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Parshat Chukas June 15, 2013 7 Tammuz, 5773
It is a scene that still hasthe power to shock anddisturb. The
peoplecomplain. There is nowater. It is an oldcomplaint and
apredictable one. Thatswhat happens in adesert. Moses shouldhave
been able to handleit in his stride. He hasbeen through far
tougherchallenges in his time.Yet suddenly he explodesinto
vituperative anger:Listen now, you rebels,shall we bring you
waterout of this rock? ThenMoses raised his arm andstruck the rock
twicewith his staff. (Num. 20:10-11) It was suchegregious behavior,
somuch of an over-reaction, that thecommentators haddifficulty in
deciding
which aspect was worst.Some said, it was hittingthe rock instead
ofspeaking to it as God hadinstructed. Some said, itwas the use of
the wordwe. Moses knew thatGod would send water: ithad nothing to
do withAaron or himself. Others,most famouslyMaimonides, said that
itwas the anger evident inthe words Listen now,you rebels.
The question I want to raise issimply: what made this
trialdifferent? Why did Mosesmomentarily lose control? Whythen? Why
there? Thisquestion is entirely separatefrom that of why Moses
wasnot allowed to enter the land.Although the Torah associatesthe
two, I argue elsewherethat this was not a punishmentat all. Moses
did not lead the
people across the Jordan andinto the land because thattask,
involving a newgeneration and an entirely newset of challenges,
demanded anew leader. Even the greatestfigures in history belong to
aspecific time and place. Dordor u-parnasav. Eachgeneration has its
ownleaders (Avodah Zarah 5a).Leadership is time-bound,
nottimeless.
Behind Moses loss of
emotional control is a differentstory, told with utmost
brevityin the text: In the first monththe whole Israelite
communityarrived at the Desert of Zin,and they stayed at
Kadesh.There Miriam died and wasburied. Now there was nowater for
the community Moses lost control because hissister Miriam had just
died. Hewas in mourning for his eldestsibling. It is hard to lose
aparent, but in some ways it iseven harder to lose a brother
or sister. They are your
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks on Parshat Chukasgeneration. You feel
theangel of death comesuddenly close. You faceyour own mortality.
ButMiriam was more than asister to Moses. She wasthe one, while
still a six-year-old child, to follow thecourse of the wicker
basketholding her baby brother asit drifted down the Nile. Shehad
the courage and
ingenuity to approachPharaohs daughter andsuggest that she
employ aHebrew nurse for the child,thus ensuring that Moseswould
grow up knowing hisfamily, his people and hisidentity.
Small wonder that thesages said that Miriampersuaded her
fatherAmram, the gadol hador(leading scholar of hisgeneration) to
annul his
decree that Hebrewhusbands should divorcetheir wives and have
nomore children since therewas a fifty per cent chancethat any
child born would bekilled. Your decree, saidMiriam, is worse
thanPharaohs. He only decreedagainst the males, yoursapplies to
females also. Heintends to rob children oflife in this world: you
woulddeny them even life in theworld to come (Midrash
Lekach Tov to Ex. 2: 1).
Times
Hashkama 8:00 pm
Parsha Shiur 8:30 am
Youth Minyan 8:30 am
Main Minyan 9:00 am
Beit Midrash 9:15 pm
Gemorah Shiur 6:30 pm
Mincha 7:30 pm
Shabbat Ends 9:18 pm
Sunday, June 16 7:30/8:30 am
Mon., Thurs. 6:35/7:45 am
Tues., Wed., Fri. 6:45/7:45 am
Mincha 8:15 pm
Latest Times for
Shema/ Shmoneh Esrei
June 15 9:10/10:24 am
June 22 9:11/10:27 am
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Candle Lighting 8:11 pm
Mincha 7:00 pm
Friday Mincha 7:00 pm
Candle Lighting 8:09 pm
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Hertz 652HAFTORAH
Artscroll 1187Hertz 664
Seudah Shlishitis sponsored by
Hindi & Ben Lunzerin honor
of the Bat Mitzvahof their daughter
Shoshana
Bima FlowersIn the Main Sanctuary
and in the Beit Midrashare sponsored by
Hindi & Ben LunzerIn honor of the Bat Mitzvah
of their daughterShoshana
Graduationand
CongregationalKiddush
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Amram admitted her superior logic. Husbands and wiveswere
reunited. Yocheved became pregnant and Moseswas born. Note simply
that this midrash, told by thesages, unambiguously implies that a
six year old girl hadmore faith and wisdom than the leading rabbi
of thegeneration! Moses surely knew what he owed his eldersister.
