Balak

בס״ד

Balak

Even a donkey is allowed to speak,

If HaShem provides the verses.

Brachos can flow from Bilaam’s mouth,

Despite his efforts to curse us.

Chukas

בס״ד

Chukas

I

The mitzvah of Para Adumah is given

Before the details of Tumas HaMes,

Just before Aharon and Miriam die,

At Har HaHor and Kadesh.

II

A well had appeared in Miriam’s zchus,

But she erred in the matter of speech,

Then Moshe, for water, strikes a rock,

To which he was commanded to speak?

III

Nachoshes is used for kapara again,

This time in the form of a snake,

The kesher between Nachoshes and Nachash

Is begging, here, for us to make.

Nachoshes is copper, and Nachash is snake,

And the word “Nichush” means a “guess”,

So perhaps second guessing, by a people or leader,

Results, without doubt, in a mess?

Korach

בס״ד 

Korach

Pull the fire-pans of Korach,

Out of the flames they tried to offer,

And make from them the covering,

Of the Mizbeach made of copper.

Those pans now have the kedushah,

Even though they’ve been misused,

For the offering of korbanos,

To bring kapara for the Jews.

Shelach Lecha

בס״ד 

Shelach Lecha

The Bnei Yisrael were taken out

Of bondage in the land of Mitzrayim,

And they saw all the wonders and miracles performed,

Including the splitting of the Mayim.

But memory is a funny thing,

And we don’t always remember,

The miracles we saw in January

By the time we get to December.

We surely need something real to see,

Since memory won’t always bear witness,

So the Ribbono shel Olam, in His great compassion,

Gives us the mitzvah of Tzitzis.

And I can’t help but wonder what might have been

If we had approached our Land,

Wearing our Tzitzis of blue and white,

Knowing God had it all in hand?

Beha'aloscha

בס״ד 

Beha’aloscha

Isn’t it odd that in this Par-sha,

Miriam tells Aaron LaShon Ha-Ra?

HaShem calls them to task, expressing His ka’as,

But why is only Miriam afflicted with tzara’as?

Now, the sin is to hear it, as well as to speak,

So why isn’t Aaron sent outside for a week?

Naso

בס״ד

Naso

Some times a separation is

A holy thing, for sure,

Like the families of Kohanim,

Who each had a separate chore.

And some times a separation

Provides the time to think and ponder,

On what brought about our tumah,

And tore our lives asunder.

Suspicion of betrayal,

Can separate us through jealousness,

And even with the best intentions,

There are limits to our zealousness.

The word Shalom means Peace,

Hello, Good-bye, and more,

And it also means completeness,

Which the Kohen can restore.

BaMidbar

בס״ד 

Bamidbar

Every one must have a place,

One’s family, tribe, and people,

‘Cause each one has a job to do,

Whether complicated or simple.

And if the count is off by some,

By such and such a number,

Do counts or people matter most?

It really makes you wonder.

I thought there were six hundred thousand, 

By tribe and family tree,

But this number is more accurate,

Six-hundred-three-thousand-and-five-fifty.

And there were 22,000 Levi’im,

First borns were more by 273,

And this was the first Pidyon HaBen,

Bnai Yisroel had to pay the fee.