Chukat – Once Upon a Week

Read the transcript below, or watch a video of the teaching by Yehuda Bachana.

Chukat is vital to the story of the Exodus. The Israelites finally are about to enter the Promised Land, after having wandered the desert for 40 years! It is with great sadness that we have to part from the wilderness generation, including the loss of our beloved leaders, Miriam the Prophetess and Aaron the Priest.

This is the Torah portion in which Moses strikes the rock, which bars him from entering the Land. We read about the diplomatic incident with the King of Edom, and a similar diplomatic incident with the Amorite King of Sichon. In the Haftara (Judges chapter 11), Jephthah of Gilead reminds us of the incidents with Edom and Sichon which the Torah describes.

It is interesting that then, like today, we had to defend our homeland, having to argue and prove our ownership of this land. In this Torah portion the children of Israel complain about God and Moses, yet again. G-d, then, sends snakes as a punishment. At times, snakes serve as a punishment from God in the Scriptures, for example:

At the end of the punishment, Moses prepares the brass serpent according to God’s instructions. The serpent brought healing to those who looked at it.

Parashat Chukat opens with the words that can be literally translated with ‘these are the Laws of the Torah'. We deal with the uncleanliness of death, which is the greatest impurity of all. God provides us with the red heifer to purify us.

We read about the complete separation between life and death, separating those who passed on to the next world from the living. Likewise, the place where someone died is separated. Furthermore, an unclean person must be purified, because otherwise

There is a clear separation between the world of the living and the world of the dead.

The Scriptures explain that our reality is here and now, and that the divine commandments are given to us for this world. Everyone should remember that life is a gift from God. Truly, we also believe in life after death and in the world to come, with Yeshua as the gate to heaven.

Nevertheless, this world is our primal scene. Here we are tested and rewarded. For example, we are commanded to honor our parents, and instead of promising to take us to Himself more quickly, God promises us a longer life here on earth:

The essence of God’s commandment is for us to ‘choose life’ (Deuteronomy 30).

The idea ‘Yehareg v’al ya'avor’, literally means ‘let him be killed, and don’t transgress’. There are only three commandments that are more valuable than life, namely murder, incest and idolatry. Only these three extreme prohibitions stand above the sanctity of life, while all the other commandments are inferior to life itself.

All – but these three - commandments are to be canceled if their cancellation could save a live! Life, for example, is more important than preserving the Shabbat, and thus a doctor may work on Shabbat. God’s law is the law of life!

The Jewish culture, including the Messianic Jewish movement, is a culture of life. Our life in this world truly matters, and this world is very meaningful, too, as God created it with great love. He placed us in His garden to keep and maintain His creation.

According to our point of view and according to Jewish culture, we strive to improve our life here: to ease pain, to support and help one another. This stands in contrast to some other cultures that sanctify death, where the dead serve as a source of inspiration and suicide bombers are elevated to heroism. A culture of death sees murder in name of religion as legitimate and even worthy.

Unlike these, however, Parashat Chukat distances us from dealing with death. Death defiles, whereas the Word of God requires us to stay pure. So, how do we achieve such purity today?

The New Testament reorganizes the entire structure of worship; in fact, Yeshua embodies the solution. Since we don’t have the red heifer, we are unable to offer sacrifices and cannot approach the priests in the Temple. Therefore, we are in need of the Source through which we can receive purity. Hebrews points at Yeshua the Messiah as the source of holiness with all that it entails, including the priestly service, forgiveness through sacrifice and purification.

Hebrews explains the importance of Yeshua. Messiah Yeshua is the priest of the heavenly Tabernacle, which is perfect, pure and holy. The divine Tabernacle is not manmade.

Perhaps the most important point that the New Testament repeats frequently, is that Yeshua is clean and pure, as such that He is worthy to purify us, too. Besides purifying us externally, Yeshua - unlike the ash of the red heifer – purifies our hearts, as well:

When I read the Sermon on the Mount from Mathew chapters 5 through 7, I understand that Yeshua came to write the Torah on our hearts. As a result, our commitment to God and those around us is not merely external nor superficial. Yeshua enables us to internalize the Word of God into our hearts. Likewise, our commitment and responsibility towards God’s Word become real and tangible, coming from within us, being visible through our day-to-day life.

Hebrews quotes Jeremiah’s prophecy of the New Covenant twice, both in chapter 8 and chapter 10. Chapter 8 quotes perhaps the longest quote found in the New Testament. What is the purpose hereof? The author of Hebrews sees much similarity between his own time and the time of Jeremiah the Prophet.

Most scholars agree, that the letter to the Hebrews was written around the time, or right after the destruction of the second Temple and that of Jerusalem. Similarly, the first Temple was destroyed in the days of Jeremiah. In both cases, the contemporary religious leadership was corrupt and greedy.

The population of Jerusalem went into exile. The people were concerned and fearful about their future as they lived with complete uncertainty. Therefore, the Epistle to the Hebrews is written as an encouragement, saying: you are not abandoned. Yeshua the Messiah fulfills every priestly duty, every sacrifice, every requirement for forgiveness and purification.

