Everything Was Flowing Until It Wasn’t
The people were thirsty.
Their leader, Moses, was grieving.
And suddenly, everything that once worked stopped working.
In this week’s Torah portion, Parshat Chukat, we meet Moses at a breaking point. His sister Miriam has just died. The miraculous well that sustained the people disappears. And when G-d asks Moses to speak gently to a rock so that water will flow, he can’t. He hits it. Hard.
Water pours out. But something deeper fractures. Because in that moment, everything shifts for Moses. He will not enter the Promised Land.
This isn’t just about hitting a rock. It’s about what happens when grief blocks trust. When pressure replaces presence. When we lose the voice we once had.
Why the Rock Matters
Until now, Moses had always led through action. He raised his staff. Split the sea. Drew water. Brought food. Delivered miracles.
But now, G-d asks him to lead differently.
To speak instead of strike.
To trust instead of force.
To sanctify not with spectacle, but with quiet faith
But Moses is grieving. The people are loud. The pressure is heavy. And in that moment, he reverts to what once worked. He strikes the rock.
Water flows. But something sacred is lost.
The Leader Who Chose Dignity Over Destiny
Chassidic teachings go deeper. The Rebbe explains that this moment reveals the truest form of leadership; not failure, but self-sacrifice.
Moses knew that speaking to the rock and having it respond might make the people look worse by comparison. Rather than risk embarrassing them, he chose to act in a way that brought consequences on himself. Better that he lose his place than his people lose their dignity. His willingness to be misunderstood to protect them shows the depth of his love.
And still, something had shifted.
Until now, Moses was meant to lead with strength. But now, the journey was calling for a softer kind of guidance. A new phase. A new voice. One that would come through Joshua.
Kabbalah teaches that Joshua was always destined to lead the people into the Promised Land. Every generation has its shepherd. Had the sin of the Spies not taken place, Moses’ generation could have entered with him, anchoring the mission with enduring spiritual roots. But that future was deferred. The transition had to begin.
In that moment with the rock, Moses gave the people what they needed. But it also marked the tender closing of one chapter and the quiet beginning of another.
When We Are Asked to Soften
This isn’t only Moses’ story. It’s ours too.
How many times have we been asked to speak gently when we wanted to react
To listen instead of fix
To lead not with force, but with presence
When grief is raw and the world feels urgent, stillness is hard to trust. But sometimes, the next stage of growth asks us to loosen our grip. To believe that water can come not from power, but from tenderness.
A Reflection for Women
The Quiet That Carries
Miriam, Moses’ sister, was the one who first brought water to the people. Her presence sustained the journey in quiet, faithful rhythm. Her leadership was subtle but vital.
As women, many of us already know this space.
We lead through the unseen.
Through steadiness.
Through nourishment.
We speak to the rock when the world expects us to strike it.
So this week, ask gently:
What part of me is still grieving?
What am I forcing that might open with less pressure?
Where have I outgrown the way I used to lead?
Let This Be the Practice
Speak when silence feels easier
Pause when you feel pulled to push
Let trust replace control in just one small place
MyNeshama-A Soft Place for Soul Work
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Not with pressure but with presence.
Not with striving but with trust
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Sources for Deeper Study and Integration
“Losing Miriam” by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks 5779
A discussion on grief and leadership
Maamar Mayim Rabim in Likkutei Torah
A Chassidic discourse on water, emotional struggle, and the healing power of speech
Shem MiShmuel Chukat 1911
A mystical commentary on Moses’s emotional state and the new consciousness needed to enter the Promised Land
Tanya Chapters 26 to 29
On working with inner heaviness, emotional resistance, and cultivating trust in the spiritual process
A Reflection for Women Today: How Do We Carry Our Light?
You’re already a vessel. Of care, of rhythm, of strength.
The story of Korach doesn’t ask you to be less.
It asks you to ground what you already are.
You get to honor leadership. Not because it limits you, but because it lifts you.
You’re allowed to lean.
And you’re allowed to grow slowly.
And you’re allowed to trust that the crown you crave will arrive when you’re ready to carry it with integrity.
Say this to yourself when you feel rushed, unseen, or uncertain:
I don’t need to take the crown. I just need to carry the light.
Questions to Sit With This Week
What am I building inside to hold the clarity I seek on the outside?
Where am I resisting guidance, and what would it mean to soften?
Who helps me stay connected to my higher self, and do I trust them to walk with me?
Want Soulful Support for the Climb?
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Resources for Further Study
Maamar Vayikach Korach (1969)
A Chassidic discourse on the root of spiritual rebellion
Tanya Chapters 3 and 4
On balancing light and structure in spiritual life
Likkutei Sichot Vol. 4, Korach
An exploration of leadership and refinement
