Shabbat Shalom!
Welcome to Chukat / Statute or Decree, Balak, One Who Lays Waste - this week’s Torah reading


Prophecy 5, 131, 132;
Numbers 19:1 - 25:9;
Micah 5:6-6:8;
Matthew 21:1-11;



Numbers 19:1 - 25:9

1 And YAHUVEH spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
2 This is the statute of the law which YAHUVEH has commanded, saying, Speak to the sons of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer, without blemish, in which there is no blemish, on which no yoke ever came.
3 And you shall give her to Eleazar the priest, and she shall be brought forth outside the camp; and she shall be slaughtered before his face.
4 And Eleazar the priest shall take of her blood with his finger, and shall sprinkle of her blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times.
5 And the heifer shall be burned before his eyes; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood with her dung, shall be burned.
6 And the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop and scarlet, and shall cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer.
7 Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he may come into the camp; and the priest shall be unclean until the evening.
8 And he that burned her shall wash his clothes in water, and shall bathe his flesh in water, and shall be unclean until the evening.
9 And a man that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and shall lay them up outside the camp in a clean place. And it shall be kept for the congregation of the sons of Israel for a water of impurity; it is a sin offering.
10 And he that gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and shall be unclean until the evening; and it shall be to the sons of Israel, and to the stranger that lives among them, for a never ending statute.
11 He that touches the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days.
12 He shall cleanse himself for it on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean. And if he does not cleanse himself on the third day, then on the seventh day he shall not be clean.
13 Anyone who touches the dead body, the body of a man who dies, and does not cleanse himself, he shall have defiled the tabernacle of YAHUVEH; and that person shall be cut off from Israel, for the water of impurity shall not be sprinkled upon him. He shall be unclean; his uncleanness shall be still on him.
14 This is the law when a man dies in a tent: Everyone who comes into the tent, and all that is in the tent, shall be unclean seven days.
15 And every open vessel which has no covering of thread on it shall be unclean.
16 And whoever in the open field touches one that has been pierced with a sword, or one that has died of himself, or the bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.
17 And for the unclean they shall take the ashes of the burning of the sin offering, and living water in a vessel shall be put on it.
18 And a clean person shall take hyssop, and shall dip it in the water, and shall sprinkle it upon the tent, and upon all the vessels, and upon the persons that were there, and upon him that touched the bone, or the slain, or the dead, or the grave.
19 And the clean person shall sprinkle on the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he shall purify himself; and he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at evening.
20 But the man that shall be unclean, and shall not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from the midst of the congregation, because he has defiled the sanctuary of YAHUVEH; the water for impurity has not been sprinkled on him; he shall be unclean.
21 And it shall be a continual statute to them; and he that sprinkles the water of impurity shall wash his clothes; and he that touches the water of sprinkling shall be unclean until evening.
22 And whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean; and the soul that touches it shall be unclean until evening.

*~Numbers Chapter 20 ~*


1 And the sons of Israel, even the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month; and the people remained in Kadesh. And Miriam died there, and was buried there.
2 And there was no water for the congregation, and they were gathered against Moses, and against Aaron.
3 And the people contended with Moses, and spoke, saying, Oh that we had died when our brothers died before YAHUVEH!
4 And, why have you brought the assembly of YAHUVEH to this wilderness to die there, we and our animals?
5 And, why have you brought us up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place, not a place of seed, nor fig, nor vine, nor pomegranate; and there is no water to drink?
6 And Moses and Aaron went in from the eyes of the assembly, to the door of the tent of meeting; and fell on their faces. And the glory of YAHUVEH appeared to them.
7 And YAHUVEH spoke to Moses, saying,
8 Take the rod, and assemble the congregation, you and your brother Aaron. And speak to the rock before their eyes. And it shall give forth its water; and you shall bring water out of the rock to them; so you shall water the congregation and their animals.
9 And Moses took the rod from before YAHUVEH, as He commanded him.
10 And Moses and Aaron assembled the congregation before the rock. And he said to them, Hear now, you rebels, shall we bring forth water to you out of this rock?
11 And Moses lifted up his hand and smote the rock with his rod twice; and much water came out; and the congregation and their animals drank.
12 And YAHUVEH said to Moses and Aaron, Because you did not believe in Me, to sanctify Me before the eyes of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring in this congregation to the land which I have given to them.
13 These are the Waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel contended with YAHUVEH, and He was sanctified among them.
14 And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom: So says your brother Israel, You surely have known all the travail which has found us;
15 that our fathers went down to Egypt, and we lived in Egypt many days, and the Egyptians did evil to us and to our fathers.
16 And we cried to YAHUVEH, and He heard our voice, and sent a messenger, and is bringing us out of Egypt; and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your border.
17 Please let us pass over, through your land; we shall not pass over through a field, nor through a vineyard, nor shall we drink water of a well; we shall go along the king’s highway. We will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left, until we have passed your border.
18 And Edom said to him, You shall not pass through me, lest I come out with the sword against you.
19 And the sons of Israel said to him, We shall go in the highway; and if we drink of your waters, our cattle and us, then I shall give their price. Only let me pass through on my feet; there shall be no speech.
20 And he said, You shall not pass through. And Edom came out against him with many people, and with a strong hand.
21 And Edom refused to allow Israel to pass over through his border. And Israel turned away from him.
22 And the sons of Israel, the whole congregation, pulled up stakes from Kadesh and came in to Mount Hor.
23 And YAHUVEH spoke to Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor, on the edge of the land of Edom, saying,
24 Aaron shall be gathered to his people, for he shall not go into the land which I have given to the sons of Israel, because you rebelled against My mouth at the Waters of Strife.
25 Take Aaron and his son Eleazar, and cause them to go up to Mount Hor;
26 and strip Aaron of his garments, and you shall put them on his son Eleazar. And Aaron shall be gathered and shall die there.
27 And Moses did as YAHUVEH had commanded; and they went up to Mount Hor before the eyes of all the congregation.
28 And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and clothed his son Eleazar with them. And Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. And Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain.
29 And all the congregation saw that Aaron had died, and they mourned Aaron thirty days, all the house of Israel.

*~Numbers Chapter 21 ~*


1 And King Arad the Canaanite, who lived in the south, heard that Israel had come the Way of Spies; and he fought against Israel, and took some of them captive.
2 And Israel vowed a vow to YAHUVEH, and said, If giving You give this people into my hand, then I will exterminate their cities.
3 And YAHUVEH listened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities; and the name of the place was called Hormah.
4 And they pulled up stakes from Mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the soul of the people became impatient because of the way.
5 And the people spoke against ELOHIM, and against Moses, Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, and there is no water; and our soul hates this light bread.
6 And YAHUVEH sent the Seraphaim in the form of serpents among the people; and they bit the people, and many people of Israel died.
7 And the people came in to Moses and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against YAHUVEH, and against you. Pray to YAHUVEH, and He shall turn the serpent away from us. And Moses prayed on behalf of the people.
8 And YAHUVEH spoke to Moses, Make yourself a Seraph, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that when anyone is bitten, when he sees it, he shall live.
9 And Moses made a serpent of bronze and put it on a pole; and it happened, if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.
10 And the sons of Israel pulled up stakes and encamped in Oboth.
11 And they pulled up stakes from Oboth, and camped in Ijeabarim, in the wilderness that is before Moab, toward the rising of the sun.
12 From there they pulled up stakes and camped in the valley of Zered.
13 From there they pulled up stakes and camped beyond Arnon, which is in the wilderness that comes out of the border of the Amorite; for Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorite;
14 therefore, it is said in the Book of the Wars of YAHUVEH: Waheb in Suphah, the torrents of Arnon,
15 and the slope of the torrent-beds that turn down toward the site of Ar, and lean on the border of Moab.
16 And from there they went to Beer; that is the well of which YAHUVEH spoke to Moses, saying, Gather the people and I will give water to them.
17 Then Israel sang this song: Spring up, O well, sing to it;
18 The well which the rulers dug, which the nobles of the people dug with their staves, at the word of the Lawgiver. And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah.
19 And from Mattanah they went to Nahaliel; and from Nahaliel to Bamoth;
20 and from Bamoth in the valley which is in the field of Moab to the top of Pisgah, and looking toward the wilderness.
21 And Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying,
22 Let me pass through your land; we will not turn into a field or into a vineyard; we will not drink waters of a well; we will go in the king’s highway until we have passed over your border.
23 And Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his border. And Sihon gathered all his people and went out to meet Israel in the wilderness, and they came to Jahaz and fought against Israel.
24 And Israel struck him by the mouth of the sword and seized his land, from Arnon to Jabbok, to the sons of Ammon. For the border of the sons of Ammon was strong.
25 And Israel took all these cities. And Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorite, in Heshbon and in all its daughter villages.
26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites. And he had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken his land out of his hand, to Arnon.
27 On account of this the parable speakers say, Come to Heshbon! Let the city of Sihon be built and established!
28 For a fire has gone out of Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon; it has consumed Ar of Moab, the lords of the high places of Arnon.
29 Woe to you, Moab! You are undone, O people of Chemosh! He has given his sons as fugitives and his daughters into captivity, to Sihon king of the Amorites.
30 We have cast them down; Heshbon has perished, even to Dibon; and we have ravaged even to Nophah, which is to Medeba.
31 And Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites.
32 And Moses sent to spy out Jaazer, and they took its villages and drove out the Amorite who was there.
33 And they turned and went the way of Bashan. And Og king of Bashan came out to meet them, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei.
34 And YAHUVEH said to Moses, Do not fear him, for I have given him into your hand, and all his people and his land. And you shall do to him as you have done to Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon.
35 And they struck him and his sons and all his people until he did not have a remnant left. And they seized his land.

