Parashat Bamidbar: How Does the Wilderness Prepare Us to Inherit the Land of Israel?

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Parashat Bamidbar
How Does the Wilderness Prepare Us to Inherit the Land of Israel?

What made Me Embrace the Torah in The Old City of Jerusalem on Shavuot?
This Shavuot, I celebrate 45 years of Torah! I can hardly believe how the years have flowed by, like foamy waves softening and refining our hearts, as hardships etched their traces into the furrows of our faces. I look back with nostalgia to that first Shavuot – the beginning of my teshuva – when everything was new. I found myself among a circle of women, sitting on cool stones under the starry sky in the Old City of Jerusalem. It was the first time I learned about Ruth – who left behind the comfort of her regal home, her country, and all that was familiar, to follow her aged mother-in-law Naomi toward an unknown destiny.
I, too, had recently left my own country, my childhood home, and the prospect of a prestigious university degree to follow my heart and fulfill an undefined calling. Was Ruth also a truth seeker, who found the pomp of prosperity superficial while looking for a deeper meaning and mission in life? I pondered.
Since my teenage years, I had been searching for truth. I had rejected the Marxism I was taught in high school, which focused solely on dismantling economic classes without addressing the values that would define the envisioned society of financial equality. Dancing in the inner city with born-again Xtians whose theology conflicted with everything I would later come to value felt exciting at the time, but their answers rang hollow and rehearsed. Though I was a flower-power girl immersed in the hippy counterculture, I was never drawn enough to the East to join my friends traveling to India and Nepal in search of spirituality and inner vision. Yoga helped me strengthen my body, but it in no way touched my soul.
I had never considered seeking truth within my own Jewish heritage. The Jewish experiences of my youth had led me to believe Judaism was nothing more than a culinary creed wrapped in outdated rules, lacking any spiritual essence.
Yet here I was, in the holy city of Jerusalem, at the Women’s Division of the Diaspora Yeshiva – where I had surprisingly found my spiritual home. I still remember hearing Rabbi Goldstein proclaim: “Now that you’ve received the Torah, can you give it back? No, you can’t. You have to keep it!” At that moment, I knew I was hooked for life.

Why is the Torah Given in the Desert?

Parashat Bamidbar opens with the Israelites still in the wilderness, poised to begin their journey toward the Land of Israel.

ספר במדבר פרק א פסוק א וַיְדַבֵּר הַשֵׁם אֶל משֶׁה בְּמִדְבַּר סִינַי...

“Hashem spoke to Moshe in the Wilderness of Sinai…” (Bamidbar 1:1).

Chazal ask: why was the Torah given in the מִדְּבַר/midbar – ‘desert’ a place of emptiness and desolation?

To enter the covenant of Torah and inherit Eretz Yisrael, we must let go of personal pride and entitlement. The desert has no owner. It is vast, barren, and silent. In that space of inner surrender, we become worthy of receiving Hashem’s word.

Just as the desert prepared us to receive Torah, it also prepared us to receive the Land. Before entering the land flowing with milk and honey, we had to be emptied of Egypt – of its mentality, attachments, and enslaved self-image. The desert strips away ego so we can enter the land as humble vessels for Hashem’s presence. This reflects my experience of accepting the Torah, on my first Shavuot. I made myself like the wilderness, emptying myself of my past to start over on a clean new page in the story of my life.

The Midrash teaches: the Torah was given with fire, water, and in the wilderness – all elements that are free and accessible to all. So too, Torah is free for anyone who thirsts for it (Yeshaya’hu 55:1). Another teaching: Only one who makes himself like a wilderness, can truly acquire Torah. “Whoever does not make himself ownerless and accessible to all, cannot acquire the wisdom of the Torah” (Midrash Bamidbar Rabbah 1:7).