She had accompanied him throughout hismission. She led the women in
song at the Red Sea. Theone episode that seems to cast her in a
negative light
when she spoke against Moses because of his Cushitewife, for
which she was punished with leprosy wasinterpreted more positively
by the sages. They said shewas critical of Moses for breaking off
marital relationswith his wife Zipporah. He had done so because
heneeded to be in a state of readiness for Divinecommunication at
any time. Miriam felt Zipporahs plightand sense of abandonment.
Besides which, she andAaron had also received Divine communication
but theyhad not been commanded to be celibate. She may havebeen
wrong, suggested the sages, but not maliciouslyso. She spoke not
out of jealousy of her brother but outof sympathy for her
sister-in-law.
Likewise the sages understood the two events that
preceded Moses crisis Miriams death and the absenceof water for
the community as connected. It was inMiriams merit, they said, that
the Israelites had waterduring the desert years. A well (Miriams
well)accompanied them on their travels, and when Miriamdied, the
water ceased. So it was not simply theIsraelites demand for water
that led Moses to losecontrol of his emotions, but rather his own
deep grief.The Israelites may have lost their water, but Moses
hadlost his sister, who had watched over him as a child,guided his
development, supported him throughout theyears, and helped him
carry the burden of leadership byher role as leader of the
women.
It is a moment that reminds us of words from the Book
of Judges said by Israels chief of staff, Barak, to
itsjudge-and-leader Deborah: If you go with me, I will go;but if
you do not go with me, I cannot go (Judges 4).The relationship
between Barak and Deborah was muchless close than that between
Moses and Miriam, yetBarak acknowledged his dependence on a wise
andcourageous woman. Can Moses have felt less?Bereavement leaves us
deeply vulnerable. In the midstof loss we can find it hard to
control our emotions. We
26 Old Mill Road, Great Neck, NY 11023 (516) 487-6100 Shabbat
Announcements Parshat Chukas 5773
Great Neck Synagogue
Shabbat Activities Program
Dale Polakoff, Rabbi
Ian Lichter, Assistant Rabbi
Dr. Ephraim Wolf ,zl, Rabbi Emeritus
Zeev Kron, Cantor
Eleazer Schulman, zl, Cantor Emeritus
Rabbi Sholom Jensen, Youth Director
Zehava & Michael Atlas, Youth Directors
Mark Twersky, Executive Director
Rabbi Avraham Bronstein, Program Director
Dr. Scott Danoff, President
Harold Domnitch, Chairman of the Board
make mistakes. We act rashly. We suffer from a momentarylack of
judgment. These are common symptoms even forordinary humans like
us. In Moses case however, there wasan additional factor. He was a
prophet, and grief can occludeor eclipse the prophetic spirit.
Maimonides answers the wellknown question as to why Jacob, a
prophet, did not knowthat his son Joseph was still alive, with the
simplest possibleanswer: grief banishes prophecy. For twenty-two
years,mourning his missing son, Jacob could not receive the
Divine
word. Moses, the greatest of all the prophets, remained intouch
with God. It was God, after all, who told him to speakto the rock.
But somehow the message did not penetrate hisconsciousness fully.
That was the effect of grief.
So the details are, in truth, secondary to the human dramaplayed
out that day. Yes, Moses struck the rock, said weinstead of God,
and lost his temper with the people. Thereal story, though, is
about Moses the man in an onslaught ofgrief, vulnerable, exposed,
caught in a vortex of emotions,suddenly bereft of the sisterly
presence that had been themost important bass-note of his life,
Miriam, the precociouslywise and plucky child who had taken control
of the situationwhen the life of her three-month old brother lay in
thebalance, undaunted by either an Egyptian princess or a
rabbi-
father, Miriam who led the women in song, sympathized withher
sister-in-law when she saw the price she paid for beingthe wife of
a leader, Miriam in whose merit the people hadwater in a parched
land, the quiet heroine without whomMoses was temporarily lost and
alone. The story of Moses andthe rock is ultimately less about
Moses and a rock than abouta great Jewish woman, Miriam,
appreciated fully only whenshe was no longer there.
