Light from the Future: Parshas Chukas

1. Chukas – A Play on Words Even the “third class copper” Jew who was bitten by the serpent, the symbol of the evil inclination within us, is not beyond hope. Just harness your…
2. Chukas – Aaron and the Clouds of Glory How do we prevent assimilation? How can we remain impervious to all of the alien influences of the outside world? It is through genuine Jewish unity.…
3. Chukas – Catching Up The Torah, which comes from one G-d, is the very source of unity in our lives. Nevertheless, the Torah itself recognizes the legitimate division that…
4. Chukas – Keep Your Mouth Open! Misplaced humility that minimizes our ability to generate positive energy is a denial of G-d’s power. Never underestimate the power of positive speech…
5. Chukas – Love Peace and Pursue Peace Aaron taught us the true definition of love and unity. It is not just a means to an end; it is an end. We must be proactive in pursuing it. Love of…
6. Chukas – Moses’ Obsession with the Complete Geulah Moses’ life was dedicated to removing the scourge of death from the earth. His quest will not be complete until he fully succeeds in the Messianic…
7. Chukas – Mr. Dichotomy We must seek to translate the highest and most spiritual ideals into action. This provides us with a taste of the World-to-Come, where eternal life…
8. Chukas – Positive Reinforcement When the Jewish people are exalted and seen in their true spiritual light nature “feels” comfortable and more than willing to acquiesce to their…
9. Chukas – Restoring Normalcy The word tamei can be understood as a mindset that alerts the person to the true nature of life and to the utter absurdity and enigma of death. It is…
10. Chukas – Speak to the Rock! Jews who seem to be as “hard as a rock” should not be helped by using the “striking” method. In the past, the hardness of Jews who grew up in an…
11. Chukas – The Confident Spies The Jewish people have been compared to the human body. A healthy human body is one where all of its organs and limbs work in concert because their…
12. Chukas – The Logical Mystery Logic cannot capture everything just as a cup cannot contain ideas or feelings. In the words of the Tanya: To state that G-d is unfathomable is the…
13. Chukas – The Mother of All Existence When G-d gave us the Torah, He gave us the capacity to bring eternal life to the world. The physical dimension of life would exist in tandem with the…
14. Chukas – The Rational Irrational Person Which is more rational? The belief that the Jewish People’s survival through thousands of years of persecution was a coincidence, or that it was due…
15. Chukas – The Role of the Tzadik Chassidic thought teaches that true tzadikkim have risen above sin. Nevertheless they too are “human” in that G-d causes them to experience temporary…
16. Chukas – The Torah’s Response to the Kkk The three letters kuf (equivalent to the English letter k) corresponds to the three words that we exclaim in our prayers in praise of G-d: “Kadosh,…
17. Chukas – Three Human Conditions: Three Perspectives As we stand ready to greet Moshiach and the final Redemption we sometimes second-guess ourselves and question our worthiness to be redeemed. We might…
18. Chukas – Touched by Transcendence When G-d is consistent we are in touch with and touched by an aspect of G-d that conforms to our level. When, however, we encounter a paradox and…
19. Chukas – Washing the Dust Off Our Feet Idolatry is not merely the worshipping of pagan g-ds made of wood and stone. According to the Talmud there are other far more subtle forms of…

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