The end of chapter 8 explains that:

This verse talks about the Temple service and sacrifices. The same people of that time, and we too, are facing a strange reality: a reality without a Temple, without priests and without sacrifices. It is a reality that lacks purification. The purpose of this verse is to pass the no longer existing service of the earthly priests to the heavenly Hight Priest:

Our purification is through Him, through Yeshua.

The main focus of Hebrews chapters 8 through 10 are questions concerning purity, forgiveness of sin, the priestly laws and sacrifices. Both Hebrews and the New Testament do not discuss the content of the Torah and itscommandments; however, it views the fact that the blood of Messiah cleanses us and purifies our lives in a period following the destruction of the Second Temple, which was followed by the elimination of the priestly services and sacrifices.

As mentioned before, in Parashat Chukat, the Torah jumps over a long period of time in the Biblical story. From Exodus chapter 12 to Numbers chapter 20 only 2 to 2,5 years have passed. Yet, suddenly in chapter 20 of Numbers, we reach the 40th year in the wilderness, the old generation passed, a new generation is born, and we are about to enter the Promised Land.

Specifically at this time and place, after the victory over the Canaanites and the release of the captives, Israel complains again. The people complain about the long journey, the manna, the water shortage; and so, they bring the punishment of the serpents upon themselves. Why does this happen?

I think the explanation lies in the combination of two things: the people leash out and are impatient as the result of their lack of confidence, and due to their uncertain situation. Another component is their lack of gratitude. Sadly enough, it’s natural for every generation to complain and forget to be thankful, even though we live in abundance.

The Exodus Generation received their freedom 40 years ago. They began their journey as a generation of slaves and were hurt, frightened, enslaved and were used to a certain slave-mentality. This generation was accustomed, and even dependent on certain daily routines. Suddenly, one random evening, this generation was granted its freedom. This clearly was a new situation for everyone.

The open and free wilderness caused them to search for new boundaries, and to figure out what is allowed and what is forbidden, and until when and where. At the same time, they lived in extreme uncertainty, especially at the beginning of their desert journey when every difficulty and every danger caused the former slaves to want to return to the safety of the well-known, familiar and predictable Egyptian prison.

In Chukat, we meet the new generation that was born in the desert for the very first time. To them the Egyptian slavery was merely a story they were told; yet, one they had never experienced personally. This generation was born free, which is why their sudden complaints catch us off-guard.

I could only imagine that one of the reasons for the complaints could be their fear of the unknown, the fear of change. Until now, this generation lived in a highly protected environment. God took care of everything: He provided heavenly manna and led them in the right direction with the pillar of cloud. Miraculously, He made sure their clothes did not wear out.

Now all of this was about to change. In the past, people only had to go outside and gather their daily portion of manna; tomorrow, however, they would have to plant, fertilize and irrigate, hoping the soil will produce some edible fruit and not just weeds and thorns. In the Promised Land we return to the ancient curse:

God punishes Israel with snakes, after which they repent and ask for forgiveness. God, then, commands Moses to make a brass serpent. The New Testament also uses a symbol of healing, as whoever wishes to be healed ought to turn to Yeshua:

These verses are perhaps the most beautiful ones in the Scriptures. They are the summary of the New Testament and explain the idea of salvation in one breath. Like the serpent in the desert, Messiah has to be lifted high for everyone, and whoever looks at Him, will be saved. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, to give us everlasting life!

What is the analogy here? This story is still so relevant for us today. We live in true abundance, having everything we need and more. Yet, we are not always thankful and sin before God and people. God might send us snakes, in order to set us straight. Of course, such snakes could appear in a variety of problems or difficulties.

When we are ready to repent and return to serving God faithfully, again, God provides us with Yeshua. And, like the children of Israel looked at the brass serpent and were healed, we look to Yeshua and are healed. Yeshua heals us entirely, including our hearts. He transforms our heart of stone to a gentle, loving and serving heart.

The image of a serpent can serve as an important reminder, as Moses made this serpent in accordance with God’s instructions. Were we to have such a serpent today, it would be very special and impressive. As human beings, we love souvenirs, pictures and objects to bring back memories. Likewise, the Torah commands us to remember.

To remember the Exodus from Egypt and to remember the Shabbat. We even have to remember what Amalek did to our people. The Word of God commands us to look at the tassels, and to remember God’s commandments. As Messianic believers, we participate in the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of our forgiveness of sins through Yeshua.

On second thought, the serpent would likely turn into an idol. I can imagine how sick people from all over the world would travel here to look at it, hoping to be healed. What makes me think this? Because this is exactly what happened in the days of our kings.

King Hezekiah understood that the brass serpent had turned into idolatry, and therefore destroyed it:

The serpent does not heal, God does. In the same way, as Messianic believers, we place God and Yeshua at the center of our lives. They alone, and nothing else. Yeshua is our healer.