Chukat Excerpts

חקת

Shabbat Shalom

Responsibility of volunteers. Let's talk about that. You were asked to bring the candies for the children. The sweets...

You show up late. You are volunteering. This is a job.

(21:10) Bnei Yisrael is in the desert and they are traveling. They are journeying. Place to place. They don't complain about the accommodations. Not happy with the food. Kind of like our Shul Shabbath in the Poconos last year. Only difference, you all complained about the accommodations...I didn't tell you that it would be a good idea to stay in a bungalow. The volunteer committee messed it up. You said camping and they heard no air-conditioning. If you would have asked your rabbi...It is Asur.

40 years ago, this shul moved, and you have been complaining ever since. We did not move from Moav on the other side of Arnon. And we did not go towards the boundaries of the Emori. We moved a block further West, to a bigger lot. That is it.

(21:16-17) Israel is given a well from H,' and then they sing a song. 

They were grateful. One little thing and they don't complain. That is all it took. A well.

You all complain that the water isn't hot enough. I am not enjoying this shul trip this year. We are not coming back to the Mountains as a shul...Tradition says nothing about a bungalow with no air-conditioning and no cook... 

You are all grateful for nothing. We are together. Is that not enough to enjoy a Shabbis? So Michael got lice again. it is fine...I give you a trip itinerary, and we still got lost.

Now we can't even use the tour guide. He is in another bungalow...The one we were supposed to stay at Bernie. But the volunteers did not take down the right information. That is why we are journeying in Scottsdale together.

Volunteers on the board here mess it up.

(21-17-20) 'Come up you well and answer to it....the gift (of the well) went to the valley and the valley to the heights....to the top of the peak, overlooking the surface of the wilderness.'

Sweet lyrics, if I may say so myself. That is how wells work. You are happy when something positive happens. You thank H.' We are going to go around and each person is going to thank H' for something in this bungalow. You can even thank H' for something about our shul. OK. That was a good practice in appreciation...One more chance. Are you sure nobody has anything to say? Even Bernie is silent right now.

Here is a song for the Tour Guide- 'You put together a plan and we gave no down-payment so you are making no money- Nah Nah Nah Kish Kish. We didn't show up, because our committee is irresponsible, because they are volunteers and can care less and run away from all responsibility and have messed up another shul weekend, Nah Nah Nah Kish Kish.'

No idea what kish kish means, but it always made me cry. And right now this congregation is crying. Be thankful this bungalow has a well.

Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Levi (Pirkei Avot 6:2) uses this example of the 'gift (gift of the well) went to the valley and the valley to the heights' to mean that one who learns Torah goes to the heights. We are in the Mountains right now. The water may not be clean, but we have a well. 

Torah is water...'My throat is parched?' No. You waste your time and don't go to the Beis Medrash. There is no tour guide here to tell you to keep hydrated on Torah. We are now going to all spend the rest of the day learning Torah, because each one of you is complaining that the water is not drinkable.

If the Beis Emes Sefilah Summer Trip volunteers were running the committee in the desert, there would have never been water drawn.