What Does it Take to Make our Torah Transformative and Enduring?
The Imrei Emet explains that the Torah was given to rectify the three core flaws of humanity – jealousy, lust, and pride – reflected in the sins of early generations: Kayin, the generation of the Flood, and the Tower of Babel. The mitzvot at Matan Torah correspond to these: the boundary around Mount Sinai addressed jealousy – giving each person their designated space; the command to abstain from marital intimacy represented restraint – countering lust; and standing humbly at the foot of the mountain symbolized submission – opposing pride. This is why the Torah was given with fire, water, and wilderness – representing passion, humility, and self-nullification. Every day, we are challenged by jealousy, lust, and pride – and only through the power of Torah can we overcome them. Moreover, to truly acquire Torah, we must make ourselves like a wilderness – open, humble, and ownerless (Imrei Emet, Bamidbar, 5667). This concept hits home when I reminisce about those early days of embracing Torah, most of the students in Diaspora Yeshiva from affluent American families, made great sacrifices to leave flourishing careers and promising prosperous futures behind, to dedicate ourselves to Torah learning in the Land of Israel. As the Imrei Emet teaches, as long as we make ourselves like a desert completely given over and devoted to Torah and Mitzvot (mesirut nefesh), through this inner work of surrendering our selves, our Torah becomes transformative and enduring. Now, 45 years later this concept has proven true through the descendants of the students of the ‘hippy yeshiva’ raising families deeply rooted in Torah and mitzvot.  

How Does the Counting of Israel Connect to the Land?

It is significant that the journey through the wilderness begins with counting:

ספר במדבר פרק א פסוק ב שְׂאוּ אֶת רֹאשׁ כָּל עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם בְּמִסְפַּר שֵׁמוֹת כָּל זָכָר לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָם:

“Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by families following their fathers' houses; a head count of every male according to the number of their names” (Bamidbar 1:2).

What is the purpose of counting the Israelites specifically at the outset of the nation’s journey through the wilderness? The Netziv explains that the census in Parashat Bamidbar isn’t just about numbers – it’s about identity and a spiritual confirmation of each individual’s destined inheritance in the Land of Israel (HaEmek Davar, Bamidbar 1:2). Each person was counted “by name” and “by their father’s house,” emphasizing identity, lineage, and their destined portion in the Land of Israel. The configuration of the Israelite camp mirrored this destiny. Each family and tribe camped in a Divinely designated place, forming a sacred map that anticipated their eventual settlement in Eretz Yisrael – not only geographically, but spiritually.

According to the teachings of the Arizal, this encampment was patterned after the supernal structure of the sefirot. The twelve tribes corresponded to distinct spiritual channels, grouped into four דְּגָלִים/degalim – ‘banners’ – each containing three tribes. This mystical arrangement reflected a deeper cosmic order, where each tribe’s location in the wilderness corresponded to its spiritual root above (Etz Chaim, Sha’ar 31, Chapter 3). The Midrash supports this idea, stating that the formation of the tribes mirrored the arrangement of the heavenly hosts (Midrash Bamidbar Rabbah 2:8).
Thus, the desert became a place of alignment – each soul drawn to its specific inheritance, in sync with its Divine source. This is hinted in the verse: וְאִישׁ עַל־דִּגְלוֹ בְאֹתֹת לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם יַחֲנוּ “Each man by his banner, according to the signs of their father’s house shall they camp” (Bamidbar 2:2). The אֹתֹת/otot – “signs” – may be understood as spiritual markers, revealing each tribe’s unique role within the collective mission of Am Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael.

How is the Wilderness Experience Still Relevant for Life in the Land Today?

The journey from the wilderness to Eretz Yisrael is not only historical – it is psychological and spiritual. Many of us today live in the Land yet still carry traces of ‘Egypt’ in our hearts. The midbar remains a necessary stage to enter the Land inwardly.

The holiness of Eretz Yisrael cannot be fully appreciated until we empty ourselves of the spiritual clutter of exile. Only then can the light of the Land penetrate our souls. I’m continually inspired by how many of my students go through this process – shedding layers of exile, undergoing both physical and spiritual reboot, and gradually rooting and resettling themselves in the Holy Land.

Although Bat Ayin isn’t a desert, compared to the grand cities many of our students left behind, this rural village in the Judean Hills serves as a kind of midbar – a humble, quiet space where we can learn to hear the whisper of the Divine voice. The word מִדְבַּר/midbar – ‘desert’ – is etymologically related to דִּבּוּר/dibur – ‘speech.’ Like the desert, Bat Ayin is free of distractions – a place where we can learn to listen to the still, small voice and truly dwell in the sanctity of Eretz Yisrael.
May we each walk our personal midbar with courage and faith – shedding old identities, listening to the voice of Hashem, and preparing our hearts to receive our portion in the Holy Land. And may we soon see the full inheritance of Am Yisrael revealed – each tribe, each soul, restored to its rightful place in the Land.   

