Chukat - In depth

 
  parasha  

Description:

Commentaries on the Parasha

Chukat means Statute (of the Torah), and Balak refers to the king of Moab.

Chukat:

  1. The Red Heifer
  2. Need for water
    • Miriam dies
    • Water ceases, people thirsty
    • Moses gets angry
    • Strikes rock
    • Aaron & Moses punished
  3. Aaron’s death (Hor Hahar)
    • Elazar succeeds him
  4. Venomous snakes
    • People complain
    • Snakes attack
    • Copper serpent on high-pole
    • Song in G-d’s honour
  5. Battle against Emor
    • Emorite Kings, Sichon & Og
    • East of Jordan

Chukat

  • This is the decree (chok) of the Torah… (Numbers 19:2)

This phrase can be understood in two ways. On one level it means that this–the law of the Red Heifer—is the ultimate “decree”, the most supra-rational of all the Torah’s precepts. A deeper meaning is that all of Torah is, in essence, divine decree. It is only that with many of the mitzvot, the supra-rational divine will come “clothed” in garments of reason.

(Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi)

Ritual of the Red Heifer:

Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring to you a red heifer (19:2)

  • Perfectly red unblemished cow, (not more than 2 hairs not red)
    • upon which no yoke was laid.
  • (Elazar), the Kohen, slaughters it outside the camp
  • Sprinkle its blood with his finger toward the from of the Tent of Meeting 7 times.
  • The cow is (completely) burnt in its presence:
    • it hide, flesh, blood & dung
    • cast cedar wood, hyssop & crimson wool into the fire
  • After the Kohen washes his clothes & bathes (his flesh in water),
    • he may enter the camp
    • he is unclean till evening

N: Mishneh Torah speaks of 9 red heifers that were prepared for the people — until the destruction of the Second Temple. Then why differentiate between those that no yoke laid upon them, and those that had — intimating that there were more than 9 heifers in existence.

19:11]

Anyone touching the corpse of a human soul shall become unclean for seven days. יאהַנֹּגֵ֥עַ בְּמֵ֖ת לְכָל־נֶ֣פֶשׁ אָדָ֑ם וְטָמֵ֖א שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִֽים:

N: In the midst of the description of the red heifer, and that anyone who touches it’s remains becomes unclean, it is suddenly here connected to becoming unclean upon contact with a human corpse.

This verse, and the ones following trace a tangled path. Starting with v7, the Kohen is unclean till evening and needs to wash, as do the ones who burnt the red heifer and stored the ashes - outside the camp in a “clean” place (v10). The stored ashes are to be used to sprinkle water as a cleansing. N: Perhaps the Catholic ritual of sprinkling of holy
water was derived from this ritual.

Now, we jump to the general population, and speak of the contamination from touching a corpse that lasts for seven days. In order to cleanse, one needs to sprinkle oneself with the holy water on the 3rd and the 7th days, else the cleansing will not work (v12). Not only that, but “he has defiled the Mishkan of the Lord, and that soul shall be cut off from Israel.” Finally, if the person dies in a tent, the tent remains unclean for 7 days (v14). Now an open vessel can become unclean (v15), and anyone touch a human bone or a grave becomes unclean for 7 days (v16). The remedy is dip hyssop the water of purification (from the red heifer’s ashes) and for a “ritually clean person” to sprinkle it on all the Tamei people and artifacts.

  • Living water (19:17)

Water from an ever-flowing spring. Fallacious springs which run dry even once in seven years are disqualified.
(Sifri; Talmud, Parah 8:9)

This is lesson in the meaning of truth: something which exists under certain circumstances but ceases under other is not “true”, even when it does exist.
(The Chassidic Masters)

  • And the entire congregation arrived in the wilderness of Zin in the first month (20:1)

All the events and prophecies which the Torah relates [pertaining to the time that the people of Israel were in the desert], are either of the first or of the fortieth year
(Ibn Ezra)

  • And Miriam died there… And there was no water for the congregation (20:1-2)

Three great providers arose for the people of Israel—Moses, Aaron and Miriam—through whom they received three great gifts: the well, the clouds [of glory], and the manna. The well was in the merit of Miriam, the clouds in the merit of Aaron, and the manna in the merit of Moses.

When Miriam died, the well was removed, as it says, “And Miriam died there…” and, immediately afterwards, “And there was no water for the congregation.” The well then resumed in the merit of the other two.

