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The summary of the entire Torah is as simple as this:
Love what HaShem loves; hate what HaShem hates.
All else is commentary.
בּמִדְבּר • B'midbar
(“In the Wilderness”)
The Fourth Book of Moses,
Commonly Called
Numbers
פָּרָשָׁה חֻקַּת
Parsha 39: Chukat • Continued
e. The Defeat of Arad (21:1-3)
1 When the Kena'aniCanaanite king of ‘Arad [MAP], who lived in the Negevsouth [MAP], heard that Isra'el was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked Isra'el and took some of them prisoner. 2 Isra'el vowed a vow to ADONAI, and said, “If you will indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.” 3 ADONAI listened to the voice of Isra'el, and delivered up the Kena'anis;[GN] and they utterly destroyed them and their cities. They named the place Hormahחָרְמָה (khor-maw');devotion, asylum.
f. The Bronze snake (21:4-9)
4 They traveled from Mount Hor [MAP] on the road toward the Sea of Suf in order to go around the land of Edom [MAP]; but the people’s tempers grew short because of the detour. 5 The people spoke out against God and against Moshe: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There’s no real food, there’s no water, and we’re sick of this disgusting stuff we’re eating!”
(LY: vi) 6 In response, ADONAI sent poisonous snakes among the people; they bit the people and many people of Isra'el died. 7 The people came to Moshe and said, “We have sinned by speaking against ADONAI and against you. Pray to ADONAI that he rid us of these snakes.” So Moshe prayed for the people.
8 ADONAI told Moshe, “Make a poisonous snake and put it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten
sees it, he will live.”
9 Moshe made a bronze snake and put
it on the pole. If a snake had bitten someone, then when he looked at the bronze
snake he stayed alive.
g. The Journey to Moab (21:10-20)
10 The people of Isra'el traveled on and encamped at Ovot. [MAP] 11 They traveled from Ovot, and encamped at ‘Iyei-Ha‘avarim [MAP] in the desert fronting Mo’av on the east. 12 From there they traveled on and camped in Wadi Zered [MAP]. 13 They traveled on from there and camped on the other side of the Arnon River, [MAP] which is in the desert that extends into the Emori Amorite territory. Now the Arnon is the border between Mo’av [MAP] and the Emori.[GN] 14 That is why it says in The Book of the Wars of ADONAI, “Vahev at Sufah, the vadis of Arnon, 15 and the slope of the vadis extending as far as the site of ‘Ar, which lie next to the territory of Mo’av.”
16 From there they went on to Be'erwell [MAP]; that is the well about which ADONAI said to Moshe, “Assemble the people, and I will give them water.”
17 Then Isra'el sang this song:
“Spring up, well! Sing to the well,
dug by the people’s leaders
with the scepter,
with their staffs.”
From the desert they went to Mattanahgift of ADONAI [MAP], from Mattanah to Nachali’eltorrents of God [MAP]; from Nahaliel to Bamot"high places" or "great high place" [MAP], 20 and from Bamot to the valley by the plain of Mo’av at the beginning of the Pisgah range [MAP], where it overlooks the desert.
h. The Defeat of Sihon (21:21-30)
(RY: iv; LY: vii) 21 Isra'el sent messengers to Sichon, king of the Emori, with this message, 22 “Let us pass through your land. We won’t turn aside into fields or vineyards and we won’t drink any water from the wells. We will stay on the King’s Highway [MAP], until we have passed your territory.”
23 Sichon would not allow Isra'el to pass through his border, but Sichon gathered all his people together, and went out against Isra'el into the wilderness, and came to Jahaz. [MAP] He fought against Isra'el. 24 Isra'el defeated him by force of arms and took control of his land from the Arnon to the Yabok River [MAP], clear to the people of 'Amon, [MAP] because the territory of the people of 'Amon was well defended. 25 Isra'el took all these cities: Isra'el lived in all the cities of the Emori, in Heshbon and all its towns. 26 Heshbon was the city of Sichon, king of the Emori, who had fought against the former king of Mo’av and conquered all his land up to the Arnon. 27 This is why the storytellers say,
“Come to Heshbon! Let it be reubilt!
Let the Sichon’s city be restored!
28 “For a fire burst out of Heshbon,
a flame from the city of Sichon.
It consumed 'Ar of Mo'av,
the lords of Arnon’s high places.
You are destroyed, people of K'mosh!
He let his sons be fugitives and his daughters captives
of Sichon, king of the Emori.
Heshbon is destroyed all the way to Divon.
We even laid waste even to Nofach,
Which extends as far Meidva.”
i. The Defeat of Og (21:31-35)
31 Thus Isra'el lived in the land of the Emori.
32 After Moshe had sent spies to Ya'zer, [MAP]; Isra'el captured its villages and drove out the Emori who were there. 33 Then they turned and went up the road to Bashan; [MAP] and 'Og, the king of Bashan, marched out against them with his whole army to to battle at Edre'i. [MAP]
(LY: Maftir) 34 But ADONAI said to Moshe, “Don’t be afraid of him, for I have handed him over to you, with all his people and his land. You are to do to him just as you did to Sichon, king of the Emori, who lived at Heshbon.”
35 So they struck him down, along with his sons and all his whole army, until there were no survivors; and they took possession of his land.
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ANXIOUSLY WATCHING FOR MASHIACH’S RETURN,
SPEEDILY AND IN OUR DAY. MARANA, TA!
