The Future Lies With Jewish Women
Chukkat (Sat. 13th July /10th Tammuz)
Notes:
• In this week parsha we read of Moses’ sister’s Miriam’s passing. It was in her great merit that the Jewish people in the desert had water to drink. Miraculous wells of water flowed wherever Miriam was to be found.
• The metaphor is most apt. Water represents 70% of the human body. The water within the bloodstream carries the nutrients to all parts of the body. In parallel, it is the sisterhood …of Jewish women through whom the nourishment of Judaism flows to he body of Jewish peoplehood.
• When enslaved in Egypt it was the women who maintained the spirits of their husbands and ensured the propagation of Jewish people in the face of severe adversity. It was Miriam who ensured that newly born males weren’t executed. Even today, It is the woman who is primarily responsible for the spiritual and physical growth of children. And we are told that with the advent of Moshiach, the feminine side of the cosmos will assert itself, something we are witnessing worldwide today.
• So Jewish mothers – our Jewish future depends primarily on you. Nourish the body and soul of your children, and thereby enable the secure future of Jewish peoplehood.

Politicians and Self Deception
Korach (Shabbat Sat. 6th July, 3rd Tammuz) – Gimmul Tammuz
Notes:
• Why does a politician become a politician? Surely the intentions are to improve the nature of society and qualitatively improve the lives of the many.. So why is there so much cynicism and skepticism of politicians today?
• The archetypal politician in the Torah appears on centre stage in today’s Parsha, actually named after him, Korach. Korach harajnues the leaders of he day s…peaking about the welfare of the people. He espouses a democratic platform arguing that all Jews have equality in the eyes of G-d and so why does Moses take the leadership and all the kudos, and points his finger at Moses for appointing his brother Aaron as High priest, a clear instance of nepotism.
• Korach uses every trick in the book to foment a rebellion, while projecting himself as a champion of the people and arguing for the rights of ‘downtrodden’. But who is Korach? He is actually a blue-blood, leader of an elite family, a cousin of Moses, and who secretly harbours a deep jealousy of his cousin Moses’ stature and standing.
• Like many politicians, and also true of people generally, we often hide our deeper motivations, even from ourselves, by convincing ourselves that we are really working for a higher good. By reframing situations in this light, we feel much better and justified in criticizing and tearing down. Korach is a typical example of someone who persuades himself of high ideals and worthy political mission while being driven by deep-seated envy.
• Look around at the political pundits, media sources and TV stations and ask yourself – are we witnessing altruism or a Korach-like self-deception?