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Parshat Chukat 10 Tammuz 5776 16 July 2016
Shabbat Kabbalat Shabbat
19:30
(Candle Lighting)
19:50
Shacharit
09:15
Leining
10:15
Seudah & Mincha at the Portnoys
20:30
Shabbat terminates
22:39
Weekday
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19:30*
speaking to it, his punishment was never
19:40
to enter the land of Israel. When we con-
* Mincha & Kabbalat Shabbat
to all those who have Yahrzeit this week as follows 16 July 10 Tammuz
Sun
David Middleweek
Father
Leining
Haftarah
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1187 1456 664
Take A Step Back When Moshe lost his temper with Bnai
selves. Anger is not an excuse, and it is
Yisrael and struck the rock instead of
not excusable.
sider how devastating this penalty was,
Chayim Arukim
Page No.s Artscroll Gutnick Hertz
Thought For The Week
Mincha & Ma’ariv
Candle Lighting
Security team: Pink
Shacharit
שבת
d"sb
it is hard to understand the severity of his crime. After all, Moshe was provoked, constantly and repeatedly, by the complaints and the faithlessness of the Jewish
The Gemara (Shabbat 105b) compares a person who becomes so angry that he loses control of himself to someone who worships idols. This is because he has forgotten that Hashem runs the world, not he, and that anything that happens, however infuriating, happens for a rea-
17 July 11 Tammuz
Amanda Kaye
Mother
Mon
Susannah Benjamin Ruth Shammah
Mother Mother
hardships of the desert with the luxuries
Ashley Myers
Father
miracles. Surely Moshe could be forgiven
Victor Wolff Ian Halpern Paul Wertheim Aubrey Greene
Mother Father Father Sister
for losing control of his temper once in a
Rose Menacham Malcolm Gruber
Father Father
In most secular legal systems, provoca-
and broke his connection with Hashem
tion would be accepted as an excuse for
irreparably, so that he could not continue
Muriel Mond
Mother
a violent response, and loss of control
to lead Bnai Yisrael into the Promised
would mitigate most crimes. But Hashem
Land.
18 July 12 Tammuz
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19 July 13 Tammuz
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22 July 16 Tammuz
שבת
23 July 17 Tammuz
Kiddushim 16 July Nursery Leavers Shabbat 23 July Unsponsored 30 July Unsponsored
people, who constantly compared the of Egypt, and ignored Hashem’s daily
while?
son. Our ‘godliness’ – our resemblance to Hashem – depends on our remembering that we are not G-d. Moshe, as Hashem’s mouthpiece, was supposed to enact His miracle and produce water by speaking to the rock. Instead, his anger got in the way
held Moshe to a higher standard of behav-
Rabbi Joel Portnoy
iour, and he also expects more from us. We are expected to always control our-
Shabbat Weather AM Scattered Storms 18o High 12o Overnight Low
Parsha
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First Aliyah - 17 verses This section details the purification process for an individual or object which has contracted ritual impurity from a human corpse. This includes a red heifer which is slaughtered and burnt together with a few added ingredients. Second Aliyah - 11 verses An impure individual may not enter the Tabernacle or Temple until the purification process is completed. Miriam dies in the fortieth year in the desert. The “Well of Miriam” dries up, and the people complain bitterly about the lack of water. Third Aliyah - 7 verses The incident of Moses striking the rock, instead of speaking to it. G-d punishes Moses and Aaron, barring them from leading the Jews into Israel. Fourth Aliyah - 8 verses Moses requests permission to pass through the land of Edom on the way to the Promised Land. Despite Moses’ promises not to cause any harm to the land whilst passing, Edom refuses the Jews passage. The Jews are therefore forced to approach Canaan from the east. Fifth Aliyah - 17 verses G-d commands Moses, Aaron and Elazar to go up Mount Hor. Elazar is appointed the next Kohen Gadol, as Aaron then passes away. The Amalekites attack the Jews. After more complaints about food, G-d dispatches serpents and many Jews die. Moses prays to G-d and is instructed to fashion a copper serpent. Sixth Aliyah - 11 verses The Jews journey on, making their way towards the eastern bank of the Jordan River. Seventh Aliyah - 16 verses The Jews approach the land of the Emorites. They request permission to pass through en route to Canaan. Sichon refuses and instead attacks the Jews. The Jews are victorious and occupy the Emorite lands, and latterly the land of Og, king of Bashan.
had The Red Heifer ly to be complete d blemish free, an y an ve ha could not other colours.
M S I DA
U J F O
Delve into the deeper side of Judaism This week we discuss different mitzvot which are beyond our understanding
Beyond Logic Generally, the mitzvot of the Torah belong in one of three categories: ‘Eduyot’-Testimonies: If a mitzvah testifies to a historical event or to some aspect of our faith, it is termed ‘edut’, testimony. Examples are the mitzvah to observe Shabbat, which attests to our belief that the A-lmighty created the world in six days; to observe the yamim tovim, because they commemorate the exodus from Egypt; the mitzvot of tzitzit and tefillin, which demonstrate our belief in Hashem’s rulership. ‘Mishpatim’-Civil Laws: These are Divine laws that promulgate the safety and survival of human society. They include, for example, the prohibition against theft and murder.