Parashat Beha’alotcha: How Can We Learn Positivity and Total Trust from the Israelites’ Desert Complaint?

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Parashat Beha’alotcha
How Can We Learn Positivity and Total Trust from the Israelites’ Desert Complaint? 

What are the Three Human Weaknesses that Cause Ungratefulness? 

I notice three Human Nature weaknesses through which we all are easily led astray into ungratefulness. The first is our tendency to notice the negative constantly, the second is our unsatisfiable desire for more no matter how much we already have, and the third is our worries that we may lose what we have.  How do these underlying principles of ingratitude play out in our lives? Hmm. When people visit, I can’t understand why they always rave about my garden. All I see are a few occasional flowers hidden in all the weeds I didn’t get to. I also discern all the withering leaves and all the plants that are struggling. I furthermore sadly recall all those plants that died for various reasons. When I visit my friends’ gardens – I’m truly impressed – wishing my garden would be even just a fraction as lush, vibrant, and colorful. Due to this tendency to view what belongs to myself in a negative light, I don’t wear the glasses I’m supposed to wear except for when I’m driving or going out to watch a show, both of which I rarely do these days. If I were to wear my glasses at home, I would constantly notice the dirty spots on my ceramic floor, kitchen counter, and cabinets. No matter how much I would try to clean, everything would become dirty again quicker than I could wipe the spots away. We all go through life wearing dirt-colored glasses, continually noticing the negative, but it is not always as easy to remove these glasses as it is for me to avoid wearing mine. Regarding the second human weakness, today the scent of my husband grilling the Shabbat chicken made me feel such a craving to dig into that juicy piece on a Friday morning that it took great effort to pull myself away. When my husband offered me a mini piece to taste I had to recline, knowing that this little chicken crump that had come apart from the thigh was only going egg my appetite, and it would be hard not to gobble up the full piece reserved for Shabbat. I suffer much from the third weakness of worry. What’s gonna be? what’s gonna be? In a day and age when so many couples get divorced, what if that would happen to my newlywed son, G-d forbid? How could we ever bear it? Will we have new students for the summer program? How will the midrasha continue when someday I will need to retire? These kinds of worries distract me from appreciating what is. 

Craving a Craving for More and More 

The Israelites in the desert fell prey to these human weaknesses and thus displayed the utmost ingratitude. Although, the manna would taste almost like everything you imagined (BT, Yoma 75a), the Israelites exposed their desire for more and more:

ספר במדבר פרק יא פסוק ד וְהָאסַפְסֻף אֲשֶׁר בְּקִרְבּוֹ הִתְאַוּוּ תַּאֲוָה וַיָּשֻׁבוּ וַיִּבְכּוּ גַּם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֹּאמְרוּ מִי יַאֲכִלֵנוּ בָּשָׂר: 

“But the multitude among them began to have strong cravings. Then even the children of Israel once again began to cry, and they said, “Who will feed us meat?” (Bamidbar 11:4).

The Hebrew literally reads הִתְאַוּוּ תַּאֲוָה/hitavu ta’avah – ‘they craved a craving.’ This implied that they objected to their spiritual lifestyle of being nursed directly by the Divine. The sacred manna, completely absorbed into their bodies without any waste whatsoever (BT, Yoma 75b), was too ethereal for them. You could never overeat or binge on manna. It was angelic food. They craved an earthy life of roast beef and potatoes that would saturate their body with that heavy feeling of having overeaten. Rashi explains that the Israelites indeed did have meat, but they were looking for a pretext to complain even if their craving was unbounded: WHO WILL FEED US MEAT? - Did they not have meat? Does it not say, “Also a great mixed multitude went up with them, and flocks and cattle” (Shemot 12:38)? You might argue that they had already eaten them. But when they were about to enter the Land, is it not written that “the children of Reuven had much cattle” (Bamidbar 32:1)? The answer is that they were seeking a pretext [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:4]; (Rashi, Bamidbar 11:4). Although our students are generally of the most spiritual caliber and would give anything for a taste of manna, occasionally we do have students who feel the need for a break to get away from spiritual Bat Ayin and submerge themselves in secular Tel Aviv. 

