The Torah opens the scene quietly:

וַיֵּשֶׁב יִשְׂרָאֵל
בַּשִּׁטִּים,

וַיָּחֶל הָעָם לִזְנוֹת אֶל־בְּנוֹת מוֹאָב.

— “And Yisrael dwelled in Shittim, and the people began to
stray after the daughters of Moav.” (בַּמִּדְבָּר כ״ה:א׳)

One verse.

No battle cries.

Just the gentle pull of desire. Of loneliness. Of spiritual
disarmament.

Bilam, the wicked prophet, fails to curse Am Yisrael. But
before leaving, he whispers to Balak:

“אֱלֹקֵיהֶם
שֶׁל אֵלּוּ שׂוֹנֵא זִמָּה הוּא”

— “Their G-d despises immorality.” (סנהדרין ק״ו)

And with that advice, the Moabite plan begins. Royal
daughters of Midyan and Moav are sent to seduce the Israelites—not just with
beauty, but with hospitality, charm, and warmth.

At first, they are selling textiles , and clothing - an old
woman at front.

You want to see the better things - come to the back where there is a beautiful
young girl waiting she’s hospitable

She offers wine.

Then, herself .

Then, a request:

“הִשְׁתַּחֲוֵה
לְפְעוֹר”

— Bow to Pe’or. Just once. Just a formality.

It wasn’t just זְנוּת.

It was ideology cloaked in love.

A theological ambush.

There’s a profound Midrash:

“תָּבֹוא הָאֵם וּתְקַנֵּחַ צֹאָת בְּנָה” –

“Let the mother come and clean up the mess of her child.”

(Tanchuma, Chukat 8)

The child? Klal Yisrael, who sinned with the Egel HaZahav.

The mother? The Parah Adumah, the red heifer whose ashes bring purity.

But what’s the connection?

The Chet Ha’Egel wasn’t wild rebellion—it was panic wrapped in reason. Moshe was delayed. Maybe gone. They needed a leader. An intermediary. Their intentions were leshem Shamayim. But the Alexandrer Rebbe, the Yismach Yisrael, teaches:

“Sometimes the greatest mistake… is thinking we understand.”

That was their error.

They thought they were doing the right thing. They rationalized. They overreached.

So along comes the Parah Adumah—the antidote. A mitzvah that defies reason. A chok. A decree.

Even Shlomo HaMelekh, wisest of men, said:

“אָמַרְתִּי אֶחְכָּמָה – וְהִיא רְחוֹקָה מִמֶּנִּי” –

“I thought I could understand—but it is far from me.” (Kohelet 7:23)

🇺🇸 Better Than Fireworks: Giants, Mountains & Miracles

🕗 July 4th | 7:30 AM Shacharit • Followed by Breakfast & Shiur

This Independence Day, come for breakfast—and stay for a battle that shook the heavens.

A mountain lifted, ants sent by Heaven, and the “worm of Yaakov” that crushed a giant.

Discover how Moshe Rabbeinu defeated Og with nothing but spirit, and how you can too.

Better than fireworks. Bigger than Bashan.

🎙 Obedience Beyond Understanding

Parashat Chukat | Based on Yismach Yisrael, Alexander Rebbe

There’s a profound Midrash:

“תָּבֹוא הָאֵם וּתְקַנֵּחַ צֹאָת בְּנָה” –

“Let the mother come and clean up the mess of her child.”

(Tanchuma, Chukat 8)

The child? Klal Yisrael, who sinned with the Egel HaZahav.

The mother? The Parah Adumah, the red heifer whose ashes bring purity.

But what’s the connection?

The Chet Ha’Egel wasn’t wild rebellion—it was panic wrapped in reason. Moshe was delayed. Maybe gone. They needed a leader. An intermediary. Their intentions were leshem Shamayim. But the Alexandrer Rebbe, the Yismach Yisrael, teaches:

“Sometimes the greatest mistake… is thinking we understand.”

That was their error.

They thought they were doing the right thing. They rationalized. They overreached.

So along comes the Parah Adumah—the antidote. A mitzvah that defies reason. A chok. A decree.

Even Shlomo HaMelekh, wisest of men, said:

“אָמַרְתִּי אֶחְכָּמָה – וְהִיא רְחוֹקָה מִמֶּנִּי” –

“I thought I could understand—but it is far from me.” (Kohelet 7:23)

When a Roman philosopher mocked this mitzvah, Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai replied:

“The corpse doesn’t defile, and the ashes don’t purify—it’s a decree of the King.” (Tanchuma Chukat 8)

Sometimes the highest faith is not to ask “why”—but to do.

The Parah teaches us that we serve not because it makes sense,

But because He said so.

That’s the tikkun for the Egel.

That’s Torah.

That’s true avodat Hashem.

He didn’t shame people out of sin. He loved them out of it.
In this class, we climb the mountain with Aharon HaKohen — and uncover the quiet power of peace, truth, and unconditional belief in every soul.
Aharon HaKohen: The Honest Peacemaker.

Am Yisrael arrives in Kadesh, near the end of their 40-year journey. The final stretch before entering Eretz Yisrael.

וַתָּ֤מׇת שָׁם֙ מִרְיָ֔ם וַתִּקָּבֵ֖ר שָֽׁם׃

“Miryam died there and was buried there.”

(Bemidbar 20:1)

The Torah gives no hesped, no tears, no mourning.

Just a silence.

Then:

וְלֹא־הָיָ֥ה מַ֖יִם לָעֵדָ֑ה

“There was no water for the congregation.”

(20:2)

Chazal make the connection instantly.

📖 Ta’anit 9a teaches:

Three gifts sustained Israel in the midbar — the man, the ananei ha-kavod, and the well — in the merit of Moshe, Aharon, and Miryam.

When she died, the well stopped.

But why did water flow in her merit?

Hashem doesn’t just answer Korach once.

He responds three times, with three miracles:

1. The earth opens its mouth and swallows Korach and his household.

2. Fire from Heaven consumes the 250 men who bring unauthorized incense.

3. Aharon’s staff—a dry stick—miraculously buds, blossoms, and grows almonds.

Why three?

The Maharal explains:

Each punishment addressed a different level of rebellion—

—Against order,

—Against holiness,

—And against truth itself.

The Ari z”l adds something incredible.

He writes in Sha’ar HaGilgulim that Korach is a reincarnation of Kayin.

Just as Kayin couldn’t handle being surpassed by Hevel,

Korach couldn’t handle being surpassed by Aharon.

So this time, the ground doesn’t just swallow blood.

It opens its mouth, and swallows the man himself.