Speak to the Rock – Parshat Chukat
Do you speak to your rock?
In this week’s Torah portion the Jewish people complain (again) that there is no water for them to drink in the desert. G-d tells Moshe to go and speak to a particular rock that has served as a water source in the past. Moshe famously hits the rock instead of speaking to it and after the second whack, water comes pouring forth. G-d reprimands Moshe for not speaking to the rock, and tells him that because of this action he won’t be able to enter that land of Israel together with the rest of the Jewish people.
There are many questions asked by the commentaries about this episode. Some people want to know what the big deal is and why Moshe lost his privilege of entering Israel over this. Others ask why the water even flowed after Moshe’s second hit if G-d wanted him to speak to the rock.
All these questions aside, perhaps there was another lesson that G-d wanted to teach the Jewish people. There are two ways for us to deal with adversity and challenges. We can either use our hands or our mouth. Sometimes we think that with brute force or using a position of power we can push for what we want. However, communicating with words is the way it should be. G-d is telling us that when we need something from someone, using our mouths to express our wishes is the best route.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Mendy Hecht
About Our Shul
Located in a New Haven Landmark building listed on the National Register of Historic Places and honored by the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation, Orchard Street Shul was reborn in 2010 as a traditional yet “post label” synagogue after many years of disuse. We continue to build a dynamic community made up of Jewish people of all ages, from all backgrounds and levels of affiliation.
We seek to appeal to the Jewish self in us all, so we can join in a community in which every member of our family finds comfort, meaning, and spiritual connection. We celebrate our Jewishness, and yours. We invite you to join and experience our spiritual haven where you will be welcomed as family, find depth, meaning, and a new appreciation for Jewish life.
Orchard Street Shul
Our beautiful Eastern European Ashkenazi style synagogue was built in 1924 with a unique blend of Federal style and Eastern European architecture seen in our façade. The Shul stands proudly as a symbol of a once vibrant Jewish neighborhood, adjacent to Yale University and both campuses of Yale-New Haven Hospital. Today, the Shul is an anchor of New Haven’s emerging medical and biotech corridor. Jews of all backgrounds make our Shul happen, bringing Jewish life back to an historic neighborhood, in the only synagogue remaining of the dozen that once served our area. Now the only Shul servicing the downtown New Haven community, the sounds of Jewish life are once again regularly heard in this restored gem. You are invited to join your prayers with ours.
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We hold services every Shabbos at 9:30 AM, a Carlebach Kabbalat Shabbat minyan on the First Friday of the secular month (see posted time depending on season).
We welcome your membership, and contributions, but most importantly we welcome you. There are no tickets to attend our services and, please, you should always feel welcome to be part of our family.