The Secret of Miriam's Well and the Power of Preceding Supplication with Song
Lesson No. 149 | Motzaei Shabbos (Saturday night) Parashas Chukas, the eve of 11 Tammuz 5758 - Lesson for Emissaries (Shadarim)
Moshe Rabbeinu operated with awesome secrets in Parashas Chukas, and his entire conduct was intended to teach us the secret of sweetening the judgments. This article reveals how Miriam's Well was created in the merit of 85 years of mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice), and why it is an absolute obligation to precede every request with song in order to merit Divine abundance.
Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, operated with awesome secrets. Everything he did in Parashas Chukas was hidden and concealed, and we will never fully comprehend it. He did not make a single movement nor utter a single sound unless Hashem spoke and commanded him. This entire conduct was intended to teach us the profound concept of supplications and the sweetening of judgments.
When the Jewish people cried out for water, they suddenly saw that Miriam passed away and the well disappeared. It is known that on Motzaei Shabbos (Saturday night), Miriam's Well passes through all the wells, faucets, and water tanks. Therefore, a person should be careful to drink a little water from the tap on Motzaei Shabbos, and not just prepared water from bottles or urns, so that perhaps he will merit a single drop from Miriam's Well.
The Mishnah Berurah brings a story about a certain woman who was late in bringing water from the well. Her husband, who was afflicted with tzaraas (leprosy) and suffered from terrible thirst, waited for her impatiently. When she finally arrived, he began to scream terribly, hurling insults, disgraces, and curses at her. Out of immense fear of her husband, the woman dropped the pitcher, and it shattered into pieces. All the water spilled out to waste, but nevertheless, a few drops splashed onto the body of that leper. Every place where a drop of water from that well splashed was immediately healed. If that poor man had even a drop of sense and patience, he would have drunk the water and his entire body would have been healed. A person who opens his mouth prematurely does not know what treasures and diamonds he is losing.
The Secret of Striking the Rock and the Descent in Spiritual Level
Regarding this, the Chasam Sofer asks: Why did Moshe Rabbeinu actually go searching for that specific rock? After all, the Jewish people were in terrible fear. Millions of babies were thirsty for water and their lives were in danger. Out of anxiety, they began to shout at Moshe: "Did you bring us up from Egypt to kill me and my children with thirst?"
Hashem told Moshe to strike the rock, for Moshe does not make a single movement without Hashem telling him to. Moshe was forced to descend from his supreme spiritual level because of the people's lack of emunah (faith), as it is stated:
"Because you did not believe in Me to sanctify Me"
In the Book of Devarim, Moshe emphasizes three times that all the Divine wrath and the descent in his spiritual level were solely because of the people:
"Hashem was angry with me as well, because of you"
They caused Hashem to instruct Moshe to strike the rock instead of speaking to it. Since Moshe's spiritual level had descended, he was now obligated to strike the rock. Because of this descent in level, they lost everything – they lost the First and Second Beis HaMikdash (Holy Temple). If Moshe had entered the Land of Israel, the Beis HaMikdash would never have been destroyed.
Preceding Supplication with Song
Afterward, Moshe Rabbeinu began a new spiritual work among the Jewish people – a work entirely composed of supplications. From then on, he prayed only with pleas for mercy, as it is stated:
"And I pleaded with Hashem at that time"
Moshe prayed 515 prayers, the numerical value (gematria) of "Va'eschanan" (And I pleaded), which is also the gematria of "Shirah" (Song). The Baal HaTurim explains the profound connection: In order for supplications and pleas for mercy to be accepted, a person must first sing and play music. It is an absolute obligation to always precede prayer with song.
This is also brought in the name of the Sfas Emes: Every matter in life must be preceded by songs and praises. Everything depends on prayers, and there is nothing in the world that cannot be achieved through them, but we have not yet discovered the true path of prayer. Even in the most critical situations, when the water runs out and there are a thousand questions about Moshe Rabbeinu, we must soar above the questions and continue with simple and pure emunah (faith). We must not be like Michah, who put an idol in his pocket "just in case" Moshe disappeared, instead of putting simple faith in his pocket.
Eighty-Five Years of Self-Sacrifice
The Chasam Sofer explains that Moshe Rabbeinu took the trouble to reveal to the Jewish people the immense intellect and merit of Miriam. He wanted them to know that all the water in the world, until the end of all generations, exists solely in her merit.
Regarding the midwives in Egypt, it is stated:
"And they kept the children alive"
What is the meaning of "and they kept alive"? After all, she did not perform the resurrection of the dead. The commentators explain that Miriam prayed with mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice) that no child would die, God forbid. From the moment Pharaoh issued the decree, even before Moshe was born, she operated above the laws of nature so that no pregnant woman would miscarry and no mother would die during childbirth.
Miriam prayed for this for 85 years. The number 85 is the gematria (numerical value) of "Peh" (mouth) and "Milah" (word). In the merit of those unceasing prayers for nearly ninety years, the well was suddenly revealed. The well went toward the Jewish people and rolled along with them for forty years in the desert. Therefore, it was necessary to reveal the secret of Miriam's well, so that the Jewish people would know that every drop of water we have in the world is all in the merit of the power of her prayer.
Part 1 of 2 — Lesson No. 149
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