Chukat
חוקתThe Red Heifer & The Rock
72 translated essays · 72 total
תרל"א(1870)
Chukat תרל"א 1· Essay 1
With the help of Heaven — Parshas Chukas. This line is the author’s traditional opening invocation marking the start of the parsha.
Engraving Torah upon the Self· Essay 2
In the holy Zohar it is explained, "the chukah (statute) of the Torah," whereas in other places it is written "and this (v'zos) is the Torah." The Zohar notes that the Torah is sometimes called a "chukah" (statute) and sometimes introduced …
Humbling Pride Erases Sin· Essay 3
In the words of Rashi, of blessed memory: one who exalted himself and sinned should humble himself, and so forth. Rashi teaches that the remedy for the sin of arrogance is for the sinner to humble himself, which the Sfas Emes will now unpac…
Chukas תרל"א
בזוה”ק פי’ חקת התורה ולפעמים כתיב וזאת התורה. The Zohar (3:179b) Here it states “This is the chok of the Torah”, and other times the pasuk states “This is the Torah” ופי’ שחקת היא תורה שבע”פ שגוף התורה למעלה מהשגת אד…
תרל"ב(1871)
Divine Speech Purifies Creation· Essay 1
In the Midrash it is taught: "Who can bring forth a pure thing out of an impure? Is it not the One?" (Job 14:4) — Who commanded thus? Who decreed thus? — "The sayings of Hashem are pure sayings" (Psalms 12:7). The Sfas Emes opens with a Mid…
Uncovering Torah's Hidden Light· Essay 2
"The well that the princes dug" (Numbers 21:18) and so forth. My grandfather and teacher, of blessed memory, taught the meaning of the well: that it is the Oral Torah, for one must find by oneself the illumination of the Torah that is hidde…
Faith Before Understanding the Reasons· Essay 3
Rashi comments: Because they were counting Israel — what reason is there in this? Therefore it is written "chukah" (a decree), "You have no permission to question it," and so on. Rashi raises a question on the census of Israel adjacent to t…
Chukas תרל"ב
במדרש מי יתן טהור מטמא לא אחד כו’ מי צוה כן מי גזר כן כו’ אמרות ה’ אמרות טהורות. כו’. The Midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah 19:1-2) Who can make pure from impure for example Avraham from Terach…who made all these was it not t…
Chukas תרל"ב/ה/ו/מד
In the following 4 sections the Sfas Emes will discuss the idea of a “chok”, a mitzvah that seemingly does not have a logical explanation. The idea that is developed is how one’s sensitivity to protecting oneself from sin …
תרל"ג(1872)
תרל"ד(1873)
Chukat תרל"ד 1· Essay 1
With the help of Heaven — Parshas Chukas-Balak. This line is the author’s traditional opening invocation marking the start of the parsha.
Finding the Inner Wellspring· Essay 2
The mouth of the well was created at twilight on the eve of the Sabbath, among the things brought into being in those last moments before the first Shabbos. The opening cites the tradition that the well's mouth was among the special things …
Self-Nullification Sustains the Torah· Essay 3
"This is the Torah" (Numbers 19:14), and so forth. The piece opens by citing the Torah's verse about the laws of one who dies in a tent, which the Sages read homiletically rather than only literally. Our Sages of blessed memory expounded: I…
Awakening the Time of Favor· Essay 4
"As for me, may my prayer to You, Hashem, be at a time of favor" (Psalms 69:14) — they fixed this verse for the Minchah (afternoon) prayer of Shabbos, which is a time of favor. The verse asking that prayer arrive "at a time of favor" was pl…
Chukas תרל"ד
פי הבאר נברא בע”ש בה”ש. דכתיב שתה מים מבורך ונוזלים מתוך בארך. בור הוא מים מכונסין ובאר הוא מעין נובע. ובכל איש ישראל יש נקודה חיות דכתי’ ויפח באפיו כו’. רק האדם צריך למצוא זאת הנקודה. והוא עבודת האדם להמשיך כל המעשי…
תרל"ה(1874)
Reasons Beyond Nature· Essay 1
In the Midrash: "To you I reveal the reasons for the [red] heifer, but to others it remains a chok (an inexplicable decree)." The mitzvah of the red heifer is the classic chok -- a divine decree whose reason is hidden. The Midrash teaches t…
Drawing Holiness into Conquered Lands· Essay 2
"To Sichon king of the Amorites, for His kindness endures forever, and to Og king of the Bashan, for His kindness endures forever" (Psalms 136:19-20). The piece opens by citing the verses in the Great Hallel (Psalms 136) that praise God for…
Chukas תרל"ה
