Parsha Chukat

(19,1) Adonoy spoke to Moshe and Aharon, saying.

(19,2) This is the statute of the Torah which Adonoy commanded, saying; speak to Bnei Yisroel that they shall take to you a red, perfect cow without a blemish, upon which no yoke was laid.

(19,3) Give it to Elozor the kohein; he shall take it outside the camp, and someone shall slaughter it in his presence.

(19,4) Elozor the kohein shall take some of its blood with his finger and sprinkle it directly facing the Tent of Meeting, some of its blood seven times.

(19,5) Someone shall burn the cow in his presence; its skin, flesh, blood, with its waste (that are in its intestines) shall be burned.

(19,6) The kohein shall take a piece of cedar wood, hyssop, and crimson wool, and throw them into the burning of the cow.

(19,7) Then the kohein shall wash his garments and bathe his body in water, and afterwards he may enter the camp; [however,] the kohein shall be impure until the evening.

(19,8) Also, the one who burns it must wash his garments and bathe his body in water; he shall remain unclean until the evening.

(19,9) A ritually clean person shall gather the cow’s ashes and place [it] outside the camp in a clean place; it shall remain a keepsake for the community of Bnei Yisroel for sprinkling water for purification.

(19,10) The one who gathers the cow’s ashes shall wash his garments, and remain unclean until the evening; it shall be for Bnei Yisroel and for the proselyte who lives among them an eternal statute.

(19,11) One who touches the corpse of any [human] soul shall become unclean for seven days.

(19,12) He shall cleanse himself with it on the third day and on the seventh day, so that he may become clean; if he does not have himself cleansed on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not become clean.

(19,13) Whoever touches a corpse of a [human] soul, who died and does not have himself cleansed defiles the Mishkan of Adonoy (if he enters it), that soul will be cut off from Yisroel; because the sprinkling water was not sprinkled on him, he will be impure his impurity remains.

(19,14) This is the law [regarding] a person who dies in a tent; anyone who enters the tent and everything that is in the tent shall be unclean for seven days.

(19,15) Any open utensil that has no cover fastened to it, shall be unclean.

(19,16) Anyone who touches, in an open field, one slain by the sword, a corpse, human bone, or grave, shall be unclean for seven days.

(19,17) They shall take for the unclean person of the ashes from the burnt purification-offering and he shall place upon them living [spring] water in a vessel.

(19,18) He shall take hyssop and dip it into the water; [this is done by] a ritually clean person, he shall sprinkle it on the tent, on all the utensils and people that were there, and on anyone who touched the bone, murder victim, corpse, or grave.

(19,19) The ritually clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean person on the third day and on the seventh day; he shall purify him on the seventh day when he must wash his garments and bathe in water, and then he becomes clean in the evening.

(19,20) A person who became ritually unclean [and enters the Sanctuary] without purifying himself, that soul will be cut off from the community; for he defiled the Sanctuary of Adonoy, the sprinkling water was not sprinkled upon him, he remains unclean.

(19,21) This shall be the statute for all times; one who sprinkles the sprinkling waters shall wash his garments, and one who touches the sprinkling waters shall remain unclean until the evening.

(19,22) Anything which the unclean person touches, shall become unclean; and anyone touching him shall be ritually unclean until the evening.

(20,1) The entire community of Bnei Yisroel came to the wilderness of Tzin, in the first month. The people settled in Kodeish, and Miriam died and was buried there.

(20,2) There was no water for the community, and they assembled against Moshe and Aharon.

(20,3) The people quarreled with Moshe and said, “Would that we had died by our brothers’ death before Adonoy.

(20,4) Why did you bring the congregation of Adonoy into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die there?

(20,5) Why did you take us out of Egypt and bring us to this terrible place? It is not a place for seed, figs, grapes, or pomegranates; and there is no water to drink!”

(20,6) Moshe and Aharon moved away from the assembly to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and fell on their faces; the glory of Adonoy appeared to them.

(20,7) Adonoy spoke to Moshe, saying.

(20,8) “Take the staff and assemble the community, you and Aharon your brother, and speak to the rock in their presence that it may give forth its water; you will then bring forth for them water from the rock, and give drink [to] the community and their livestock.”

(20,9) Moshe took the staff from before Adonoy, as He instructed him.

(20,10) Moshe and Aharon assembled the community before the rock; [Moshe] said to them, “Listen, you rebels! Can we extract water from this rock for you?”

(20,11) And Moshe raised his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice; water rushed out abundantly, and the community and their livestock drank.

(20,12) Adonoy said to Moshe and Aharon, “Because you did not believe in Me to sanctify Me in the presence of Bnei Yisroel; therefore, you will not bring this congregation into the land that I have given them.”

(20,13) They are the waters of dispute where Bnei Yisroel contended with Adonoy, and He was sanctified through them.

(20,14) Moshe sent emissaries from Kodeish to the King of Edom (saying), “This is what your brother Yisroel declares; you know of all the hardship that we have encountered.

(20,15) Our forefathers went down to Egypt and we remained in Egypt for a long time; the Egyptians mistreated us and our forefathers.

(20,16) Then we cried out to Adonoy, and He heard our voice, He sent an emissary and led us out of Egypt; now we are in Kodeish, a city at the edge of your border.

(20,17) Please let us pass through your land, we will not pass through any field or vineyard, and we will not drink well water; we will travel by the king’s road, we will not turn aside to the right or left, until we have passed through your territory.”

(20,18) Edom responded, “You shall not pass through me (my land), lest I go out against you with the sword!”

(20,19) Bnei Yisroel said, “We will go up by the highway, and if we or our cattle drink your water we will pay for it, it is just nothing, we only want to pass through on foot.”

