Fierce: Consequences, Journeying, Whining, Song
Three chapters pack in a lot of action this week in Parashat Chukat. When I first read the text and was pondering what stuck out to me this year, I realized that the range and intensity of the narrative, poetry, and adventure struck my imagination and started a whirlwind of questions. While some parshiyot cover one story, or perhaps two, Chukat takes us on a literal journey with the Hebrew people, as well as a narrative journey.
The first chapter calls to minds all the sections of the Torah that tell us about offerings and sacrifices, verse after verse explaining how to sacrifice and act and the outcomes and purity status. After reading about the red heifer, we also read about how to deal with the dead.
After this chapter, however, the texts whisks the reader away into the ongoing journey of the Israelites, providing details of the physical location, time of the year and year of the journey, and the community-marked event of Miriam’s death. Quickly, we learn about Moses and Aaron as they brought forth water from the rock and received the ultimate consequence of not being able to lead the people into the land of Canaan. (In fact, Aaron’s death will occur during this parsha as well, leaving Moses as the remaining sibling from the trio at the end of the section.)
The remainder of Numbers 20 and into chapter 21 repeat stories about the kingdoms and lands whom G!d delivers over to the Hebrew people, allowing for a taking over of their land. These chapters, through naming the kingdoms, cities, routes, and landmarks, provide boundaries of the places which the Hebrew people came to inhabit. The text also tells us a bit about death ritual at the time and the complaints of the people. Parashat Chukat also names records of the time (such as the Book of the Wars of the L!rd).
Two more things stuck out to me this week as I read:
1) The story of the Bronze Serpent, but actually of the seraphim (Hebrew שרפים), is in this parsha. The story includes miracles, sorcery, complaints, and illness – but also uses the same word as that used for the fiery messengers used elsewhere related to the idea of angels, heavens, G!d (such as in Isaiah 6). In this section, there is a clear indication of the serpentile nature (the fiery element refers to the poisonous venom and the effect of the seraph‘s bite). The message sent through these serpents, however, reminded me of the use of seraphim as G!d’s messengers elsewhere.
2) Parashat Chukat presents two songs: one is short, a song about the well and water (beginning in Numbers 21:17), and the second is longer, a bards’ song (beginning in Numbers 21:27) about the defeat of Heshbon, Sihon, the Amorites, and by connection, the Moabites.
Poetic, song sections in the Torah are both fun to read, and always draw my attention to what happened in the story. These songs call the reader to remember the water G!d provides the people as well as their defeat of various kingdoms.
Some weeks, I have a conclusion to draw or a set of lingering questions. This week, I was astounded by the range of stories, with the one question being: Why are these narratives all pieced together in this parsha? I don’t expect to learn the answer, but have enjoyed pondering the text all week and recalling the stories in various conversations.
Chukat (חקת) denotes a prescriptive statement, a decree – and many of the stories presented in this week’s parsha reflect the limits set by G!d for Moses, the Hebrew people, and other creatures. Perhaps the prescription this week was to slow down, spend time with the stories, and reflect on the vast nature of history, our people, and the lessons I have yet to learn.
Good Shabbos!