במדרש לך אני מגלה טעמי פרה ולאחרים חוקה. כי הטעמים הם למעלה מן הטבע. לכן נאמר במד’ כי אותם התינוקת שלא טעמו טעם חטא היו יודעין לדרוש מ”ט פנים טהור כו’. ומרע”ה שהי’ איש האלקים ממש והי’ דבוק בתורה שבכתב נגל…
תרל"ו(1875)
Tasting Torah Through Action· Essay 1
Rashi comments that because the Satan and the nations of the world taunt Israel, saying, "What reason is there in it?" — referring to the law of the Red Heifer — therefore Scripture writes regarding it that it is a "chukah" (a decree). Rash…
Lifting the Heart Heavenward· Essay 2
On the verse "Make for yourself a fiery serpent" (Numbers 21:8), and so forth. The piece opens by citing the Torah's command to Moshe to fashion a serpent to heal those bitten in the wilderness. In the Mishnah it asks: Does a serpent really…
Humility Earns Torah's Gift· Essay 3
"And from the wilderness, a gift" (Numbers 21:18). The piece opens with the verse from Israel's journeys that pairs "the wilderness" with "a gift," the springboard for the whole teaching. In the Gemara: whoever makes himself like a wilderne…
Chukas תרל"ו
תרל”ו 1 בְּרָשִׁ”י לְפִי שֶׁהַשָּׂטָן ואוה”ע מוֹנִין אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל מָה טַעַם יֵשׁ בָּהּ כו’ כָּתוּב בָּהּ חֻקָּה. Rashi see above וְקָשֶׁה אִי בֶּאֱמֶת אֵין בָּהּ טַעַם א”צ לְהָאַי טַעַם דְּמוֹנִים אֶת יִשְׂרָ…
תרל"ז(1876)
Chukat תרל"ז 1· Essay 1
With the help of Heaven — Parshas Chukas-Balak. This line is the author’s traditional opening invocation marking the start of the parsha.
Teshuvah Purifies the Sin· Essay 2
In the Midrash: "Who can bring a pure thing out of an impure one?" (Job 14:4) — for behold, our Sages of blessed memory said a parable of the son of a maidservant who soiled the king's palace; let his mother come and wipe up the filth. So t…
Letting Israel Serve Freely· Essay 3
On the verse, "And Moshe Rabbeinu (our teacher Moses) sent messengers... to the king of Edom..." (Numbers 20:14). The piece opens by citing the Torah's account of Moshe sending emissaries to the king of Edom to request safe passage for Isra…
Israel as Faithful Witnesses· Essay 4
It is written, "You are My witnesses" (Isaiah 43:10) — that is, you are witnesses; for the Holy One blessed be He chose Bnei Yisrael (the Children of Israel) to be those who bear witness to Hashem, and He gave them the Shabbos, which is cal…
תרל"ח(1877)
תרל"ט(1878)
Torah Engraved Within Nature· Essay 1
In this Torah portion: "This is the chukah (statute) of the Torah" (Numbers 19:2). The portion opens with the phrase calling the Red Heifer law a 'chukah of the Torah,' which the Sfas Emes will use as his springboard. The difference is this…
Drawing Nations Toward God· Essay 2
On the verse, "And Moshe sent messengers... to the king of Edom..." (Numbers 20:14). This opens the piece by citing the Torah's account of Moshe sending emissaries to the king of Edom to request safe passage, which will serve as the springb…
Completing One's Life Mission· Essay 3
On the verse "Aharon shall be gathered to his people, for he shall not enter [the Land]" and so forth. The Sfas Emes opens by citing the verse where Hashem tells Moshe that Aharon will die because he will not enter the Land of Israel, setti…
Clouds of Glory Restored· Essay 4
On the verse "And the Canaanite heard" — he heard that Aharon had died, and our Sages teach, do not read "and they saw" but rather "and they feared," for Aharon had repaired that which is written, "Pharaoh made Aharon a byword of disgrace a…
תר"מ(1879)
תרמ"א - תרמ"ב(1880)
Purity After the Sin· Essay 1
"This is the statute of the Torah" (Numbers 19:2) — in the Midrash: "Who can bring a pure thing out of an impure? Is it not the One?" (Job 14:4). The Sfas Emes opens with the Torah's heading for the red heifer, "the statute of the Torah," a…
Hidden Miracles United with Revealed· Essay 2
Further on this portion: "And Vahev at its end... the streams of Arnon" (Numbers 21:14-15). The Sfas Emes opens by citing a second verse from this Torah portion, the cryptic phrase about "Vahev" and "the streams of Arnon," which will be the…
Shabbos Opens Torah's Wellspring· Essay 3
A further teaching on the aforementioned passage. This piece is a continuation of the previous teaching on the same Torah portion (Chukas). For the Song at the Sea was a preparation for receiving the Written Torah. The Israelites' Song at t…
Mitzvos Reveal Ancestral Light· Essay 4
