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Post by alon on Jun 27, 2015 21:26:10 GMT -8
CHUKAT (Statute or Decree) Numbers 19:1–22:1
Numbers 19:2 (ESV) “This is the statute (requirement- חֻקַּ֣ת – Chukat) of the law (hatorah) that the Lord has commanded: Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer without defect, in which there is no blemish, and on which a yoke has never come.
Parasha Chukat starts out with the ritual laws of the Parah Adumah (Red Heifer). This animal was to be free of any defect, have never born a yoke nor have had a calf. It would be slaughtered under the supervision of Eleazar the priest (cohen) ; its body would be burned outside the camp. Three other elements were burned with the Parah Adumah : hyssop, cedar wood, and scarlet thread. He would sprinkle its blood seven times toward the Tabernacle; its ashes used to create the waters of purification necessary to ritually cleanse those who had been contaminated by death. Purification once again renders the person tahor, ritually available and able to enter the Temple. Until purified anyone coming into contact with a corpse, bone, or grave was tamei- ritually unavailable. Those who were deemed tamei, if not purified, would be cut off from Israel. Usually translated as clean and unclean, this gives many false connotations to the concept and is in error.
The Parah Adumah (פָרָה אֲדֻמָּה - Red Heifer) falls into a section, or type of law called “chok”; technically just meaning “decree” with connotations of being engraved in stone, these are laws which transcend our ability to understand. There is however a hint of the deeper meaning given us in the Kethuvai Shelachim:
Hebrews 9:13-14 (ESV) For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our (or your) conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Another interesting meaning may be that the use of a red heifer was in direct opposition to Egyptian magic, because these animals were sacred to them.
Bamidbar 19:9 (OJB) And a man that is tahor shall gather up the ashes of the cow, and lay them up outside the machaneh in a makom tahor, and it shall be in safekeeping for HaEdah Bnei Yisroel for water of sprinkling; it is for sin (ed: chata’t) purification.
The use of chata’t there indicates this is not a sacrifice in the normal sense of a sin offering made on an alter inside the camp.
Next we move to two related incidents, the death of the prophetess Miriam and the sin of Moshe striking the rock. Every sermon I have ever heard on this, or even that mention it, always focused on the sin of Moshe. However I find the story of Miriam to be far more interesting; and further I believe it was the cause of Moshe’s disobedience. According to Rabbi Y Eckstein, "Some people in our lives inspire so much faith in us that we don’t know how to go on without them. They fill us with life-giving hope that gives us the courage to continue confidently on our life’s journey. For the children of Israel, Miriam, the sister of Moses, was that person." He goes on to describe her as "a fountain of faith for the nation of Israel throughout their slavery."
Numbers 20:1-5 (ESV) And the people of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh. And Miriam died there and was buried there. Now there was no water for the congregation. And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. And the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Would that we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord! Why have you brought the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we should die here, both we and our cattle? And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.”
Miriam’s death occured about a year before the entry to the Promised Land, and it is in many ways connected to water. First off, the account of her death comes immediately after the chokim concerning the water of purification. Last we saw Miriam, she’d been stricken with tzara’at (leprosy) because she spoke against Moses’ choice of a Cushite (Ethiopian) wife. The tzara’at caused her to become tamei, and she was exiled.
Numbers 12:13-15 (ESV) And Moses cried to the Lord, “O God, please heal her—please.” But the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut outside the camp seven days, and after that she may be brought in again.” So Miriam was shut outside the camp seven days, and the people did not set out on the march till Miriam was brought in again. Though it is not stated, at least according to current Jewish halacha, she would have had to undergo tevilah (immersion in a mikvah).
Two of the most significant events in which Miriam played a part in the deliverance of the Hebrew people involved water. She at no small risk to her life watched over the small ark carrying the baby Moshe down the Nile; even courageously stepping forward and offering her mother as a wet nurse to Pharaoh’s daughter. She also led the procession of women rejoicing with song, dance and tambourines after they safely crossed the Red Sea. The death of Miriam, a leader, prophetess and hero to the Jewish nation, was only briefly mentioned. No account is given of the mourning period as is with Aaron and Moshe later. Instead, the people once again turn to complaining and blaming Moshe.
Numbers 20:5 (ESV) And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.”