When Aaron died, the clouds of glory were removed, as it says, “And the Canaanite, the King of Arad, heard …and waged war on Israel.” He heard that Aaron died, and thought that he now had license to attack Israel [because the clouds of glory which protected them were gone. The well and the clouds] then resumed in the merit of Moses alone.

N: So, the clouds of glory protected the people as well as guided them.

(Talmud, Taanit 9a)

  • And Miriam died there… And there was no water for the congregation (20:1-2)

A person may ingest the ingredients of life, but these will not vitalize him without the fluids that course through his body. The food swallowed by the stomach, the oxygen drawn in by the lungs, must now be transported through the body’s canals and made to saturate its every cell.

Therein lies the spiritual significance of Miriam’s role as Israel’s provider of “water”. Miriam first appears in the Torah (see Midrashim and commentaries on Exodus 1:15) as a children’s nurse: one who distills adult food for the consumption of a child; one who trains and educates a growing human being, filtering the stimuli of an adult world for his maturing mind: who processes the raw materials of life to meet the specific needs of her charge’s age and phase of development.

Miriam’s well is the vital fluid of Israel’s spiritual life, the water that inculcates them with the knowledge and identity her brothers provide. The waters of Miriam transport and apply the nutrients of Torah and the abstractions of faith to each individual, on his or her particular level.

(The Lubavitcher Rebbe)

  • Because you did not believe in Me (20:12)

If a leader’s influence on the community is achieved through harsh words of rebuke, than his relationship with the environment is likewise: he will have to forcefully impose his will on it to get it to serve his people’s needs and their mission in life. If, however, he influences his community by lovingly uplifting them to a higher place so that they, on their own, will desire to improve themselves, the world will likewise willingly yield its resources to the furtherance of his goals.

(Chassidic Master Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Barditchev)

  • These are the Waters of Strife (20:13)

Why did Pharaoh decree that all the Hebrew babes be cast into the river? (Exodus 1:22) Because his astrologers foresaw that the savior of Israel will meet his demise by water. They thought that he would be drowned in water; in truth, it was that by the cause of a well of water death was decreed on him.

(Midrash Rabbah)

N: This is a warning to those who believe ardently in prophecies of the future. A prophet can see how things will unfold — if, and only if, they continue on the same path. It is like a mathematical prediction of where something will land — as for instance, in calculus. However, and this is where the concept of redemption arises, one can change the future by changing the “path”, or aspects thereof, that you are on.

“Redemption” speak of an ability to reprogram the “brain”. In fact, one could refer to as an organic intelligence, one that can change it’s nature, and thus its future.

A simple example, if one is angry, or unable to forgive an incident that happened in the past, one will enter into the future with this “handicap”, one could say, that will influence future decisions and thus future events in one’s life. If one can forgive, or at least come to some balance in this place, it will balance out other things in one’s future — and even one’s past!

An example of the quantum effect regarding time. In other words, just as quantum requires the “observer” so does time!

  • Hor HaHar (20:22)

It was a mountain on top of a mountain, like a small apple perched on top of a big one.

(Midrash Rabbah)

  • Take Aaron and Elazar his son, and take up Hor HaHar (20:25)

G‑d said to Moses: “Do Me a favor and tell Aaron that he is to die, for I am ashamed to tell him.”

What did Moses do? He rose early in the morning and went to Aaron, and called to him: “Aaron, my brother!” Aaron came out to him and asked: “Why did you see fit to come so early today?” Said Moses to him: “There was something in the Torah which occupied my mind during the night and which I had difficulty with, so I rose early and came to you.” Asked Aaron: “What was this thing?” Said Moses to him: “I do not remember what it was, but I know that it was in the book of Genesis; bring it and let us read from it.”

So they took a scroll of the Book of Genesis and read from it. With each chapter and each thing they read, Moses would say: “G‑d did well; G‑d created well.” When they came to the creation of man, Moses said: “What can be said of man, who brought death into the world!” Said Aaron: “Moses, my brother, can you say that in this matter we do not accept the Divine decree?” … Said Moses: “And I, who ruled over the ministering angels, and you, who stopped death [with the ketoret], shall we, too, come to this?”… Immediately Aaron felt his demise in his bones… Said Aaron to him: " ‘My heart is trembles within me, and the terrors of death are befallen me’ (Psalms 55:5)."

