A few months ago the year began with sweetness and prayer. An apple dipped into honey is one of our most familiar Rosh Hashanah motifs and the words “shanah tovah u’mesukah ” one of our most poignant petitions. We wish not only for a good year but also for a “sweet” one. As we navigate the twists and turns of life’s journey we ask that the experiences we encounter not only turn out well but also feel sweet.
Yet Yeshayahu Hanavi (5:20) warns us “Woe to those who consider bitter as sweet and sweet as bitter.” When our taste buds fail us even the sensations of bitterness and sweetness can be confused.
And sometimes paradoxically a bitter agent can become the very sweetener we seek.
Bitter Water into Sweet
After leaving the Red Sea Bnei Yisrael began their arduous journey into the Midbar. The Torah relates several events that occurred as they made their way to Har Sinai. Having not yet received the Well of Miriam their most immediate concern involved the primary challenge of a desert environment: finding water.