Belittling the Sacred Manna – the Most Valuable Divine Gift

The Manna was the Israelites’ spiritual barometer and came to the doorstep of the person deserving it. Otherwise, according to the severity of sin, one would have to go further away to collect his daily portion of manna. Rather than appreciating the bread from heaven, the people spoke degradingly of the superior manna Hashem had provided:

ספר במדבר פרק יא פסוק ה זָכַרְנוּ אֶת הַדָּגָה אֲשֶׁר נֹאכַל בְּמִצְרַיִם חִנָּם אֵת הַקִּשֻּׁאִים וְאֵת הָאֲבַטִּחִים וְאֶת הֶחָצִיר וְאֶת הַבְּצָלִים וְאֶת הַשּׁוּמִים: (ו) וְעַתָּה נַפְשֵׁנוּ יְבֵשָׁה אֵין כֹּל בִּלְתִּי אֶל הַמָּן עֵינֵינוּ:

“We remember the fish we ate in Egypt free of charge, the cucumbers, the watermelons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!” (Bamidbar 11:5-6).

Living such spiritual lives is obligating. As Rashi explains, the Egyptians didn’t give them fish free of charge, as it states, “Straw shall not be given to you” (Shemot 5:18)? Now if straw was not given free of charge, was fish given to them free of charge? So, what does “free of charge” mean? Free from [the burden of] mitzvot [based on Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:5]; (Rashi, Bamidbar 11:6). The Israelites loathed to be monitored spiritually by the manna, they wanted to be ‘free’ in the lowest sense of the word – free to do whatever they felt like whether it was aligned with the divine will or not. According to Rabbeinu Bachaya, the Israelites expressed their disgust at what was a most valuable gift from G-d. They belittled the manna by comparing it unfavorably to Egypt’s most inferior produce. Moreover, the fact that they mentioned fish was an outright insult against the manna since the only kind of fish the Israelites got in Egypt were the fish that had been caught at least four or five days previously and had already begun to decompose and stink. When the Torah refers to the fish in the Nile when the river was turned into blood, the river is described as “stinking with these dead fish” and the dead fish are described as דָּגָה/daga (Shemot 7:17). Likewise, the Israelites remembered הַדָּגָה/hadaga instead of דָּגִים/dagim or הַדָּג/hadag – “the fish.” The word הַדָּגָה/hadaga means that these fish had decomposed to the extent that they were recognizable only as a species not individually. Through persistently looking for the negative, the Israelites expressed their dissatisfaction with the good they had. 

Torah, Positivity, and Total Trust – The Antidotes to Cravings, Negativity and Worry 

The Israelites were concerned and worried about what their future would hold. They feared their bodies would dry out without more substantial food than manna, so they grumbled: “We have nothing but manna to look at: Manna in the morning, manna in the evening” [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:5]; (Rashi, Bamidbar 11:6). It got to the point where the Israelites pined after the ‘good old days’ of their slavery in Egypt, where they didn’t have to worry about their physicality drying up. They got so worried that hundreds of years of hard slave labor in Egypt seemed like paradise. They may have had food and water in Egypt, but they had somehow forgotten about the physical brutality they had endured during their slavery there. G-d miraculously rescued them from over 200 years of cruel slavery, yet they still doubted that He could meet even their most basic needs. We read the Hagaddah every Pesach to remind ourselves and recall how Hashem – throughout the ages – has taken care of us, brought us out of the Egyptian slavery, and embraced us with His Holy Torah on Mt. Sinai. The key to overcoming worry is to recall the message of the Hagaddah, reminding ourselves that just as Hashem has always been there for us in the past, so will He continue to supervise our lives in the very best way for us. By developing our spiritual desire for Torah, trust in Hashem, and a positive attitude, we can overcome the Human weaknesses of craving, worrying, and constantly noticing the negative. Parashat Beha’alotcha means “When you ascend.” In the spirit of Beha‘alotecha, let us continue to ascend, and step up to ignite the candles of spirituality, positivity, and total trust in Hashem!  

Gratitude Focus for the Week of Parashat Beha’alotcha –

Some Tips for Overcoming Negativity and Complaining

We need to stay focused on Hashem, remember His faithfulness, and learn to have a thankful heart in all circumstances. I can assure you that it is easier said than done. I am definitely a work in progress when it comes to the area of complaining. I have learned, however, that the more we thank Hashem for all of our blessings in life, the more we recognize His presence in our lives. Don’t get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with confiding in a trusted mentor or friend about your life struggles. It can help you grow stronger in your emunah. Complaining, however, involves a completely different mindset.