Said Moses to him: “Are you prepared to die?” Said he: “Yes.” Said Moses: “Let us then ascend Hor HaHar.” Thereupon the three of them—Moses, Aaron and Elazar—ascended before the eyes of all of Israel…

When they ascended [the mountain], a cave opened up for them…

Said Moses to Aaron: “Enter the cave.” He entered, and he saw there a made-up bed and a burning candle. Said Moses to him: “Go up onto the bed.” He went up. “Straighten your arms.” He straightened them. “Close your mouth.” He closed it…

Thereupon the Shechinah (Divine Presence) came down and kissed him.

At that moment, Moses desired a death such as that. Thus it was later said to him [Deut. 32:50]: “And you will die on the mountain… as Aaron your brother died on Hor HaHar”–the death which you coveted.

G‑d said to them: “Go out from here.” As soon as they went out, the cave was sealed, and Moses and Elazar descended.

(Yalkut Shimoni; Rashi)

N: That cave is supposed to Ma’arat Ha’Machpelah in Hebron.

And all the congregation saw that Aaron had died (20:29)

When Moses and Elazar descended from the mountain, the people assembled against them and demanded of them: “Where is Aaron?” They answered them: “He is dead.” “How could the Angel of Death strike him?” they cried. “He was a man who had withstood the Angel of Death and had restrained him! (As it is written, ‘And he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stayed’ [Num. 18:13].) If you bring him back, well and good; if not, we shall stone you!” Thereupon Moses resorted to prayer, and said: “Master of the Universe! Deliver us from suspicion.” Straightway the Holy One, blessed be He, opened the cave and showed Aaron to them. Thus the verse states: “And all the congregation saw that Aaron had died…”

(Midrash Rabbah)

  • And the valleys of Arnon and the outpouring of the streams… and from there to the well (21:14-16)

This song was sung at the end of the forty years, and the well was given to them at the beginning of the forty years. What is the reason then why it was written here?

This subject must be expounded by reference to what precedes it, viz., “Wherefore it is said in the book of the Wars of G‑d: Vaheb is Sufa, and the valleys of Arnon.” This implies that G‑d wrought for them signs and miracles in the valleys of Arnon like the miracles that He had wrought for them at the sea of Suf (the Red Sea).

What was the nature of the miracles in the valleys of Arnon? A man could stand on the top of one mountain and speak with his neighbour on the top of the other mountain, yet he would be seven miles away from him! For the road ran down into the valley and ascended. Israel, on their way, had to pass through the midst of the valley. All the nations assembled at that spot, armies without end, and some of them took up positions within the valley. The cliffs above them were riddled with caves. Opposite these caves, in the mountain facing this one, there were numerous rocky projections resembling breasts… The armies entered into the caves, thinking: When Israel come down into the valley, those who are in the valley will confront them, and those who are above will harass them from the caves, and so we shall slay them all.

When, however, Israel reached that spot G‑d did not make it necessary for them to descend to the bottom of the valley, but signalled to the mountains, and the projections of the opposite mountain entered into the caves, and all the occupants were killed. Furthermore, the mountains brought their heads close to each other and formed a level road, and it was impossible to tell one mountain from the next.

That valley was the boundary between the Land of Israel and the land of Moab; as it says, “For Arnon is the boundary of Moab, between Moab and the Emorites.” The mountain in the land of Moab in which the caves were did not move, while the mountain from the Land of Israel in which were the rocky projections resembling breasts moved and joined the mountain opposite. Why was it the one to move? Because it belonged to the Land of Israel. It may be compared to the case of a handmaid who, on seeing her master’s son coming to her, advanced quickly to meet him and welcomed him.

The rocky projections entered into the caves and crushed all the warriors in them. The Well descended into the valley and there it swelled and destroyed all the armies in the same manner as the Red Sea had destroyed the armies [of the Egyptians]. For this reason “Vaheb in Sufa” and “the valleys of Arnon” are placed side by side for comparison.

Israel passed along the top of those mountains and did not know of all the miracles. Said the Holy One, blessed be He: “I will let My children know how many armies I have destroyed on their account.” The well descended into the caves and washed out skulls, arms, and legs innumerable. Israel returned in search of the well and saw it coming from the valley full, carrying limbs upon limbs. Israel saw and sang.

(Midrash Rabbah; Rashi)