanded by
God to speak to a rock. Moses,
instead, strikes the rock.
What happened to all the
water? Prior to creation, the
entire world was water. God
divided the water, separating
it from the sky and from
dry land. But God did
not destroy the water. So
where did it disappear?
Of course, the answer
is that it is our job, not
God’s, to find available
water and make sure
that there is enough for
everyone, now and in
the future.
Our country is
currently challenged
by the Colorado River,
which supplies water
to 40 million people in
seven western states, but has
been experiencing drought
conditions during the past 20
years.
As U.S. scientists struggle to
overcome the drying river, we
see the incredible success of
Israel, which leads the world
in water recycling. Israel has
taken seriously the need to
preserve water, by creating
and maintaining technology
to desalinate salt water and
reuse 90% of its waste water,
primarily for irrigation
purposes. In contrast, the U.S.
recycles less than 10% of its
waste water.
Like Moses, we all stand
before the rock, and have the
ability to find water which we
cannot easily see, until we try
a little harder.
Rabbi Elliot Pachter is the rabbinic
adviser at the Frankel Jewish
Academy, and rabbi emeritus at
Congregation B’nai Moshe, both in
West Bloomfield.
TORAH PORTION
Rabbi Elliot
Pachter
Parshat
Chukat:
Numbers
19:1-22:1;
Judges
11:1-33.
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& Changing Hands handle your Estate Sale needs.
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WE ARE OBSERVING ALL STATE COVID-19
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248.709.9648
Let our experienced team at Le Shoppe Too & Changing
Hands handle your Estate Sale needs. Your items can
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We offer hands free-hassle free estate sales.
Call Leslie Weisberg today for a free consultation
changinghandsestates.com
3325 ORCHARD LAKE RD, KEEGO HARBOR, MI
248.481.8884
www.leshoppetoo.com
UPSCALE CONSIGNMENT & AUCTION HOUSE
ICONIC 20th CENTURY FURNITURE,
FINE-ART, HOME DECOR & LIGHTING
Support Local
Businesses
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TUES–SAT Noon–5pm | MON closed
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