If not for celiac disease, I would protest Turkey's recent hostility toward Israel by eating croissants.

In 1683 an army of more than a hundred thousand Ottoman Turks was besieging Vienna. They tried tunneling under the walls, but the Viennese bakers working through the night heard the digging sounds and raised the alarm. Their early warning prevented the Turks from breaching the city walls and delayed the attack until the Polish King John III reached Vienna and drove the Turks away. The bakers celebrated the end of the siege by copying the crescent moon from their enemy's flag and turned it into a commemorative pastry; the croissant.

We don't need the complex and seemingly contradictory laws of the Red Heifer to realize that there are deep mysteries to God's laws; even pastry can have a hidden meaning.

This week's Torah Reading - Chukat - Statutes Beyond Our Understanding - is not about one statute: "God spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 'This is the statute of the Torah..speak to the Children of Israel." (Numbers 19:1-2) God did not instruct Moses to teach that the Red Heifer is a statute. The verse does not say, "Speak to the Children of Israel and say to them this is a statute." The Chok, or statute, is that every teaching of the Torah must be presented with the idea of Chok - This is beyond human comprehension.

Torah learning is an invitation to explore the hidden meanings of absolutely everything in life, even croissants. Each Mitzvah we perform is a call to search for the hidden lessons of our lives and relationship with God.

When we study God's laws as rules without a sense of mystery, or Chok, we forfeit their vibrant messages and delicious insights.  Reading the Bible, Talmud, or prayerbook without an appreciation for the hidden meanings waiting to be discovered by us turns perfect croissants (available, of course, only in Argentina as Medialunas) into Krispy Kreme Donuts.

We step into the world of Chok each time we pray. We have a chance to discover hidden treasures each time we open a Bible. The Mitzvot train us to step into different worlds with every action.

There are three categories of commandments, but all Mitzvot contain an element of all three. Each category triggers different lessons: Mishpatim ask us to reexamine our assumptions about life. Eidot, or Testimonies, remind us to always consider how we fit into the broader history of God and Israel. Chukim challenge us to always reach deeper into the mysteries and hidden meanings of absolutely everything.

I will observe the 11th anniversary of my father zt"l's passing in two weeks. He always taught me to challenge, ask and explore. My Torah diet had croissants, not donuts. I plan to honor his yahrtzeit with a series of 10 webinar classes, Chok style, on the Book of Daniel, beginning with a special lecture at The Foundation Stone Argentine brunch on Sunday, June 27th. The series will be on Sunday mornings 11AM New York time. Please stay tuned for more details. (Can someone please mention to Debbie that my life as a political activist would be greatly enhanced if she would only figure out a way to make gluten free croissants?)

Favorites: Emunah Water and The Chok of The Staff.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Simcha L. Weinberg
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