Parshat Chukat and Gimmel Tammuz

The Mitzvah to love a fellow Jew is one we know,
But how far do we have to go?
In Parshat Chukat we learn that the right thing to do,
Is to be willing to sacrifice for another Jew.

Every year when this Torah portion is read,
The explanation for the Red Heifer is above our head,
Why is it that someone who comes in contact with the dead,
Has to be purified with water and ashes from a cow so red?

To bury the dead is the kindest act that one can do,
Because the person that passed can never repay you,
The fact that it causes impurity,
Is a real mystery.

What is even more puzzling,
Is that the Kohen who does the sprinkling,
Becomes impure until the night,
Although he helped a Jew return to his spiritual height.

The reason for this command is above our comprehension,
Mitzvot that we don't understand strengthen our connection,
But the lesson is clear for me and you,
We need to sacrifice in order to help another Jew.

In this Torah portion there is another mystery,
Why is Moshe punished so severely,
Moshe was punished because the rock he did hit,
To enter the promised land Hashem did not permit.

Why was Moshe banned,
From entering the promised land,
To bring the Jews to Israel was his goal,
Why couldn't Moshe fulfill that role?

Moshe was a faithful shepherd so kind,
He couldn't leave his nation behind,
In the desert his generation passed away,
He sacrificed his goal but with his people he would stay.

Moshe preferred to be "hit" like the rock,
Then to be separated from his flock,
Because a Moshe and his people belong together,
They are connected forever!

There is a Moshe in every generation,
The Lubavitcher Rebbe is our inspiration,
He sent his Shlichim far and near,
For every Jew he does care.

Although physically he passed away,
He is with us more than ever today,
Because a shepherd can never leave his flock,
He watches and prays for us around the clock.

Let us learn from this Torah portion and sacrifice a little more,
To bring another Jew through our Chabad House door,
One more Mitzvah can bring Moshiach right away,
May we be reunited with our Rebbe today!

Souvenir: picture of the Rebbe