D'var Torah on Shabbat Parshat Chukat Recall Parshat Shelach related the story of meraglim, the spies who were sent to reconnoiter the land of Canaan and bring back a report. They reported to Moshe and the people that Eretz Yisrael, while a land of milk and honey, was a land that devours its inhabitants, a land of giants and fortified cities…and it could not be overtaken in battle. They said that the Cannanites saw them as grasshoppers. And that's how they saw themselves…as grasshoppers. After 40 years in the desert with many intervening challenges and tragedies, the 2nd generation following the Exodus had a new temperament, a new gestalt and a new attitude toward reaching The Promised Land, only a short distance away. This morning's reading of Parshat Chukat introduces the Israelites as a people of action, of movement and as victorious warriors. Not since Avraham Avinu travelled from Ur Kasdim and from Charan to Canaan…or Yaakov Avinu bolted from Be'ersheva back to Charan, have we seen such dynamic movement. The Exodus from Egypt and the escape from Pharaohs chariots in the Red Sea were certainly dynamic. But the people were protected by Hashem and His angels in both cases. As Moshe Rabbeinu assured the people: "Hashem yilachem lachem…v'atem tacharishu", G-d will fight for you and you, just keep quiet. Not so were the B'nei Yisrael in their march from Kadesh to the Plains of Moab…and in their battles with the forces of the Emorite Kingdoms of Sichon and Og as described in today's parsha. THE 40th YEAR IN THE DESERT Parshat Chukat describes the events of the 40th year in the desert, the year that preceded Yohushua's crossing of the Jordan River into Eretz Yisrael with multitudes of the B'nei Yisrael. During that last year, Miriam passes away in Kadesh…and with her passing…Miriam's Well stopped producing water for our people. The people complained and Moshe entreated Hashem whereupon Hashem told him to talk with the rock so that water flows out of it. But instead he struck the rock and water did come out. But Hashem punished him for not obeying His exact instructions. He and Aharon Avinu were banished from entering Eretz Yisrael, a punishment that many Torah observers have difficulty with. The pasuk then begins to show movement. The Israelites get up and leave Kadesh and skirt around Edom, the descendants of Esav. They seek entry along the Kings Highway for passage through to the Negev without stepping into the fields for food and by offering pay for water. The Edomites refuse, coming at them with a heavy military. The Jews back off and continue westward to a place known as Hor Hahar, where Aharon passes away, leaving the Kahuna, the chief priesthood, to his son Elazar. The Israelites mourn his passing with a 30-day mourning period. But as a result of Aharon's demise, the Ananei Hakavod,' the Clouds-of-Glory, disperse, removing the protection from the B'nei Yisrael, the protection they experienced throughout their 39 years in the desert. To review, here are the five factors that impacted on the B'nei Yisrael and their temperament: 1) the generation of the Exodus, the ones who supported the negative assertions of the 10 spies, had passed away. 2) The prophetess Miriam had passed and with her passing the water well, which quenched the thirst of the Israelites all along their trip, dried up. 3) Her beloved brother Aharon, our first high priest, also died, and the Anananei Hakavod dispersed. And finally Moshe Rabbeinu's lifetime was limited to the remaining weeks before the nation crossed the Jordan River because of hitting the rock at Mai Meriva. Nonetheless he served as general and commander in the Transjordan battles before he appointed Yehoshua to succeed him in the leadership. AMALEK ONCE MORE Now the King of Arad, or actually Amalek, perceived that without the Clouds of Glory, the Jews were no longer protected. So he gathered his Amalekite forces and attacked the Israelites…but this time the Hebrews fought back and whipped his army at a place called Hormah, codename for destruction. Yet despite the victory, the people still complained to Moshe: "Why did you bring us all this way from Egypt? We lack water and the manna diet is awful." Hashem responded by popping the air with snakes, the kind that bite. Again Moshe prays fervently and Hashem tells him to fashion a copper snake likeness and place it high on a pole so the people, when they look up, will acknowledge the awesomeness of The Lord…and the decree of poison would stop. So it happened. The people continued their trek, reaching to Nachal Zered, whence they crossed the Arnon River, a river flowing from west to east into the middle of the Dead Sea. On the north side of the Arnon is what used to be the land of Northern Moab but was now occupied by the forces Sichon, the Emorite King. Sichon was considered to be the superpower of the region. Juist before the B'nei Yisrael arrived, his army in a brutal assault attacked and conquered Northern Moab, the half above the Arnon River. Please look at the map and find the Arnon River coming out of the middle of the Dead Sea. Find the southern part of Moab below the Arnon and the newly conquered part of Moab by the forces of Sichon. Well above the new Kingdom of Sichon is the Kingdom of Og and its capital Bashan, which is not shown. That area is located in what is now the Golan Heights. Right around the city of Jericho is where the B'nei Yisrael crossed the Yardain into Eretz Yisrael under the command of Yehoshua after the Emorite conquest. The story of the snakes is followed by the Israelites' irrepressible movement once more. Here the pasukim after shishi become complex and mysterious. Let me read for you the pesukim and explain them to the best of my understanding: "Vayisu Bnei Yisrael…." They journeyed and encamped in Oboth, Eeyai Ha'avarim facing Moab, then to the Valley of Zered on the other side of River Arnon, crossing from Moab into Sichon territory. THE BOOK OF HASHEM'S WARS Then the pasuk cites something strange…a reference to Sefer Milchamot Hashem, The Book of the Wars of Hashem. "Ahl kain yaiahmehr b'Sefer Milchamot Hashem, et vahaif b'Sufah v'et hanchalim Arnon." Huh? What's this all about? A citation, an attribution from a non-Toraic source? It's not even in Hebrew. The Ibn Ezra comments that this book was written from the time of Avraham but has since been lost. Rashi explains the meaning of the reference. He says that when the miracles of our ancestors are told the episode of what happened after the crossing of the River Arnon will figure greatly. Vahaif is a location, a place on the northern side of the river. B'Sufah is a reference to the miracle at the Yam Suf 40 years earlier. So what happened at Vahaif? Answer: The Emorites were hiding in caves along the high cliffs ready to push down boulders upon the B'nei Yisrael traversing along river bank. But some kind of blast or explosion took place in the caves and either buried or disabled the Sichon military. When the B'nei Yisrael all crossed they burst into shirah, into song, as they did at the Yam Suf. Hashem provided them with drinking water as well. Moshe sent messengers to the Emorite leadership, asking them for passage through their land to Canaan without entering the farms or drinking their water. But Sichon refused and sent his troops to Yatzah to destroy the marchers. But B'nei Yisrael again prevailed. Vayakaihu Yisrael lefi charev…they killed the Emorites with sword and went on to capture their cities. The details of the battles are not described in the Torah but may be in The Book of the Wars of Hashem. Our nation divested itself from the slave mentality following the Exodus…and from fear of giants of Canaan as reported by the 10 spies. They were ready to enter and settle in Eeretz Yisrael. But they had one more battle to fight on the west side of the Jordan…and that was against King Og of Bashan in the north above Lake Kinneret. And they were victorious again. They conquered both countries, its territories, cities and capitals…Cheshbon and Edrei. And as you know from the Torah text subsequently, the Israelite tribes of Reuven, Gad and half of Menashe settled in these lands known to us as Ever Hayarden. Shabbat Shalom. By: Ray Kestenbaum | 
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