• Notice How Complaining Makes You Forget Hashem – when we choose to complain, we take our focus off of G-d and His goodness. Even throughout hardships and sickness, G-d is good, G-d is our Healer. Complaining can keep us from recognizing that fact.

 

• Complaining Causes Us to Focus on Our Problems Rather than the Answer – The Israelites were complaining in the desert because they had forgotten all that G-d had done for them. In every circumstance leading up to this point, G-d had provided for them. They were so focused on how they felt and stuck in their negative outlook that they had forgotten that G-d had always provided for their needs. Hashem is our loving parent and wants only our best. 

  

When we complain, We Cause a Desecration of Hashem’s Name – It is way too easy to ‘vent’ our frustrations to others. Instead of telling others about Hashem’s Divine Supervision in our lives, we end up complaining about our current circumstances. Why would anyone want to serve the G-d of someone unhappy and constrantly complaining? We misrepresent our good and faithful G-d when we do nothing but complain.

 

• Complaining Keeps Us from Our G-d-given Tasks – The enemy loves to keep us focused on our problems. G-d has big plans for every one of us, but when we get into a complaining mindset, it’s easy to stay there. We can’t accomplish much when we are unhappy with life. It makes us live in a constant state of misery, worry, and discontentment. It cripples us from doing the things G-d has called us to do.

  

• Complaining About Our Circumstances Won’t Change Them – Can you think of a time when complaining accomplished anything? Probably not. All complaining ever does for me is make me even more upset. I actually become angrier when I complain. I begin to feel ‘entitled’ somehow…even bitter. Circumstances are changed when we change our attitudes and take action accordingly. Complaining is pointless and won’t get you where you need to be.

• Complaining Stems from an Ungrateful Heart – The Israelites weren’t thinking about all the amazing things G-d had done for them. Instead, they were focused on themselves and their current struggles. We need to stay focused on Hashem. We need to remember His past faithfulness and learn to retain a thankful heart in every circumstance. I can assure you that it is easier said than done. I am definitely a work in progress when it comes to complaining. I have learned, however, that the more we thank G-d for all of our blessings in life, the more we recognize His presence in our lives.

How can we Connect with the Healing Waters of Miriam’s Well?

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Parashat Chukat
How can we Connect with the Healing Waters of Miriam’s Well? 

My Power Immersions in the Healing, Mind-Opening Sea of Galilee

Now as always during the intensity of summer, I yearn for water – for healing and purifying waters. More than feeling the pull to swim in the soft waves of the clear, blue Mediterranean ocean, I yearn for the sweet waters of the Sea of Galilee (Kineret). Perhaps I love Kineret so much because the Well of Miriam is buried within it. Rabbi Chaim Vital relates: “When I, came to my teacher the Arizal to study Kabbalistic wisdom, my teacher took me with him to Tiberias... and when we were on a boat in the water, opposite the pillars of the old synagogue, my teacher took a cup and filled it with water from between the pillars, and gave me that water to drink. He said to me: ‘Now you will attain that wisdom, for this water that you have drank is from Miriam’s well.’ From then on, I began entering the depths of Kabbalistic wisdom.” So, for me going to Tiberias is not only a pilgrimage to the holy tombs of Rambam, Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Akiva, Ramchal, and more, it’s no less a pilgrimage to dive into the depths of the waters of Kineret. In the Torah, water is used in various ritual purifications. It is both cathartic and comforting, providing a sense of renewal and a cleansed feeling of purity. Natural bodies of water are highly conducive to a contemplative and reflective state of mind and to opening the heart. Each time I visit Kineret I try to do what I was told is called a Mikvah Koach (power immersion). This refers to immersion in a mikvah (any body of natural water qualifies as a mikvah), not for the sake of family purity. The purpose of immersing in spiritually healing waters is this time to clear the mind and enter a holier state, just as our men traditionally immerse in a mikvah in preparation for the holy Shabbat. My husband explains: “It’s a wonderful way to transition from the six workdays to the spiritual ambiance of Shabbat.” Although there should preferably be nothing (such as a bathing suit) separating you from the waters, at a public beach I’m not at liberty to immerse myself in the most preferable way. I rely on wearing loose clothing and only remove my rings and hairclip before leaping high to generate deep immersion within the womb of the Kinneret. I always emerge refreshed and recharged ready to face the new day.

