Rabbi's Blog

The environmental protection agency sets up guidelines to insure that smog and pollution are kept to a minimum. Laws of smoking in public and age requirements to purchase smoke- inhaling gasses are constantly being tightened to protect the individual who otherwise would do harm to himself and to others who inhale second-hand smoke. Some laws and regulations are easier to understand because we can actually see, feel and understand the dangers that lurk behind those actions. People have difficulty when it comes to abiding by laws and regulations which are not readily apparent.

As I have written on previous occasions, there are direct correlations between the physical and spiritual ways with which we conduct our lives. In this week's Parsha Chukas we find another example of connecting and viewing the physical to the spiritual components of our life. In Bamidbar20:29 the Torah states: "Vayir'u Kal Ha'Eda Ki Gava Aharon Vayivku es Aharon Shloshim Yom Kal Beis Yisrael", "And the Congregation saw that Aharon had expired and they cried for Aharon for thirty days did the entire children of Israel". Immediately following, the next chapter 21:1 begins: "Vayishma HaCanani Melech Arad Yoshev HaNegev Ki Ba Yisrael Derech Ha'asarim Vayilachem B'Yisrael Vayishb Mimenu Shevi", "The Canaanite, King of Arad, heard that Israel had come by the route of the spies, and he warred against Israel and captured a captive from it". Many of the commentaries ask what this Canaanite king heard. Rashi explains that he heard Aharon had died and that the Clouds of Glory were removed. A question is asked why the clouds left when Aharon died, and why were they called the 'Clouds of Glory'?

The Ruzhiner Rebbe Reb Yisroel Friedman (1796-1850) explains that when two people love each other they create a bond which transcends the physical into the spiritual. Love itself is not something physical; it is something that you can't feel. (Beware: If love is based upon the physical it is NOT a true love because if that physical goes away we should still love the other person). Through the love one person gives to the other and vice versa, a bond of spirituality is created that cannot be seen, like a gas or a vapor, and therefore we use the notion of a cloud which is formed from many gasses. One of the by-products of true love is the honor given to the person you love. Hence, the second word - Kavod - is used, combining to form the Clouds of Glory/Honor. Aharon was known for being a lover of peace and a pursuer of peace. He connected all Jews together to such a degree that spiritual forces were created which became the Ananei HaKavod - the Clouds of Glory. After Aharon, who was the gatherer of the entire group of people, died that 'creation' stopped leaving the people disjointed and separated. Upon hearing about Aharon's death, the king (who was really Amalek) recognized the disunity that was affected by the cloud abating.

Rav Leib Diskin focuses on the word 'Ha'Asarim', they heard the Jews traveled the same route as the spies. The word Asarim is plural for Asar which in Aramaic means city or an inhabited area. This tipped off the King that the Jews were defenseless without the protective clouds. The miracle of the clouds afforded the Jews to travel in the desert without a compass or GPS system, guiding them to the right place. When the King heard they were coming through the cities, he realized they lost the super powers that lead them flawlessly, even in the desert where no man could survive such a journey. Once Amalek and his followers saw the Jews coming through the cities, they 'heard' or rather figured out that Aharon had died.

Although Rashi does not mention that they attacked us, it is stated in a Rashi later on in Parshas Massei 33:40 that with the death of Aharon they thought they were granted permission to attack the Jews. Nevertheless, here in Chukas no permission was necessary because most of the commentaries explain that the king and his people were none other than Amalek, who would attack the Jewish people even without cause. The only information Amalek would need in order to attack us is knowledge that our defense systems are down. Amalekites are cowards, attacking the women and children from behind. That is their modus operandi. All they heard was that Aharon died and that the clouds were gone. This precipitated an attack against us.

Amalek is here today in body and spirit. While the "body" is not readily identifiable, the spirit of Amalek and all he stands for is alive and well. We see it clearly every single day. The forces of evil, our Yetzer Hara, our temptations of the Western world consume us all the time. The Ananei Hakavod is created through peace, learning Torah, and fulfilling the Mitzvos. We must be pro-active in forming, creating, and building clouds of glory for our families, and for our community. We must constantly be creating ways to build spiritual shelters to protect our holy neshamos, our holy souls. Without this protection a person's religious life will just fade away, overcome by the forces of Amalek.

This is a call for action no matter what time of the year it is. Each and every one of us needs to create more spirituality in our lives. Every person must set aside time to learn and also to learn with our children. We must be aware of how we dress and how we conduct ourselves in business. Our homes must be protected from spiritually- damaging elements which can so easily seep into our lives. We must create a home environment that is spiritually charged with a beautiful and meaningful Shabbos table. The list can go on and on.

I detect that many of us are losing ground on this issue. In order to reverse the trend, we don't need create a new Environment Protection Agency;we just need to follow the laws and the Chukim of the Torah, the true guideline for the EPA for our body and soul.

Ah Gut Shabbos Rabbi Avram Bogopulsky