Chukat-Balak

The sixth section of the Book of Numbers opens with the law (or “rule,” chukat, in Hebrew) governing the process of purification from the state of ritual defilement that a person contracts through contact with a human corpse. After this, the Torah’s narra...

"זאת חקת התורה...ויקחו אליך פרה אדמה" “This is the statute of Torah...and they shall take to you a red heifer.” (19:2) QUESTION: Why does it say “Zot chukat haTorah” — “This is the statute of the Torah” — instead of “Zot chukat parah adumah” — “This is th...

The opening section of the Torah portion Chukas describes the purification ritual of the Parah Adumah , the Red Heifer, one of the foremost suprarational commandments — Chukim — of the Torah. At the beginning of the portion, the verse says:Bamidbar 19:2. ...

The Torah portion of Chukas takes its name from the word chukas , supra-rational Divine decree, that appears at the outset of this portion in reference to the laws of the Red Heifer. The word chukas itself is etymologically related to chakikah , to engrav...

1. An interesting observation about Parshat, Balak and the preceding two, Chukat and Korach, is that they all have the letter kuf (ק) in the name. Korach in the beginning (קרח). Chukat in the middle (חקת) and Balak at the end (בלק). The significance of th...

1. The Torah consists of 613 mitzvot — positive and negative commandments. Primarily they are divided into three categories: eidut — Testimonial laws — such as Shabbat, tefillin and circumcision, chukim — statutes (decrees) — laws that are not understanda...

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Why is it that just as we are about to reach a long sought-after goal, we falter in those final moments?

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He would guzzle down my mother’s delicacies, spilling some on our pristine white tablecloth.