Rabbi's Blog

A la carte is a French phrase which means 'according to the menu'. It is used in restaurants when ordering a main course without side dishes. Industries have also adopted the phrase to mean a sales model whereby clients can buy individual parts rather than the whole package at once.

I’ve always wondered (but have not been curious enough to ask) whether people would prefer to pay a one-price full membership for their shul dues and benefits or would prefer to pay a la carte - per person per event. I believe the most common answer would be ‘we want to take full benefits but only pay the a la carte cost’. For sake of the argument, there are organizations which do not charge for membership but surely make up the difference by charging a hefty price per event.

In my opinion the ‘a la carte’ system is not a Jewish concept when it comes to shuls, schools and other religious organizations. Becoming a member makes a statement of belonging to and supporting the specific group or organization. It also implies that, with membership, we may not agree with every policy or decision, but these disagreements should not take away from my support of the institution. Being a member of an organization such as a shul or a school is a privilege which is part of our communal responsibility.

Chazal tell us that there were ten great events in Jewish history which produced ten great Shiros/songs that were sung to Hashem. Nine have already happened and the tenth is the big one we wait for every day.

In this week’s parsha Chukas we read about the third Shira. It is listed among all the others here:

1) Shiras Adam - The song Adam sang after Creation was completed: Mizmor shir l'yom hashabbos.

2) Shiras HaYam - The song at Yam Suf (Beshalach)

3) Shiras Ha'Be'er - Song of the Well in the Desert

4) Shiras Haazinu

5) Shiras Ha'Givon in Sefer Yehoshua when the sun remained up throughout the night to help Yehoshua in his battle.

6) Shiras Devorah in Sefer Shoftim

7) Shiras Chana in Sefer Shmuel

8) Shiras Dovid - Tehilim 18

9) Shir Ha'Shirim of Shlomo Ha'Melech

10) Shir HaGeulah - This song has not yet been sung.

There are different versions of this list presented by other Medrashim.

Shiras Ha'Be'er - Song of the Well in the Desert (Bamidbar 21:17) took place when the Emorim were killed after plotting an ambush and the mountains crushed them. Their blood came up through the Be'er – the well - revealing the miracle/Nes to Bnei Yisroel. On the passuk “Az Yahir Yisroel Es HaShira Hazos, Ali Be’er Enu Lah” “Then Israel sang this song: Come up, O well, call out to it!” Rashi quotes the Midrash Tanchuma asking, ’Didn’t the well begin giving water at the beginning of the forty year journey?,- Why did they see it fitting to sing the praise now?’ A second question asks ‘Why isn’t Moshe’s name mentioned here?’ The answer appears to be understood with the following analogy: When a man builds a house and toils an entire year or more by himself, at the conclusion he makes a feast inviting his relatives and close friends, similar to the meal that Shlomo HaMelech served at the completion of the Temple. We also find the same idea when the Jews left Egypt after struggling through slavery, passing over the sea of reeds, witnessing the Egyptians drowned in the sea, and finally understanding that the complete redemption was here. Therefore it wasn’t until that very point that Moshe and the Children of Israel began to sing. Likewise, when theTorah was being completed, Hashem tells the Bnei Yisrael, the Children of Israel, to write down this song (Haazinu), and all the other songs which were sung at the completion of something great.

In our parsha the Be’Er, the well that accompanied the Jews in the desert for forty years, has completed its mission. As the Children of Israel approached Moav, the well was no longer necessary because they could now drink from the Jordan River, and the rock from which the water flowed returned to be amongst the other stones. Others interpret that the stone didn’t go back to the other stones; it went into the Jordan River. This is because even though it looked like a rock, its essence was water, and so it returned to its own source. The singing at this time reflects the gratitude the Jews had to Hashem and to the well for providing them water to drink, quenching their thirst. This is viewed as an analogy to a man who receives help from a friend for an extended period of time, pushing off the ‘final’ thank you until God gives him that which he was lacking, no longer needing to rely on the friend. At that point the man gives thanks, showering praise upon his friend for all the help and support he had provided from the beginning until the very end of his need. At this juncture the Jews could see the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’. The forty-year journey is coming to an end; they will be crossing over into Eretz Canaan. In Canaan the Jews were told they would get water the ‘natural’ way, not through ‘super natural’ means such as a rock and an accompanying well. Moshe, on the other hand, did not feel like singing at this point, knowing that as soon as the Jews entered the land it would be his time to return to his Maker. Therefore, the singing was done by the people but not with Moshe.

In the course of life, particularly a Jewish life, we emphasize the notion of thanking and recognizing the good we have received. Unfortunately, at times we forget the entire course of events and only express thanks for a segment of the good from which we benefitted. This is not correct. We cannot pick and choose the parts that were more meaningful to us while neglecting other benefits that we unquestionably received but didn’t feel were significant. We must realize that what we receive is not in a vacuum; it is an integral part of a larger picture of life. We have all received a gift which may not have been exactly what we wanted. Nevertheless, we are required to give sincere thanks for the gift. We are obligated to look at the whole picture, seeing beyond ourselves and our myopic view of our lives. We can’t pick and choose a la carte – according to the menu. Every so often it’s worth while to take a step back and look at the fullness of all we’ve been given - to appreciate the entire package for all its goodness, even though we are not able to see the larger picture which envelopes our lives.

Ah Gut Shabbos

Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky