Parshat Chukat « Torah Weekly « Ohr Somayach

Torah Weekly

For the week ending 5 July 2025 / 9 Tamuz 5785

Parshat Chukat

by Rabbi Yaakov Asher Sinclair - www.seasonsofthemoon.com
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Parsha Overview

The laws of the Parah Adumah, the Red Heifer, are detailed. These laws are for the ritual purification of one who comes into contact with death. After nearly 40 years in the desert, Miriam dies and is buried at Kadesh. The people complain about the loss of their water supply that until now has been provided miraculously in the merit of Miriam's righteousness. Aharon and Moshe pray for the people's welfare. Hashem commands them to gather the nation at Merivah and speak to a designated rock so that water will flow forth. Distressed by the people's lack of faith, Moshe hits the rock instead of speaking to it. He thus fails to produce the intended public demonstration of Hashem's mastery over the world, which would have resulted had the rock produced water merely at Moshe's word.

Therefore, Hashem tells Moshe and Aharon that they will not bring the people into the Land. The Jewish People resume their travels, but because the King of Edom, a descendant of Esav, denies them passage through his country, they do not travel the most direct route to Eretz Yisrael. When they reach Mount Hor, Aharon dies and his son Elazar is invested with his priestly garments and responsibilities. Aharon was beloved by all, and the entire nation mourns him for 30 days. Sichon, the Amorite, attacks Bnei Yisrael when they ask to pass through his land. As a result, Bnei Yisrael conquer the lands that Sichon had previously seized from the Amonites on the east bank of the Jordan River.

Parsha Insights

Chukat

Big, Brash, and Blonde?

“This is the (unexplainable) decree of the Torah” (19:02)

I couldn’t help thinking as I watched pictures of President Donald Trump sitting in the operations room, watching the attack on the Iranian nuclear plant at Fordo, that he epitomized the United States of America.

There he was, flanked by two flags: to his right, the Star-Spangled Banner, and to his left, the seal of the President of the United States.

On his head was America’s gift to the headwear of the world: a red baseball cap, with the slogan, “Make America Great Again.” Trump is the perfect American icon: big, brash and blonde.

And then, in his formal announcement about the bombing at the White House, President Trump said, “We love you G-d. We love our great military – protect them! G-d bless the Middle East! G-d bless Israel! And G-d bless America!”

In Genesis 12:3, Hashem said to Avraham, "I will bless those who bless you (i.e., the Jewish People) and whoever curses you, I will curse."

The Book of Daniel opens with Daniel's interpretation of Nevuchadnetzar's dream in which Nevuchadnetzar sees a great statue. The parts of this statue represent the empires that would exile the Jewish People. The head represents Babylon, the two arms represent Media and Persia, the torso represents Greece. The two feet represent Edom (Esav) and Yishmael - Christianity and Islam.

There is a basic difference between the arms and the legs. A person can function with one arm, but with one leg, he is essentially powerless.

The two final exiles work as a team and they cannot oppress the Jewish People without the co-operation and assistance of the other. So, which is it? Are Edom’s spiritual heirs, the West, the partners of Islam and its dogmatic concept of a world subjugated to Islam, or do they love Israel like President Trump?

It must have been about ten years ago that I realized that something had changed at the BBC. Suddenly, I saw reports about Muslim festivals, informing their viewers of the details of, say, Eid al-Fitr, and how this was a beautiful time of feasting, prayer, and gift-giving. It’s not that the BBC never covers Jewish Festivals, but the tone of the piece was more than informative. To my mind, it bordered on proselytizing. It smacked of a trailer for Islam 101.

Arab investors have significantly invested in the UK. For example, Qatar's sovereign wealth fund owns stakes in Barclays Bank, Sainsbury's, and Heathrow Airport, and they also own Harrods and the Ritz. The UAE has also made major investments, such as Abu Dhabi's investments in the UK's renewable energy sector. All of these investments show the strong economic connections between the Gulf states and the UK. The BBC is primarily funded by the UK television license fee and does not receive direct funding from Arab states, but there is a definite Arab bias there for all to see.

The pro-Arab tendency in British society is not new. The connection between the Brits and the Arabs goes back to the late nineteenth century, and before.

Several notable English Arabists include writer, archaeologist, and political officer Gertrude Bell, who played a significant role in the formation of modern Iraq and was deeply involved in Middle Eastern politics in the early 20th century. Harry St. John Philby, also known as Jack Philby, was an advisor to King Abdulaziz ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia. He converted to Islam in 1930 and later became an adviser to Ibn Saud, urging him to unite the Arabian Peninsula under Saudi rule. The Arab Legion in Jordan was founded and led by another Englishman, Glubb ‘Pasha,’ whose full name was John Bagot Glubb. He was instrumental in organizing and commanding the Arab Legion, which became a key part of Jordan's military forces. And of course, most famous of all was T.E. Lawrence, known as Lawrence of Arabia, who played a crucial role in fomenting the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire during World War One.

Why do the English and the Arabs have this mutual ‘love affair?’

It could be that they are so opposite – the climate and topography of Devon could not be more different than the Nedj desert – and opposites attract. Both nations place a high premium on honor.

But there is also a significant pro-Jewish strain that runs through English culture: George Eliot, Lord Palmerston, and Benjamin Disraeli, were notable philo-Semites of the 19th century, along with Sir Robert Peel, who supported Jewish emancipation, and Thomas Babington Macaulay, who spoke in favor of Jewish civil rights. Also, Charles Dickens shifted later in life toward a more positive view of the Jews. Historian Paul Johnson points out that in the First World War, just at the time when the British government was in a position to create a Jewish national home in the Middle East, the leaders or that government, including David Lloyd George were largely low-church Presbyterians who had all been brought up on a diet of Tanach. To them, the return of Israel to its Land was axiomatic.

So which is it? Is Edom, the West in a symbiotic partnership with Islam to dominate the Jews – or are they like Donald Trump who says, “May G-d bless Israel?”

The Midrash says that when Hashem was giving us the Torah, everything in the world stopped. Everything was silent. The nations of the world, fearing another giant flood, sent for Bilaam, their prophet, to ask him what was happening. Bilaam replied with the words of Psalm 29, that Hashem was not bringing a flood or destruction, but "Hashem was giving ‘Oz’ — the Torah — to His People.” To which the Nations replied, "May Hashem bless His people with peace."

If we want to ingratiate ourselves with the nations of the world, they will turn around and say, “You are not like us. You are a nation that dwells alone. (Bamidbar 23:9)”

But when we, as proud Jews, sanctify the name of the Torah, when we behave like Jews who stood at Sinai, then the whole world will put on its Donald Trump hat and proclaim, "May Hashem bless His people with peace!"

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