"And today that we do not have the red heifer to be burned in fire, Hashem ordained that Israel be atoned through the passing of the tzaddikim who engaged in the holy Torah for its own sake, until they merited and became the Torah themselves. And this is what the tzaddik accepts upon himself, that his name be despised and degraded in the mouths of people."

Wonderful words compiled from the words of the righteous Rabbi Yoram Abergel zy"a from the important booklet - Paths to the Soul for Parshat Chukat.

Hashem and the people of Israel began and sang a song, and since through the well this miracle became known and publicized, therefore the children of Israel sang a song about the well. And a wonder it was in this song that the name of Hashem was not mentioned at all...

And indeed, in all the songs (like the Song of the Sea) the name of Hashem is mentioned several times, so why not in the Song of the Well?

Rashi brings a parable of a king who had an important minister who was very beloved to him because he was devoted to the king's words with all his might. Once, the ministers held an important feast and invited the king. The king said: If my beloved is there - I am there, and if not - I am not going!

The feast in the parable is the Song of the Well and the king's beloved is Moshe Rabbeinu, and since they did not mention Moshe in the song, Hashem did not agree that His name be mentioned - because only where the king's beloved arrives, the king himself arrives.

Death - Not Necessarily Lying in the Dust

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov wrote (Likutei Moharan, Resh Samech): The name is the neshamah (soul), as in "a living soul is his name" (Genesis 2:19). And in this aspect, there is self-sacrifice.

When a tzaddik willingly and knowingly gives up his name, and everyone speaks about him, and fabricates lies that never crossed his mind, and he has real bloodshed from this and does it intentionally - this is considered actual self-sacrifice, because the name is the neshamah. And when he loses the name which is the neshamah, he has bloodshed from this, and he saves Israel from what was destined to come upon them, God forbid - because by giving up his name which is his neshamah, he saves them!

And Rebbe Nachman reveals to us, just as there is actual self-sacrifice, meaning giving one's body to be killed for Kiddush Hashem - so too there is the matter of giving up the name which is also like actual self-sacrifice!

And that is by the tzaddik accepting upon himself that his name be despised in the mouths of people, this too is considered like actual self-sacrifice. Because within a person's name lies the root of his neshamah, and when they speak about his name anything forbidden, and defame him publicly, it is considered actual self-sacrifice, and with this, he sweetens the judgments over the souls of Israel.

And indeed, in several aspects, giving up a person's name for Kiddush Hashem is more difficult than giving his body to be killed, because the body can only be killed once, and afterward, his neshamah ascends to its root above and delights in the radiance of the Shechinah, but in giving up the name, a person can suffer long days and years of humiliation and bloodshed, and each time his blood is shed anew and he feels great and terrible suffering.

And also, it is evident that for someone who is stabbed with a sword, everyone will want to have mercy and help him in any way they can, but in the humiliations and bloodshed that a person has within his heart, no one sees this except Hashem alone, and no creature in the world can help him at all - and therefore, it is associated with immense and terrible suffering.

And the tzaddik accepts all this upon himself, to atone for the souls of Israel and save them from harsh decrees, God forbid - and this is considered actual self-sacrifice...

And today that we do not have the red heifer to be burned in fire, Hashem ordained that Israel be atoned through two ways:

1. The burning of the Torah, including the burning of holy books, as we have seen throughout history that happened several times.
2. The passing of the tzaddikim who engaged in the holy Torah for its own sake until they merited and became the Torah themselves.

And as mentioned above, the passing of the tzaddikim can be through literal death, or through the loss of the name - that the tzaddik accepts upon himself that his name be despised and degraded in the mouths of people.

And from here it is understood why the people of Israel did not mention Moshe's name in the Song of the Well, because through the loss of the name it is considered as if he passed away in this parsha...

And from here we learn the great prohibition of speaking about any Torah scholar, because perhaps this Torah scholar gave up his name willingly to sweeten the judgments over the people of Israel.

And if this warning was relevant throughout all generations, all the more so it is relevant in our generation, where the mind has weakened and the powers of the neshamah have diminished - and we do not know how a tzaddik appears. Therefore, to save our lives from destruction, we must put a guard on our mouths, not express opinions, not get involved in any dispute, and fulfill the words of the prophet (Amos 5:13):

"The prudent shall keep silent at that time.".