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GreatNeckSynagogueMensClub
GOINGFISHING(again!)Haveafunday,bringthewholefamily
OntheCAPT.PETEfromFreeport,NY(30minutesfromGreatNeck)onSunday,JUNE30,2013
Theboatwillbedepartingat9:00am,withthereturntodockat1:30pm
Thecost,whichincludesbreakfastandlunch,is$48perperson
$36forchildren612(nochildrenunder6)
(thefirst6kids12andunderfreewithpayingadult1perfamily)
ContactSteveBlumner6398941,MarkFriedman4821062orHillyMilun4484890
Iam
going
fishing!
Children
under
17
MUST
be
accompanied
by
an
adult
Name____________________________________
Phone#___________________
Numberofadultsandteenagers_________at$48perperson
$_______________
Numberofchildren12andunder_________at$36each
$_______________
Total(CheckattachedmadeouttoGNSMENSCLUB) $_______________
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
YAHR
ZEIT
WITHIN OUR FAMILY
SPONSORSHIPSTo sponsor a Kiddush, Seudah Shlishit, Sunday
Breakfast, YouthEvent, Bima Flowers or a leaf on the Tree of Life
in honor or in memoryof a loved one, please call Mark Twersky in
the Synagogue office487-6100 or email [email protected].
Saturday, 7 TammuzBarry Libin for Paula Libin
Sunday, 8 TammuzCharlene Milun for Suzanne Berchowitz
Howard Wolf for Carrie WolfMonday, 9 Tammuz
David Birnbaum for Rhoda BirnbaumLaura Cohen for Marvin
Lieberman
James Frisch for Rozsa FrischRita Gordonson for Leon
Gershkowitz
Ruth Kraft for Mosche Bogatyrow
Tuesday, 10 TammuzJerrald Weinstein for Leonard Greenberg
Wednesday, 11 TammuzOded Daskal for Eitan Daskal
Mansour Farhadian for Avraham SohayeghFrederick Shaw for Lillian
Shaw
Thursday 12, TammuzGilbert Aronowitz for Richard Luchansky
Elain Berger for Murray SobolJoan Katz for Bessie Sadinoff
GNS UPCOMING EVENTS
Mazal Tov to Goldie & Howard Lorber and Rachel &
Mi-chael Singer on the Bat Mitzvah of their granddaughterEmma
Lorber, daughter ofJennifer & Mark Lorber.Mazal Tov to Hindi
& Ben Lunzer on the Bat Mitzvah of theirdaughter Shoshana.Mazal
Tov to Ann Gold on the birth of a great-granddaughterborn to her
grandchildren Francie & Jason Goldberg.Mazal Tov to Anne &
Ray Sandler on the birth of a grandsonborn to their children
Shlomit & Adam Sandler.
UPCOMING EVENTS SAVE THE DATEJune 15: Annual Graduation and
Congregation Kiddush.$100 per family. Please call the office or
[email protected] form on page three.
SAVE THE DATE:Monday July 1, Fresh Meadows Country Club the NSHA
will be holdingits 10th ANNUAL GOLF, TENNIS, MAHJONGG & SPA
CLASSICfor great golf (11:30 am shotgun), tennis (ladies at 9:30am
followedby lunch & men's at 2:30pm), card games/mahjong
lessons, brunch,BBQs and a sunset cocktail party with our million
dollar Jet BlueChallenge followed by a buffet dinner, with prizes,
raffles and auctions.This years honorees are Karen & Robert
Spitalnick. For additionalinformation re:
sponsorships/participation please email Arnie Flatow at
[email protected] or call 487-8687 ext 133.
