Dvar Torah: Rosh Chodesh Iyar
by Ali Presser, 8G
If someone told you that they went on a hike and they knocked on a tree and it made an earthquake, would you believe them? I would be concerned and not really believe them but then think about it and
realize that anything is possible in nature because HASHEM can control nature. This is connected to when Moshe and Bnei Yisrael were walking in the desert.
During Chodesh Iyar we are told that HASHEM is in control of nature. When Bnei Yisrael and Moshe were walking in the desert they only had bitter tasting water that they couldn’t drink, but HASHEM
made a tree fall in the water, which made it taste sweet enough to drink.
In the month of Iyar, Bnei Yisrael was given three parts of the TORAH: Shabbat, the red heifer, and the civil law. All of these can relate to bitter and sweet like the water in the desert. HASHEM chose Bnei Yisrael for getting the TORAH because they all knew that they came from Yaakov and his sons.
Shabbat can be sweet because it is the holiest day of the week and it is different from every other day. If you just look at the rules of Shabbat they sound difficult and bitter. But we know that the rules make Shabbat what it is and that it is really very sweet. Shabbat is always being thought about everyday and makes the whole week sweet.
The red heifer was sweet because it helped an impure person become pure. It was bitter because the person who made the ashes and spread the ashes on another person became impure.
The civil law is a bit like Shabbat. It sounds like just a list of rules when you look at the small picture. But the larger picture is that it makes life sweeter and easier. Its much better for everybody if everyone follows the same rules, like not stealing and not speeding.
The civil laws could also be bitter because if they didn’t follow the rules they could be in trouble. The civil laws also help people
because if we didn’t have them dangerous things would happen in the world.
congratulations WINNING wEDNESDAY
RAFFLE WINNERS
5.2.14
Gavriel Segal, 3rd grade
Noa Hassan, 4th grade
Barry Cohen, 8th grade
Ariel Cohen, teacher
*Sponsored by the Parents Council