A Law Beyond Reason
The parsha begins with the law of the parah adumah, the red heifer, whose ashes are mixed with water to purify anyone who has become impure through contact with the dead. Strangely, the same ashes that purify the impure render impure those who prepare them. The Torah calls this a chok, a decree we follow because God commands it, even when its logic lies beyond our grasp. It stands at the head of the parsha as a lesson in trusting God where reason alone cannot lead.
The Waters of Strife
Miriam dies at Kadesh, and with her passing the well that had accompanied the people disappears, leaving them without water. The community quarrels bitterly with Moshe and Aharon, who turn to God for help. God tells Moshe to speak to a rock so that it will give forth water, but Moshe instead strikes the rock twice. Water gushes out for all to drink, yet because Moshe and Aharon did not sanctify God in the eyes of the people as commanded, God decrees that neither of them will lead Israel into the land.
A Brother Is Lost
Israel asks the king of Edom for peaceful passage through his land, but he refuses and comes out against them with a strong force, so the people turn aside. Journeying on, they reach Mount Hor, where God tells Moshe that Aharon's time has come. Moshe leads his brother up the mountain and transfers the priestly garments to Aharon's son Elazar, and Aharon dies there in peace. The whole house of Israel mourns him for thirty days, grieving the gentle high priest who loved and pursued peace.
The Copper Serpent
When the king of Arad attacks and takes captives, Israel vows to God and defeats him. But soon the people grow impatient on the long road and speak against God and Moshe, complaining that they loathe the manna. In response God sends venomous serpents whose bites bring death, and the people confess their sin and beg for relief. God tells Moshe to make a copper serpent and set it on a pole, and all who are bitten look up at it and live, lifting their eyes and their hearts back toward God.
Songs and Victories
The mood lifts as Israel travels onward, and the people sing a joyful song to the well that has given them water through the wilderness. Nearing the land, they ask Sichon (Sihon), king of the Amorites, for passage, and when he attacks instead, Israel defeats him and takes his territory. They press on and conquer Og, the mighty king of Bashan, as well. The reading ends with the people encamped on the plains of Moav, across the Jordan from Jericho, on the very threshold of the Promised Land.