The name of the Parshah, "Chukat," means "Statute" and it is found in Numbers 19:2.
Moses is taught the laws of the
red heifer, whose ashes purify a person who has been contaminated by contact with a
dead body.
After forty years of journeying through the desert, the
people of Israel arrive in the wilderness of Zin.
Miriam
dies, and the people
thirst for water.
G‑d tells Moses to speak to a rock and command it to give water. Moses gets angry at the rebellious Israelites and
strikes the stone.
Water issues forth, but Moses is told by G‑d that neither he nor
Aaron will enter
the Promised Land.
Aaron dies at Hor Hahar and is succeeded in the
high priesthood by his son
Elazar. Venomous snakes attack the Israelite camp after yet another eruption of discontent in which the people “speak against G‑d and Moses”; G‑d tells Moses to place a
brass serpent upon a high pole, and all who will gaze heavenward will be
healed. The people
sing a song in honor of the miraculous well that provided them water in the desert.
Moses leads the people in battles against the Emorite kings Sichon and
Og (who seek to prevent Israel’s passage through their territory) and conquers their lands, which lie east of the Jordan.
Learn:
Chukat in Depth
Browse:
Chukat Parshah Columnists
Prep:
Devar Torah Q&A for Chukat
Read:
Haftarah in a Nutshell
Play:
Chukat Parshah Quiz