The Wilderness Well of Water – in the Merit of Miriam

Parashat Chukat is all about cleansing and purification through water. It opens with the description of the spiritually purifying ritual of the Red Heifer involving a concoction of cedar wood, hyssop, crimson wool, and Red Heifer ashes mixed with pure spring water referred to as “living waters” (Bamidbar 19:6). After describing how various kinds of impurity is purified through water, the Torah depicts the death of Miriam and in the same breath mentions the Israelites’ loss of water:

ספר במדבר פרק כ פסוק א וַיָּבֹאוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כָּל הָעֵדָה מִדְבַּר צִן בַּחֹדֶשׁ הָרִאשׁוֹן וַיֵּשֶׁב הָעָם בְּקָדֵשׁ וַתָּמָת שָׁם מִרְיָם וַתִּקָּבֵר שָׁם: (ב) וְלֹא הָיָה מַיִם לָעֵדָה וַיִּקָּהֲלוּ עַל משֶׁה וְעַל אַהֲרֹן:

“Then came the children of Israel, the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin, on the first of the month: The people settled in Kadesh, and Miriam died there and was buried there. Then there was no water for the congregation” (Bamidbar 20:1-2).

Rashi explains that the lack of water is mentioned immediately after Miriam’s death to teach us, that during the entire forty years of wandering in the desert the Jewish people were blessed with the well of water in Miriam’s merit. Similarly, it states “Three good providers stood for Israel, and they were Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam. Three good gifts were given on their behalf: the well, the cloud, and the manna. The well was in the merit of Miriam… (Babylonian Talmud, Ta’anit 9a). Each of the three gifts corresponds to one of the pillars upon which the world stands (Pirkei Avot 1:2). The well is compared to the pillar of kindness because the well represents the power of nurturing. Just as Miriam embodied the character trait of kindness when as a young midwife, she kept the babies alive and supplied them with food (Shemot 1:17; Sotah 11b), so did the well supply the Jewish people with all their needs. Thus, in the merit of Miriam, the well sustained the Jewish people with water in the wilderness.

Feminine Yearning to Rise Like the Water of the Well

I believe that the spiritual and serene atmosphere of Bat Ayin derives from its many wellsprings. Water symbolizes life since nothing can grow without it. The well is associated with Miriam because the nurturing quality of water is feminine. Women keep the Jewish people alive. Without the perpetual kindness of women pouring out like a bottomless well, nothing would be conceived, born, or kept alive. Maharal explains that the well is related to Miriam because the waters of the well rise from below as it states, “Arise O Well sing to her” (Bamidbar 21:17). Women similarly yearn to rise. This yearning is exemplified by Miriam, the prototype of yearning and arousal toward the higher realm (Maharal Netzach Yisrael p. 101 Chapter 54). The power of the well to rise is also manifested in the love of the Jewish people for Hashem. The desire to always grow, flourish, and flow is clearly expressed among women today. This spiritual female yearning is apparent in the fact that women are at the forefront of the Ba’al Teshuva movement and of various groups that desire to rise and bring redemption.

Where is Miriam’s Well Today?

Although Miriam’s well was lost temporarily at her death, it returned and continues to bless us with its wondrous powers until today. When the Israelites entered the Land with Yehoshua (on the tenth of Nissan, the anniversary of Miriam’s death), the well also entered the Land, where it became concealed. There are different Talmudic views as to where Miriam’s well is located today. Some say in the Carmel and others say that Miriam’s Well feeds the waters of Kineret while hidden in its depths. “Whoever ascends the mountain of Yeshimon and sees something like a small sieve in the lake of Tiberias, this is the well of Miriam…” (Midrash Vayikra Rabbah 22:4). It seems to me that the spirit of Miriam’s well can be in several places at once as Rav said, Miriam’s well is mobile and pure (Shabbat 35a). It happened that someone who suffered from boils went down to immerse in the waters of Tiberias; it was an opportune time, and he saw Miriam’s Well and washed in it, and became healed. Even in our day and age, “some have a tradition to draw water [from a well] Motzei Shabbat (Saturday night) because Miriam’s Well supplies all the wells each Motzei Shabbat, and one who does so and drinks will be cured of illness” (Kol Bo, Orach Chaim 299:10). I have a bottle of special holy water that supposedly is from the well of Miriam. I have used it with EmunaHealing clients, by dabbing a few drops of this holy water on the area of their pain. Whether it works or not depends on your emunah!