According to Jewish tradition, a water bearing rock had followed the Hebrew people as they wandered in the wilderness. This would have been no small thing, as a small river of water would have been required to meet the needs of the entire nation. Again, according to Rabbi Eckstein "Miriam inspired so much faith among the people that the physical manifestation of that spiritual gift was the well of water that existed as long as she lived." Both the existence and spiritual meaning of this rock, as well as the importance of the Hebrews passage through the Red Sea is mentioned in the Kethuvai SHelachim:
1 Corinthians 10:1-4 (ESV) For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.
Some of the information not given here may be stated in Otzar Midrashim (from Jewish Tradition): “Miriam died, and the well was taken away so that Israel would recognize that it was through her merit that they had had the well. Moses and Aaron were weeping inside, and (the Children of) Israel were weeping outside, and for six hours Moses did not know (that the well was gone), until (the Children of) Israel entered and said to him: For how long will you sit and cry?
"He said to them: Should I not cry for my sister who has died? They said to him: While you are crying for one person, cry for all of us! He said to them: Why? They said to him: We have no water to drink. He got up from the ground and went out and saw the well without a drop of water (in it). He began to argue with them....”
The mention of a vine in Num 20:5 may indicate that the people were themselves mourning the loss of Miriam, who was like a mother to the nation. A vine can represent a mother at home with her children; a home Miriam would now never see.
Psalm 128:3 (ESV) Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.
Regardless how the Israelites obtained water, here they once again, probably in their own grief, accuse Moshe, who now instead of mourning his sister must again attend to the needs and incessant complaints of the people. God tells Moshe to speak to the rock and it will give water. However in his grief he turns on the people, venting his anger and strikes the rock. Furthermore, his accusation “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock” (Numbers 20:10b) did not give God credit, instead taking it upon himself. Now no one thought Moshe provided the water- his sin wasn’t deceit. It was his self-focus, self-pity that once again HE had to come out and attend to them. He, as their leader, never took the time to notice that they were hurting too. And regardless his pain, it was his responsibility as God’s anointed to see to the needs of the people. Moshe possibly neglected to take his pain and heartache the Lord. He should have been a model of trust and faith in God’s love. Instead he raged at the people and was disobedient to God.
They, for their part could have been a bit more diplomatic and mindful of his grief instead of coming with their customary complaints and accusations. Too often when parties grieve their tendencies to lash out instead of lending support come out. The situation would have been made worse by the fact they were so close to their destination, however when the nation of Edom refused them access, they had to take a longer, more circuitous route to get there. They were impatient, and had just lost their "rock". God wanted to (again) teach them patience as well as show them who their true Rock was! Moshe accused them of being rebels, however he too rebelled against God here and was so denied access to the Promised Land.
There is a typical Hebrew wordplay here. Hebrew for rebels, morim (מרים) is spelled the same as Miriam (מרים).
Numbers 20:13 (ESV) These are the waters of Meribah, where the people of Israel quarreled with the Lord, and through them he showed himself holy.
Meribah means to argue, strive or contend. This word can be read Meri-bah, which means “Miri[yam] is in it”, or Miriam is in the waters of contention. Miriam means bitterness, however it can be read Miri–yam (Miri of the sea). So Miriam, prophetess of the God of Yisrael would seem to have been prophetically named as well.
We see another wordplay in the plague of serpents. The term used is seraph (שׂרף ), which means “burning serpents.” The serpent on the standard was made of copper, Heb nehoshet (נחשׁת). This resembles the Hebrew word for snake, nahash (נחשׁ). In fact, since Hebrew has no vowels, the connotations of the base “nun hey sheen” would be in both words.
nun- activity, life
hey- to reveal
sheen- to consume or destroy
So a snake would be “life revealed in destruction” (or vice-versa). Burning, by fire or by snakebite causes destruction. However the interesting thig is to get the word nehoshet we add a tav, which means "to seal", or "to covenant". It represents the covenant of God on His people. So by looking upon the nahash, made of nehoshet, those bitten by the seraph were saved. The covenant revealed overcame death and restored life.
Numbers 21:21 actually begins the conquest narrative, although the Hebrews have not actually entered the land yet.
Sources for this were the Messianic Prophecy Bible Project, My JPS Study TNK, Hebrew Word Pictures by Dr. F Seekins, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, Strong’s Concordance on e-Sword, and yes some of those Christian sermons- and God. Not to say I speak for God, but I did feel touched by the revelation of the wordplay in this par’shah, especially that of the nehoshet (נחשׁת- nun, hey, sheen, tav). Humbly submitted, Dan C
Numbers 19:2 (ESV) “This is the statute (requirement- חֻקַּ֣ת – Chukat) of the law (hatorah) that the Lord has commanded: Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer without defect, in which there is no blemish, and on which a yoke has never come.
