It's Time To Say Good Shabbos

The magnum opus is being spliced and spread out over separate posts. Some of that has already happened. Early Shabbos is approaching. I am tired. Sigh.

What is the purpose of life? How importance in kindness? Toughness? Talking? Listening? If someone comes before you who is not traditionally observant as a Jew, what do you do? What if you're a rabbi or a teacher, what do you do to affect change in others? Can you affect change through being, listening, caring? Can you affect change without getting what being, listening, caring mean? Do those phrases mean something to everyone? Is everyone trying to do those things in their own way?

It is close to Shabbos - but I repeat myself. They say you can't go home again, but you can. Here I am. I'm probably speaking at some point over Shabbos. I'm thinking about the hitting of the rock. Rabbi Yitzchak Twersky's view is that the speaking to the rock would correct the people on their major mistake. The people had trouble getting that G-d provided for them. They thought it was Moshe, the man. By hitting the rock he confirmed their belief that he did things for them, rather than it all coming from G-d. Moshe even used words (as the Rambam points out), saying that it was he and Aharon who might or would get water from the rock). Thus he and Aharon both were removed from their roles, showing once and for all - it's G-d and G-d alone who provides. The point of the staff, which Moshe was told to hold but not to hit with was that the staff always served as a reminder that what was happening was coming from G-d.
Thus the staff was used in the episode of Amalek (according to many) which follows the first time the Jews complained and Moshe took water from a rock. And now again the staff is there.

There's a lot more detail, I'm not doing it justice. Check it out in Amitah Shel Torah,

The bottom line is to realize that it's G-d who's in charge and provides, not man. The people here who say they wished they died with their brothers are referring to Korach and co. That story ends with a snake, a reminder of the first snake that represented confusion between man being man and G-d being G-d. This story comes and attempts to put the issue to rest.

Oh G-d. It is easy to write these kinds of things. May we be blessed to be true avdei Hashem, to accept G-d as our ultimate authority. May we be pure. May be committed. May we truly "get it."

One and Only Queen
please cleanse and purify me
Purify us all

"Don't lose track of time"
Thus I was just reminded
Efshar Letakein

Eyes closed and breathing:
Good Shabbos and May G-d Bless
We need his blessing