SAVE THE DATE:Monday, June 17th, Yeshiva Har Torah's 13th Annual
Golf Classic- atNS Country Club, Glen Head, N.Y. with great golf,
breakfast, BBQ on
course lunch, full cocktail party and buffet dinner. For
additionalinformation and sponsorships/participation please contact
Alan Steinbergat [email protected] or call (718) 343-2533.
MENS CLUB UPCOMING EVENTSJune 12 & 13 Wed. and
Thur.DEFENSIVE DRIVING COURSE:Reduce your auto insurance premiums
and points on your license bytaking the Defensive Driving Course,
which will be held over twoevenings from 7:00 to 10:00 pm. Limited
Seating. $17.00 for AARPmembers and $19.00 for non-members. Please
make checks payableto AARP. Please call Al Leiderman 516-482-0628
for reservations.
TUES. JUNE 18, 8Pm The third in our Medical Forum seriesfeatures
two Gastroenterologists, Dr. Robert Herman andDr. Alex Novogrudsky.
They will educate and inform you on subjectsfrom prevention of
Heartburn and Acid Reflux down to why and howoften should you have
a colonoscopy. See page three.
SUN. JUNE 30: Annual Fishing trip. $48.00 per person, $36.00
forchildren 6-12. (first 6 children free) for more information
contactSteve Blumner, Mark Freidman or Hilly Milun. See bottomof
page three.
SUMMER LEARNING PROGRAMOur summer learning program will be
taking place this summerBeginning July 2. Dates for the remaining
classes are July 9, 23 and30th and August 6 and 13. Sponsors are
welcome. To sponsor ordedicate a day of learning at $180 please
contact Rabbi Lichter [email protected] or [email protected].
General sponsorships areavailable at $100 per family.
HIGH HOLIDAYSWith the High Holidays taking place right after
Labor Day, we areasking that all members take care of their
outstanding financialobligations in a timely manner to insure that
seats for the holidayswill be able to be sent out. Those in arrears
will not be able to obtaintheir seats unless arrangements for
payment have been made. If youhave any questions please speak to
Mark Twersky or Elie Cohenour Treasurer.
ROSH HASHANAH SCOPE MAGAZINEPlease submit all articles,
advertisements, photos, and recipes forthe Rosh Hashanah SCOPE
magazine edition by Monday, July 1stto Diane Rein at
[email protected]. Thank you. We invite you tobecome a SCOPE
sponsor for three issues $100 or a single issue$36.Rosh Hashanna
greetings are also welcome at $36 each.
PARLOR MEETING FOR CAMP SHALVAThere will be a Scotch & Wine
Tasting with a sushi buffet on Thursday,June 13, 2013 at 7:30 p.m.
to benefit Camp Shalva, a summerprogram for Israeli children with
special needs. The event will be heldat the home ofAdina and Josh
Geller, 15 Gould Street, Great Neck,NY. To RSVP call (516)
305-4734, [email protected] [email protected]. or see Marla
or Micah Lemonik for more info.
JUNE CHESED COLLECTIONOhel and Camp Kaylie are in great need of
new and gently usedsports equipment. The equipment will be utilized
for special needsprograms and after school programs. Please drop
off Monday-Fridayonly at the home of Hedva & Edmund Kessler, 9
Vista Drive,Great Neck. There will be a box at the front door. See
page 2.The May Chesed Collection of Glasses, Cell Phones and Shoes
willcontinue to June 16. Please drop off at the Blumner home 88
oldpond Rd. or at the Heisler home, 71 Bayview Ave.
PARLOR MEETINGThere will be a Parlor Meeting for RCCS Refuah
Cholim Cancer Societyon Monday June 24, 7:30 pm at the home of
Magda & Sam Yehaskel,23 Old Mill Road.
WOMENS TEFILAThere will be a Womens Tefila program this Shabbat
in honor of theBat Mitzvah ofShoshana Lunzer. Kiddush will be
sponsored byHindi & Ben Lunzer in her honor. Davening will
begin at 6:15 pm.
HASHKAMA KIDDUSHKiddush is sponsored by Hindi & Ben Lunzer
in honor ofShoshanasBat Mitzvah.