Parasha Chukat starts out with the ritual laws of the Parah Adumah (Red Heifer). This animal was to be free of any defect, have never born a yoke nor have had a calf. It would be slaughtered under the supervision of Eleazar the priest (cohen) ; its body would be burned outside the camp. Three other elements were burned with the Parah Adumah : hyssop, cedar wood, and scarlet thread. He would sprinkle its blood seven times toward the Tabernacle; its ashes used to create the waters of purification necessary to ritually cleanse those who had been contaminated by death. Purification once again renders the person tahor, ritually available and able to enter the Temple. Until purified anyone coming into contact with a corpse, bone, or grave was tamei- ritually unavailable. Those who were deemed tamei, if not purified, would be cut off from Israel. Usually translated as clean and unclean, this gives many false connotations to the concept and is in error.
The Parah Adumah (פָרָה אֲדֻמָּה - Red Heifer) falls into a section, or type of law called “chok”; technically just meaning “decree” with connotations of being engraved in stone, these are laws which transcend our ability to understand. There is however a hint of the deeper meaning given us in the Kethuvai Shelachim:
Hebrews 9:13-14 (ESV) For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our (or your) conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Another interesting meaning may be that the use of a red heifer was in direct opposition to Egyptian magic, because these animals were sacred to them.
Bamidbar 19:9 (OJB) And a man that is tahor shall gather up the ashes of the cow, and lay them up outside the machaneh in a makom tahor, and it shall be in safekeeping for HaEdah Bnei Yisroel for water of sprinkling; it is for sin (ed: chata’t) purification.
The use of chata’t there indicates this is not a sacrifice in the normal sense of a sin offering made on an alter inside the camp.
Next we move to two related incidents, the death of the prophetess Miriam and the sin of Moshe striking the rock. Every sermon I have ever heard on this, or even that mention it, always focused on the sin of Moshe. However I find the story of Miriam to be far more interesting; and further I believe it was the cause of Moshe’s disobedience. According to Rabbi Y Eckstein, "Some people in our lives inspire so much faith in us that we don’t know how to go on without them. They fill us with life-giving hope that gives us the courage to continue confidently on our life’s journey. For the children of Israel, Miriam, the sister of Moses, was that person." He goes on to describe her as "a fountain of faith for the nation of Israel throughout their slavery."
Numbers 20:1-5 (ESV) And the people of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh. And Miriam died there and was buried there. Now there was no water for the congregation. And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. And the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Would that we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord! Why have you brought the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we should die here, both we and our cattle? And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.”
Miriam’s death occured about a year before the entry to the Promised Land, and it is in many ways connected to water. First off, the account of her death comes immediately after the chokim concerning the water of purification. Last we saw Miriam, she’d been stricken with tzara’at (leprosy) because she spoke against Moses’ choice of a Cushite (Ethiopian) wife. The tzara’at caused her to become tamei, and she was exiled.
Numbers 12:13-15 (ESV) And Moses cried to the Lord, “O God, please heal her—please.” But the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut outside the camp seven days, and after that she may be brought in again.” So Miriam was shut outside the camp seven days, and the people did not set out on the march till Miriam was brought in again. Though it is not stated, at least according to current Jewish halacha, she would have had to undergo tevilah (immersion in a mikvah).
Two of the most significant events in which Miriam played a part in the deliverance of the Hebrew people involved water. She at no small risk to her life watched over the small ark carrying the baby Moshe down the Nile; even courageously stepping forward and offering her mother as a wet nurse to Pharaoh’s daughter. She also led the procession of women rejoicing with song, dance and tambourines after they safely crossed the Red Sea. The death of Miriam, a leader, prophetess and hero to the Jewish nation, was only briefly mentioned. No account is given of the mourning period as is with Aaron and Moshe later. Instead, the people once again turn to complaining and blaming Moshe.
Numbers 20:5 (ESV) And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.”
