The difference between writing on paper and engraving in stone is the permanence of the latter. But often the engraved message can’t be read as the grooves have been filled with grime and dirt over centuries. So there is a need to wash and clean the grooves to read the message. This week’s parsha, is the word for engraving, Chukat, and it refers to the laws that defy logic and reasoning. But these relate to the deepest engraved messages on our soul – the ones that signify our innate Jewish identity and the values that all human beings espouse to by natural law. These are the messages that have permanence and will never fade.