On the verse "and all the congregation saw that Aharon had passed away" (Numbers 20:29), our Sages of blessed memory expounded "and they saw" as if it read "and they feared" — for what did the Canaanite hear that prompted his attack? He hea…
תרמ"ג(1882)
תרמ"ד(1883)
תרמ"ה(1884)
Vessels Opening the Well· Essay 1
Concerning the mouth of the well, which was created at twilight on the eve of the first Shabbos. The piece opens with the well of Miriam, one of the special things the Sages say was created in the primordial twilight before the first Shabbo…
Song Preparing Land's Conquest· Essay 2
The matter of this song is that Moshe Rabbeinu is not mentioned within it. The song in Chukas (the Song of the Well) notably omits Moshe, unlike the Song at the Sea which begins 'then Moshe and Bnei Yisrael sang.' This absence is the questi…
תרמ"ו(1885)
Speech Versus Striking the Rock· Essay 1
Regarding the Waters of Strife (mei merivah), where it says "Because you did not... before the eyes of Bnei Yisrael, therefore you shall not bring..." (Numbers 20:12), we have already written elsewhere that this was not a punishment but rat…
Torah Engraved Through Trust· Essay 2
My grandfather and teacher, of blessed memory, gave an interpretation of the verse "with the lawgiver, with their staves" (Numbers 21:18). The author cites a teaching from his grandfather explaining the phrase from the Torah's song about th…
Aharon's Clouds Guarding Israel· Essay 3
On the verse "And the Canaanite heard" (Numbers 21:1), our Sages of blessed memory expounded: he heard that Aharon had died and the Clouds of Glory had departed, and so permission was granted to wage war, and so on. The death of Aharon caus…
תרמ"ח(1887)
Love at Battle's End· Essay 1
Regarding the song "Rise up, O well — sing to it" (Numbers 21:17), our Sages of blessed memory expounded the verse "the gifts (es vahev) at its end" to mean "love (ahavah) at its end." The opening verse of the song of the well contains a wo…
Torah Overpowering Og's Stone· Essay 2
Concerning the war against Og, the verse states, "Do not fear him" (Numbers 21:34). The piece opens with God's reassurance to Moshe before the battle against the giant king Og, that Moshe should not be afraid of him. For it is brought in th…
תרמ"ט(1888)
Hidden and Revealed Miracles· Essay 1
On the matter of the Song of the Sea. The piece opens by invoking the Song of the Sea (Shiras HaYam) as its starting reference point, a famous song of praise sung after a revealed miracle. And the Song of the Well, in which Moshe Rabbeinu, …
Four Levels of Torah· Essay 2
Regarding the verse "A well the princes dug, the nobles of the people delved it, with the scepter, with their staffs" (Numbers 21:18) — these represent four levels, for the well is a drawing-down from the supernal root through the power of …
תר"נ(1889)
Israel's Merit in Miracles· Essay 1
Concerning the waters of Meribah, and the verse "Then Israel sang this song" (Numbers 21:17). The piece opens by linking the episode of the waters of Meribah with the song Israel sang over the miraculous well in the desert. And Moshe Rabbei…
Conquering Canaan Through Moshe· Essay 2
On the verse "And the Canaanite heard" (Numbers 21:1), our Sages of blessed memory expounded: he heard that Aharon had died and that the Clouds of Glory had departed, and he held the view that permission had now been granted to wage war aga…
Unearthing the Hidden Torah· Essay 3
On the verse, "The well that the princes dug..." (Numbers 21:18). The piece opens by citing the verse about the well that Israel's leaders dug, which will serve as the springboard for the whole teaching. For the Torah is hidden from the eye…
תרנ"א(1890)
תרנ"ב(1891)
Well Connected to Its Source· Essay 1
Concerning the mouth of the well that was created at twilight of the eve of Shabbos, of which it is written, "Drink water from your own cistern (bor), and flowing waters from your own well (be'er)" (Proverbs 5:15) — for our Sages taught tha…
Oral Torah Absorbed Within· Essay 2
On the matter of the Song of the Well, in which Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, is not mentioned. The piece opens with a puzzle: the Song of the Well in Chukas does not mention Moshe, which is striking and demands explanation. Whereas in…
Torah Received as Gift· Essay 3