‘Chukim’-Ordinances: In this category are mitzvot whose purposes or meanings are not necessarily understood by human intelligence.
There are numerous examples of chukim, but the Midrash lists four about which the Torah explicitly
states are ‘chukim’. Since they contain apparently contradictory elements, they are liable to be ridiculed by a rational thinker. The Torah therefore advises usto not question them. The four are: 1. Yibum: A Jew who marries his brother’s wife during his brother’s lifetime or even after the latter’s death, incurs the ‘karet’
Since they contain apparently contradictory elements, they are liable to be ridiculed by a rational thinker. penalty, if his brother had children. But if his brother’s widow is childless, it is a mitzvah to marry her. 2. Shaatnez: The Torah forbids the wearing of a garment that contains a mixture of wool and linen. However, it is permissible to wear a linen garment to which woolen tzitzit are attached. 3. The Yom Kippur ‘Scapegoat’: This goat is
sent to its death as part of the Yom Kippur Service, purified the Jews of their sins while defiling the agent who took it away. 4. The Red Heifer: The ashes of the Red Heifer purifies a Jew who is impure, while rendering anyone involved in the preparation, impure. Nevertheless, chukim are not “laws without reasons”; rather, their logic is Divine. Even someone as great as King Solomon, who found reasons for all the other mitzvot, was unable to understand the Red Heifer. Solomon’s wisdom in all areas was immense. He knew details of Torah that even Moshe did not know. And yet, his lack of clarity in this one area did not obstruct him from achieving such lofty levels. One reason for this, is because even mitzvot which seem understandable are beyond man’s intellect .Based on ‘The Midrash Says’ by Rabbi M. Weiss
If you would like to share your words of wisdom, please submit your article of no more than 500 words to nick@hale-community.org.uk
Parsha Stats Chukat is the 39th of 54 sedras 6th of 10 in Bamidbar Written on 159.2 lines in a Torah 87 verses - ranks 43rd (10th in Bamidbar) 1245 words - ranks 40th (10th in Bamidbar) 4670 letters - ranks 41st (10th in Bamidbar)
Did You Know Three mitzvot are mentioned in this week’s parsha. All of them are positive. Only five other parshiyot contain solely positive mitzvot The ‘Well of Miriam’ was supplied by Hashem as a constant source of water in Miriam’s merit, because she stayed with Moshe to ensure his safety as he floated downstream in the River Nile as a baby.
QA &
Read through the Parsha in English and find answers to the questions. LOLLIPOPS WILL BE AWARDED TO ANYONE WHO READS THROUGH IT, AND TELLS RABBI NICK THE CORRECT ANSWERS!
Which three items were burnt with the Red Heifer? Where were the Jewish People when Miriam died? What did Moshe call the Jewish People before striking the rock? How many times did Moshe strike the rock? Where did the Canaanite king live? How many different places did the Jewish People journey to in this week’s parsha?
The Talmud says that there are 903 types of death, with the ‘Kiss of Death’ from Hashem being the least painful (it is compared to removing a strand of hair from milk). Only six people died like this: Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam.
Just For Fun Question: Which of the five books is favoured by accountants? Answer: The Book of Numbers!
LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS: 1. Reuven. 2. The Land of Israel. 4. In the Holy of Holies. 5. Five silver shekels. BONUS: Parshat Va’era (Exodus 6:21).
3. Elazar, son of Aharon.
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KING AHEAD
In The Spotlight Nursery Leavers
COMMUNITY
EDUCATION
As we draw closer to the end of another school year, we highlight the seven children from our nursery who will be joining new friends in Reception at North Cheshire. Talia Kaye, Samuel Levene, Mylee Filson, Kobi Lyons, Frankie Lindemann, Lily Normie, and Leor Temkin will be bidding farewell to their teachers, Mrs. Boswell and Michal Abenson, and starting life in ‘Big School’ in September. But not without showcasing their talents in their School Leavers Concert on Thursday, and in Shule on Shabbat morning. The children will be showing us a glimpse of their concert material at the end of the service, following which, Rabbi Portnoy will present the children with a personal Siddur, and a blessing.
DON’T MISS THE FINAL WEEK!
BEYOND HALE
Rabbi Joel & Ruthie take great pleasure in inviting the whole community to their home for Kiddush after Shule this Shabbat, to celebrate Sruli’s Aufruf, and forthcoming marriage to Chaya. If you would like to sponsor an edition of ‘Something For Everyone’, in honour of a simcha or for a yahrzeit, or for any reason, please contact the Shule office on 0161 980 8846 or admin@hale-community.org.uk
We wish Mazaltov to all the families involved, and wish the children success in their next stage. We also take this opportunity to thank Pauline Newton, and the staff at the nursery for the excellent work they do educating our youngest minds, and the love and care they show them on a daily basis.
Mazaltov to Rita Leigh on the birth of a great grandson. Audrey & Bill Lister on their daughter Pippa’s engagement to Josh Sacofsky. Rabbi & Ruthie on the occasion of Sruli’s aufruf and forthcoming marriage in Israel to Chaya Trappler.