SONG OF THE SEA: The people
complained against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? So he cried out to the
Lord, and the Lord instructed him concerning a piece of wood, which he cast
into the water, and the water became sweet. There He gave them a statute and an
ordinance, and there He tested them.
HAFTARAH: Zebulun is a people
that jeopardized their lives to die, as
did Naphtali, upon the high places of the field.
TALMUD SOTAH - Daf 25 - Cancelling warnings
GENERATIONS FROM ADAM TO THE LAST KING OF JUDAH: Hezron
JOURNEYS IN THE DESERT: They
journeyed from Tarah and camped in Mithkah.
Week 25 is the last
week of Adar. The verses for this week speak of how Moshe sweetens the
bitter waters of Marah. Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk, whose yahrzeit is this week, teaches that this is the main service of the tzadik: to sweeten and to cancel the bitter decrees against the
Jewish people. (See Mithka, levitical city
for this week)
This week, the Haftorah’s
verses regarding the reactions of each tribe come to a close, culminating with
Zebulun, and, last but not least, Naphtali itself. These tribes completely
incorporate the spirit of self-sacrifice required from a sheliach. (See Week 25,
Book 1, regarding the frog) They are literally willing to give up their lives
for the cause. Naphtali, as we know, represents the month of Adar. Zebulun, in its partnership with
Issachar, also illustrates the other main theme of the month of Adar, which is duality. 1
Daf Kaf Heh (Folio
25) of Sotah discusses what do in cases of women that overall start
behaving immodestly. It also discusses whether or not a husband can cancel a
warning. The conclusion is that he can. This is the same theme as above,
representing the avodah, the service
of the tzadik, to use self-sacrifice
in order to cancel decrees against the Jewish people, even when they are not
behaving appropriately.
Hezron, son
of Perez, is the father of Caleb. Hezron comes from the word chatzer, which means courtyard, or
enclosure. A chatzer is a term often
discussed in halachah, particularly in the tractate of Eruvim. There, the discussion is about two neighbors that share a
common courtyard. In order to be able to carry on the courtyard, the two
neighbors need to set up an eruv
chatzeirot.[1]
This way, both neighbors formally own the area together, and it is no longer
considered a separate domain for either party. Interestingly, the word Eruv comes from the same root as Arev, which means sweet. When Jews come
together, and the duality serves a positive function, there is sweetness. This
is also one of the themes of the month. Chatzer
is also a term connected to the courtyard of the Temple. (See Week 25, Book 2, regarding how this week is connected to Jerusalem).
In the
twenty-fifth week, the Jews journey from Tarah and camp in Mithkah. Mithkah somes
from the word matok, which also literally means sweet. The
personal journey is to internalize the concept of spiritually elevating our
environment through “holy foolish” behavior, and now focus on sweetening any
bitterness we may experience personally or as a people.