According to Jewish tradition, a water bearing rock had followed the Hebrew people as they wandered in the wilderness. This would have been no small thing, as a small river of water would have been required to meet the needs of the entire nation. Again, according to Rabbi Eckstein "Miriam inspired so much faith among the people that the physical manifestation of that spiritual gift was the well of water that existed as long as she lived." Both the existence and spiritual meaning of this rock, as well as the importance of the Hebrews passage through the Red Sea is mentioned in the Kethuvai SHelachim:
1 Corinthians 10:1-4 (ESV) For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.
Some of the information not given here may be stated in Otzar Midrashim (from Jewish Tradition): “Miriam died, and the well was taken away so that Israel would recognize that it was through her merit that they had had the well. Moses and Aaron were weeping inside, and (the Children of) Israel were weeping outside, and for six hours Moses did not know (that the well was gone), until (the Children of) Israel entered and said to him: For how long will you sit and cry?
"He said to them: Should I not cry for my sister who has died? They said to him: While you are crying for one person, cry for all of us! He said to them: Why? They said to him: We have no water to drink. He got up from the ground and went out and saw the well without a drop of water (in it). He began to argue with them....”
The mention of a vine in Num 20:5 may indicate that the people were themselves mourning the loss of Miriam, who was like a mother to the nation. A vine can represent a mother at home with her children; a home Miriam would now never see.
Psalm 128:3 (ESV) Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.
Regardless how the Israelites obtained water, here they once again, probably in their own grief, accuse Moshe, who now instead of mourning his sister must again attend to the needs and incessant complaints of the people. God tells Moshe to speak to the rock and it will give water. However in his grief he turns on the people, venting his anger and strikes the rock. Furthermore, his accusation “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock” (Numbers 20:10b) did not give God credit, instead taking it upon himself. Now no one thought Moshe provided the water- his sin wasn’t deceit. It was his self-focus, self-pity that once again HE had to come out and attend to them. He, as their leader, never took the time to notice that they were hurting too. And regardless his pain, it was his responsibility as God’s anointed to see to the needs of the people. Moshe possibly neglected to take his pain and heartache the Lord. He should have been a model of trust and faith in God’s love. Instead he raged at the people and was disobedient to God.
They, for their part could have been a bit more diplomatic and mindful of his grief instead of coming with their customary complaints and accusations. Too often when parties grieve their tendencies to lash out instead of lending support come out. The situation would have been made worse by the fact they were so close to their destination, however when the nation of Edom refused them access, they had to take a longer, more circuitous route to get there. They were impatient, and had just lost their "rock". God wanted to (again) teach them patience as well as show them who their true Rock was! Moshe accused them of being rebels, however he too rebelled against God here and was so denied access to the Promised Land.
There is a typical Hebrew wordplay here. Hebrew for rebels, morim (מרים) is spelled the same as Miriam (מרים).
Numbers 20:13 (ESV) These are the waters of Meribah, where the people of Israel quarreled with the Lord, and through them he showed himself holy.
Meribah means to argue, strive or contend. This word can be read Meri-bah, which means “Miri[yam] is in it”, or Miriam is in the waters of contention. Miriam means bitterness, however it can be read Miri–yam (Miri of the sea). So Miriam, prophetess of the God of Yisrael would seem to have been prophetically named as well.
We see another wordplay in the plague of serpents. The term used is seraph (שׂרף ), which means “burning serpents.” The serpent on the standard was made of copper, Heb nehoshet (נחשׁת). This resembles the Hebrew word for snake, nahash (נחשׁ). In fact, since Hebrew has no vowels, the connotations of the base “nun hey sheen” would be in both words.
nun- activity, life
hey- to reveal
sheen- to consume or destroy
So a snake would be “life revealed in destruction” (or vice-versa). Burning, by fire or by snakebite causes destruction. However the interesting thig is to get the word nehoshet we add a tav, which means "to seal", or "to covenant". It represents the covenant of God on His people. So by looking upon the nahash, made of nehoshet, those bitten by the seraph were saved. The covenant revealed overcame death and restored life.
Numbers 21:21 actually begins the conquest narrative, although the Hebrews have not actually entered the land yet.
Sources for this were the Messianic Prophecy Bible Project, My JPS Study TNK, Hebrew Word Pictures by Dr. F Seekins, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, Strong’s Concordance on e-Sword, and yes some of those Christian sermons- and God. Not to say I speak for God, but I did feel touched by the revelation of the wordplay in this par’shah, especially that of the nehoshet (נחשׁת- nun, hey, sheen, tav). Humbly submitted, Dan C
