Our Torah reading this week is Parashat Chukat, one of the more emotionally wrought parshiyot in Torah. Consider what we read: the death of Miriam; the death of Aaron; the mourning of the Israelites; Moses learning that he will not enter the Land of Israel; seraph serpents biting and killing the people; and war, with its devastating and lasting impact on the Israelites and people in the region. Of all these stories I am typically most moved by the loss of Miriam. Unlike the Israelites' many other episodes of kvetching and rebellion, here they're not crying for water itself, of course, but for the source of water: Miriam, who, through the lens of midrash, was a caretaker, a well of sustenance, and the loving and peace-making arm of Moses and Aaron. Their cry is more like: "Miriam is not even here with us. How do you expect us to go on?" This is a deeply relatable cry. We know this call. How many of us have felt this exact same way, crying, wondering and praying for insight as to where our sources of strength will come from.