Chukkat
Remember back in Leviticus when it seemed parshas were all detail about sacrifices and architecture and little about conflict and action? Now here is this part of Numbers it seems it is all action–the bad kind–and no pausing at all. Even after miracles and plagues made it clear that Korah was evil, Israel still pines for him and his band and refuses to understand that Moshe is the only true representative for Elohim. This week things get really personal as both Moshe’s sister Miriam and brother Aaron die, and there is no rest from the wicked surrounding Moshe even in these tragic circumstances; only war, hardship and pain. In our Haftorah we also look at the mysterious Jephtah and ask the hard question: Did he really sacrifice his daughter in exchange for victory at war? All this, and I forgot to also mention, 38 years goes by in a flash so fast that the text barely lets you know what happened. Talk about losing track of time. And finally, for Scroll to Scroll, don’t miss the new teaching, “The Message of the Math”. Enjoy.
