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Realizing that this was something no one was yet doing,, Rabbi Finman sent the missive to his mailing list of about 30 people. Requests from recipients friends came pouring in. The next week Rabbi Finman sent the e-Parsha to 100 people. Within a year more than 2000 people were receiving it. Today, more than 14,000 receive the e-Parsha weekly and the requests keep coming in.

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This week's YouParsha Chukas https://youtu.be/FyMGbGId0-A You Are the Cow.

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Parshas Chukas - Numbers 19-20 - tells of Miriam's passing. The well that accompanied the Jews in the desert was in her merit and went dry with her passing. Water helps digestion, ensuring that the nutrients in the food are absorbed properly. The soul’s food is the Torah and its water is the Torah’s ability to reach and influence all parts of the soul, all types of people, and all facets of life - even those that are the least receptive to it.

Miriam was devoted to the continuity of the Jewish people, particularly by ensuring that there would be a new generation to carry on G'd’s mission. Because of her efforts to ensure that the Torah would continue to flow into the next generation, even reaching and speaking to children, the people’s source of water in the desert existed in her merit.

To restore the well, Moshe was commanded to "Take your staff to sanctify Me in the eyes of Israel". Moses and Aaron were punished so severely as Jewish leaders must always take into account how the public will interpret their actions. They must decide how to act based on whether the public will be inspired by their actions to greater devotion to the Torah and its ways. Moshe hitting the rock as he had done 40 years prior, turned a possible miracle and sanctification of Hashem into a natural phenomenon. People now believed that it was a normal occurrence to hit a rock and have water come from it.

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Nosson Shimon was a highly successful businessman whose affairs took him to the Austria/Romania border. Nosson Shimon was not religious. His wife, Rachel, was raised in the home of a follower of Rabbi Meir of Premishlan. Rachel traveled frequently to Rebbe Meirl, for years had gone by and she was still childless. The tzadik did not bless the woman. He just repeated each time that only if she came together with her husband would he be able to help her.

She once received a different answer than usual. This time, the Rebbe advised, "Return home right away. Your husband will be returning from a business trip. Tell him that Meir of Premishlan orders him to come at once. We can assume that he will refuse. Remind him, in my name, that the day before yesterday, he attended a party of non-Jews and spoke disrespectfully of me. I am certain that when he hears this, he will agree to come. When he does, I promise that you will be saved."

Rachel returned home to await her husband's arrival. As soon as he entered the house, she burst out, "Rebbe Meir ordered us to go to him at once." He responded with the usual ridicule. Rachel was not deterred. She told him what the Rebbe said. He was so stunned by the revelation that he agreed to go to Premishlan. However, he did not want anyone to know that he was going there since, having no business in Premishlan, his friends would suspect him of having gone to the Rebbe. He was not ready for their teasing and told his wife that they would travel to Lemberg first and transfer to a different coach there.

When they reached Premishlan, they hurried to the Rebbe. The husband entered the Rebbe's study first alone and said, "My name is Nosson Shimon ben Rivka Raizel and I come from Shatz." "Don't tell me a half-truth," the Rebbe said, frowning at him. "You did not come here straight from Shatz, but stopped in Lemberg first. If you want me to pray for you, you must come to me directly and not stop in other places. Return home and come to me straight from Shatz." Nosson Shimon was overwhelmed. How had the Rebbe known that, too? He was so impressed with the Rebbe that he decided to return home and follow his instructions.

The couple traveled to Premishlan directly from Shatz. The Rebbe greeted his visitor warmly. The following Shabbos, at the afternoon Mincha service, Nosson Shimon was honored with the aliyah that included the verse, "There shall not be a sterile or barren person among you" [Deut. 7:14], laying special emphasis on those words. Nosson Shimon was so moved that he prepared to donate a large sum during the following 'Mi sheberach' blessing for whoever comes up to the Torah. The Rebbe stopped the Reader before he could say, "because he pledges to give....". Instead, the Rebbe himself filled in, "....because he has promised to help a Yisroel." This left Nosson Shimon thoroughly confused. To what was the Rebbe referring? Help a Yisroel? When? How? A year went by and the couple was blessed with a son.

Rabbi Yisroel of Ruzhin was fleeing the oppressive Russian regime who had threatened to send him to Siberia. His Chasidim felt the Rebbe would be safe in Austria. The problem was how to smuggle the Rebbe across the border. When he heard the Rebbe wished to cross the border to safety, Nosson Shimon remembered his promise to Rabbi Meir. Rebbe Yisroel of Ruzhin was the 'Yisroel' he was to help.

There is a small river on the border between Romania and Austria. It was a freezing night and a thin layer of ice had formed on the river. Nosson Shimon would carry the Rebbe on his back. Although he would have to walk across thin ice, he was confident that the combined merit of Rebbe Meir of Premishlan and Rebbe Yisroel would protect them. Shortly after midnight, they approached the river. Nosson Shimon took the Rebbe on his back and slowly groped his way in the dark, testing the ice at each step. Nosson Shimon was dripping with perspiration - danger surrounded him from all sides: before and behind -- the border patrols, below -- the hazardous layers of thin ice and all about the chill of the frosty night.

When Nosson Shimon reached the middle of the river, he suddenly stopped and looked all about. He told his passenger, "I must confess, Rebbe, that, I have sinned greatly. I will not move from this spot if you will not assure me that I will enter Heaven." "Oh, I promise you that!" cried out Rabbi Yisroel. "I rejoice that at such a moment you are able to think of such things!" Having received his answer, Nosson Shimon continued to inch his way forward across the ice. Hours later, the Rizhoner reached Austria safely.

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