(20,20) Then (Edom) responded, “Do not pass through!” Edom came to confront [Bnei Yisroel] with a massive number of people and a strong hand.

(20,21) Edom refused to allow Yisroel to pass through its territory, and Yisroel turned aside from him.

(20,22) They traveled from Kodeish, and the entire community of Bnei Yisroel came to Mount Hor.

(20,23) Adonoy spoke to Moshe and Aharon at Mount Hor, at the border of the land of Edom, saying.

(20,24) “Aharon will now be gathered (die) to his people, for he shall not enter the land that I have given to Bnei Yisroel, because you defied My word at the waters of dispute.

(20,25) Take Aharon and his son Elozor, and bring them up to Mount Hor.

(20,26) Remove Aharon’s vestments and dress his son Elozor in them; Aharon will be gathered in and die there.”

(20,27) Moshe did as Adonoy commanded; and they went up Mount Hor in the presence of the entire community.

(20,28) Moshe then removed Aharon’s vestments and dressed Aharon’s son, Elozor, in them; Aharon died there on top of the mountain, and Moshe and Elozor descended from the mountain.

(20,29) The entire community saw that Aharon died; and they wept for Aharon thirty days, the entire house of Yisroel.

(21,1) The Canaanite King of Arad heard—who lived in the south—that Yisroel had come by the route of the spies; he attacked Yisroel, and he took from them a captive.

(21,2) Yisroel made a vow to Adonoy and said, “If You will deliver this people into my hand, I shall consecrate their cities.”

(21,3) Adonoy heard Yisroel’s voice, and He delivered the Canaanites (into Yisroel’s hand), and he (Yisroel) destroyed them and [consecrated] their cities; the region was named Chormo.

(21,4) They then traveled from Mount Hor by the Reed Sea route, in order to circle around the land of Edom; traveling was insufferable to the people.

(21,5) The people spoke out against God and Moshe, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no food and no water, and we are disgusted with this rotten bread.”

(21,6) Adonoy sent against the people the consuming snakes, and they bit the people, and many people of Yisroel died.

(21,7) The people came to Moshe and said, “We have sinned by speaking against Adonoy and you; pray to Adonoy that He remove the snakes from us.” Moshe prayed on behalf of the people.

(21,8) Adonoy said to Moshe, “Make yourself [the image of] a consuming snake, and place it upon a banner; and anyone bitten will look at it and live.”

(21,9) Moshe made a copper snake and placed it on the banner; whenever a snake bit a person, he would gaze upon the copper snake and live.

(21,10) Bnei Yisroel traveled on and camped in Ovos.

(21,11) They traveled from Ovos and camped in the wasteland passes in the wilderness, facing Moav, eastward of the sun.

(21,12) They traveled from there and camped in the valley of Zered.

(21,13) They traveled from there and camped opposite Arnon, in the wilderness, extending from the Emorite border; Arnon being the Moav border between Moav and the Emorite.

(21,14) Concerning this will be told in the Book of the Wars of Adonoy, “He gave at the Reeds (Sea) and the valleys of Arnon.

(21,15) And the spillage in the valleys when it turned to dwell at Ar, and then leaned on the border of Moav.

(21,16) From there, to the well; this is the well of which Adonoy said to Moshe, ‘Gather the people and I will give them water.’”

(21,17) It was then that Yisroel sang this song : “Arise, O well, sing to it!

(21,18) The well dug by princes, that the nobles of the nation excavated, through the lawgiver, with their staffs; from the wilderness a gift.

(21,19) The gift (traveled) to the valley, and from the valley to the heights.

(21,20) And from the heights to the valley that is in the field of Moav, at the top of the peak that overlooks the wastelands.”

(21,21) Yisroel sent emissaries to Sichon, King of the Emorite, saying.

(21,22) “Let me pass through your land, we will not turn aside into the fields and vineyards, we will not drink well water; we will go by the King’s road until we have passed through your territory.”

(21,23) But Sichon did not allow Yisroel to pass through his territory; Sichon gathered all his people and went out against Yisroel to the wilderness; he came to Yohatz and attacked Yisroel.

(21,24) Yisroel defeated him with the edge of the sword and took possession of his land; from Arnon to the Yabok, as far as Amon[’s border], because Amon’s border was impregnable.

(21,25) Yisroel took all these cities; Yisroel settled in all the cities of the Emorite, in Cheshbon and all its daughters.

(21,26) For Cheshbon was then a city of Sichon, King of the Emorites, and he had waged war against the first king of Moav, and took all his land from his hand, as far as Arnon.

(21,27) Concerning this, the parable tellers say: “Come to Cheshbon, may it be built and established as the city of Sichon.

(21,28) For a fire went forth from Cheshbon, a flame from Sichon’s capital; it consumed Ar, of Moav, the masters of Arnon’s heights.

(21,29) Woe to you, O Moav, you are destroyed, people of Kemosh, he rendered your sons as refugees, and your daughters captives, of Sichon, King of Emori.

(21,30) Their kingdom was uprooted from Cheshbon as far as Divon; we made them desolate as far as Nofach near Meidva.”

(21,31) Yisroel settled in the land of the Emorite.

(21,32) Moshe sent [men] to spy on Ya’zer, and they captured its surrounding villages, and drove out the Emorites that were there.

(21,33) They then turned and headed toward the Bashan; and Og, King of the Bashan, came out against them he with all his people, to wage war at Edre’i.

(21,34) Adonoy said to Moshe, “Do not be afraid of him, for into your hand I have delivered Ihim and all his people and territory; do to him as you have done to Sichon, King of the Emorite, who lives in Cheshbon.”

(21,35) And they killed him (Og), his sons, and all his people, leaving no survivors; and they took possession of his land.

(22,1) Bnei Yisroel traveled and camped in the western plains of Moav, across the Yardein from Yereicho.