A Thought on Parshas Chukas

"...mayim chaim el keli..." "...with spring water in a utensil..." (19:17) The Torah gives detailed instructions for cleansing impure people. One step in the process involves the use of "live water" (water which has flown from a running spring) and a utensil. The Panae'ach Raza offers an allegorical interpretation of the above words, utilizing the methods known as drush and remez, not unlike we learned last week in Parshas Korach. Here, he notes that the word "keli" (vessel or utensil) consists of three letters, kof, lamed, yud. Those three letters are also the first letters of the three words (which are often found in a trio) Kohanim, Leviim, Yisroelim which are the three subdivisions of the Jewish nation. Moreover, in context, our verse is discussing purification through the medium of living water, which is also an allegory for Torah, as our sages have explained that "Torah is comparable to water", and the Torah is also referred to as a "Tree of Life." Hence, in instructing us about the use of living water in cleansing our impurities, the Torah is also hinting at how any Jew, of any background, or any origin, can achieve the greatest form of cleansing - the purification of the self and the soul - through the study of the Living Torah whose properties are likened to water. The Panae'ach Raza offers this interpretation in the name of Rabbeinu Aharon. My late rebbe and Rosh Yeshiva HaGaon Rav Simcha Wasserman zt'l would often say that when our sages compare Torah to water, they intend to capture the unique liquid property of water which is that "it takes on the shape of its container." A caring person will spring forth with Torah lessons which are compassionate and considerate. An intense person will emit Torah lessons with a serious quality. The finest application of our Torah, however, is when we learn in a manner which inspires us to change our very nature. The Torah is indeed a Tree of Life and life implies the capacity to grow and to change. Whether we are Kohanim, Leviim or Yisroelim, our path to healthy transformation is through immersion in the waters of Torah. Good Shabbos. D Fox