The Eternal Renewal of Miriam’s Dynamic Well

The fact that Miriam’s well is mobile and changes location teaches us that Miriam’s power enlightens everywhere. Miriam is the well that offers water and brings about growth. Believing in the Master of the Universe and continuing to sow is the power of Miriam. She supports those who sow with tears – in bitterness – to become reapers with ringing songs. The well of Miriam is planted within the people of Israel through the righteous women of all generations. This is the basic inner power hidden within the daughters of Israel who spreads emunah and the ability to endure. Miriam’s well is described as a type of sieve in the Mediterranean Sea (Shabbat 35a). There is no security in holding on to its water. It cannot be contained within any vessel. Who can collect water in a sieve? However, since the sieve is placed within the great sea, its water is secure within it. It has a true place even if we cannot hold on to that place. It is beyond physical grasp but within Hashem’s eternity. Miriam’s well reflects the eternal divine emotion. It is only revealed in the form of emotion after its essence emanates from the true source of the light of the entire world, of all the sea of wisdom and Torah treasure. This is the well of Miriam, and this is the power of its eternity forever (Rav Kook, Ein Aya Shabbat 2). Since it is not contained within one vessel it is constantly moving and has the dynamic force of eternal renewal.

EmunaHealing Exercise to Tap into Miriam’s Well Within You

If you have the opportunity to do this spiritual healing exercise at the shore of the Kineret, it will greatly enhance its impact, if not you may do the exercise wherever you are.

1. Make yourself comfortable and close your eyes if that feels good. Breathe softly and envision the soft waters of the Kineret sparkling in the sun. Imagine inhaling as the soft waves rise and exhaling as they melt into the greater sea. Repeat this sequence four more times.

2. Miriam’s well is nowhere and everywhere. Search for Miriam’s well within yourself. When a well of water is dug, a corresponding spiritual well of water is opened in the upper worlds, causing the spiritual energies of emunah contained in the upper waters to permeate the atmosphere, strengthening our faith and belief in G-d. The source of your emunah emanates from Miriam’s Well. Can you tap into your living waters within?

3. Breathe into Miriam’s Well within you. When you feel connected with its emunah breathe the well waters upwards from your core to your head, and on the out-breath breathe the lifegiving well water into your external limps – your arms hands, legs, and feet. Keep tapping into your waters of emunah with each inhale and exhale your waters of emunah into different parts of your being.

4. The waters of Miriam transport and apply the nutrients of Torah and the abstractions of faith to each individual, on his or her particular level (The Lubavitcher Rebbe).

As you connect more and more with the power of Miriam’s Well, get in touch with your own nurturing powers. Inhale all your nourishing love and kindness, and as you exhale imagine imparting your nurturing love and compassion to a loved one in need. Repeat this sequence with various people, with each inhale you connect more and more to your nurturing powers, and with each exhale you share them with your loved ones.

5. Imagine how the waters of the well below the surface yearn to break through the hard surface of the earth and sprout forth its healing streams. Now, tune into your yearning to rise and overcome the hard obstacles of your life. What do you yearn to improve within yourself, your character traits, your relationships, and your connection with G-d? With each desire to grow your inner personal well opens the wells in the upper worlds, causing their spiritual energies to permeate your being and environment.

6. Breathe into the circular movement of your wellspring of spiritual yearning affecting the upper wells on the in-breath and drawing down their healing energies on the out-breath. With each breath, your well is eliciting greater waves of yearning to rise higher and higher. As you keep breathing into the Well of Miriam within you, it becomes more and more revealed, and its waters rise higher and higher until it becomes one with the wells of the upper worlds.

7. Now, bring it all together, bring it all down to make a conscious intention to act upon your newfound awareness of Miriam’s well within you, imparting its nurturing kindness to others. Whenever you are ready softly tap your feet to the ground and open your eyes!