"And from the wilderness to Mattanah" (Numbers 21:18) - and from the wilderness, a gift. The Sfas Emes opens with the verse describing the journey of the Children of Israel, focusing on the phrase that the well of water was given as a gift …
תרנ"ד(1893)
תרנ"ו(1895)
תרנ"ז(1896)
Unchanging Decrees Bringing Purity· Essay 1
"This is the chukah (statute) of the Torah" (Numbers 19:2). The piece opens with the Torah's verse introducing the red heifer as a 'chukah,' a decree whose rationale is hidden, setting the theme that some mitzvos defy human reasoning. There…
Water Drawn Through Deed and Speech· Essay 2
On the matter of the Waters of Strife (mei merivah), of which it is written: "Take the staff... you and Aharon... and you shall speak... and it will give forth its waters, and you shall bring out for them water..." (Numbers 20:8). The piece…
Pursuing Truth and Peace· Essay 3
In the Midrash, on the verse "And Israel sent messengers to Sichon" (Numbers 21:21): The piece opens by citing the Midrash on the verse describing how Israel sent messengers to Sichon, setting up a discussion of seeking peace with other nat…
תרנ"ח(1897)
Chukat תרנ"ח 1· Essay 1
With the help of Heaven — Parshas Chukas-Balak. This line is the author’s traditional opening invocation marking the start of the parsha.
Shabbos Wellspring Beyond Nature· Essay 2
Regarding the Song of the Well, "Rise up, O well, sing to it" (Numbers 21:17) — for the opening of the well depends upon the awakening of Bnei Yisrael (the Children of Israel). The Torah's Song of the Well teaches that the well's life-givin…
Avraham's Traits Transcending Nature· Essay 3
And it is stated in the Mishnah: "Whoever possesses these three traits is among the disciples of our father Avraham, peace be upon him," etc. The author opens with the Mishnah (Avos 5:19) that lists three character traits — a good eye, a hu…
תרנ"ט(1898)
Wisdom Leading to Divine Unity· Essay 1
In the Midrash: "I said I will become wise, etc." The piece opens by citing a Midrash in which King Solomon, the wisest of men, confesses, "I said I will become wise," indicating an effort to attain wisdom. that he was unable to fully grasp…
Opening Eyes to Hidden Sustenance· Essay 2
Regarding the verse "And you shall speak to the rock before their eyes, and it shall give forth its water" (Numbers 20:8) — this is according to the Midrash on Parashas Vayeira, on the verse "And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of w…
Becoming Living Wells of Torah· Essay 3
On the verse "Then Israel sang this song: Rise up, O well, sing to it" (Numbers 21:17). The piece opens with the verse describing Israel singing to the well in the wilderness, where the word 'enu' literally means to 'answer' or respond to i…
תר"ס(1899)
תרס"א(1900)
Raised Hands Defeating Amalek· Essay 1
On the verse "And the Canaanite heard" (Numbers 21:1), our Sages of blessed memory said: he heard that Aaron had died; and the verse concludes that they came "by the way of Atharim." The opening verse links the Canaanite attack to the death…
Staff Restoring Israel's Unity· Essay 2
Concerning the matter of the Waters of Strife (Mei Merivah): the Midrash teaches that Moshe Rabbeinu was punished because he said, "Listen now, you rebels" (Bamidbar 20:10). The piece opens with a puzzle: the Midrash says Moshe was punished…
תרס"ג(1902)
Torah Purifying the Soul· Essay 1
"This is the statute of the Torah" (Numbers 19:2) — Scripture made purity dependent upon the Torah, which is the "Tree of Life," and from it comes purity, the very opposite of the Tree of Knowledge, through which death entered the world, de…
Opening the Well of Torah· Essay 2
On the verse "Then Israel sang this song" (Numbers 21:17). The piece opens by citing the verse in which Israel sings to the well that gave them water in the wilderness. Our Sages of blessed memory said that the mouth of the well was created…
Undated
Chukas Essay
Sfas emes. Sometimes it says zos hatorah, whereas here it says zos chukas hatorah. Meaning here it is how to apply the Torah into our lives. The actual Torah (zot hatorah) is so much higher from us. Whereas the Torah sheba’al peh is t…
Chukas Essay
זאת חוקת התורה This is the law of the Torah. A chok is something we do not understand, nevertheless we are commanded to do. This teaches us a very simple and fundamental idea: “Through doing mitzvos simply, as a chok – without knowing…