*~Numbers Chapter 22 ~*


1 And the sons of Israel pulled up stakes and camped on the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan, by Jericho.
2 And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.
3 And Moab greatly feared because of the people, for it was many. And Moab was vexed by the presence of the sons of Israel.
4 And Moab said to the elders of Midian, Now this assembly is licking up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time.
5 And he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor which is beside the River of the land of the sons of his people, to call for him, saying, Behold! A people has come out of Egypt. Behold! it has covered the eye of the earth, and it is sitting next to me.
6 And now please come, curse this people for me, for it is stronger than I. Perhaps I will prevail, that we may strike them, that I may drive them out from the land. For I know that whoever you bless is blessed, and whoever you curse is cursed.
7 And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian left with the rewards of the seer in their hand. And they came to Balaam and spoke the words of Balak to him.
8 And he said to them, Stay here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, even as YAHUVEH may speak to me. And the leaders of Moab stayed with Balaam.
9 And ELOHIM came to Balaam and said, Who are these men with you?
10 And Balaam said to ELOHIM, Balak the son of Zippor king of Moab has sent to me,
11 saying, Behold, a people has come out of Egypt which covers the eye of the earth. Now come, curse them for me; perhaps I will be able to overcome it and drive it out.
12 And ELOHIM said to Balaam, You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people, for it is blessed.
13 And Balaam rose in the morning and said to the leaders of Balak. Go to your land, for YAHUVEH has refused to allow me to go with you.
14 And the leaders of Moab rose up and came to Balak. And they said, Balaam refuses to come with us.
15 And Balak sent yet again, more leaders and more honorable than they.
16 And they came to Balaam and said to him, So says Balak the son of Zippor, Please do not be hindered from coming to me,
17 for I will honor you with very much riches; and all that you say to me I will do. And please come, curse this people for me.
18 And Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, If Balak would give to me his house full of gold and silver, I could not go beyond the mouth of YAHUVEH my ELOHIM, to do anything, small or great.
19 And now you also please stay here tonight. And I shall know what more YAHUVEH may speak to me.
20 And ELOHIM came to Balaam at night and said to him, If the men have come to call you, rise up, go with them and say only the thing that I speak to you; it you shall do.
21 And Balaam rose up in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the chiefs of Moab.
22 And the anger of ELOHIM glowed because he went. And the Messenger of YAHUVEH set Himself in the road, as a foe against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and two of his young men with him.
23 And the donkey saw the Messenger of YAHUVEH standing in the road, and His sword was drawn in His hand. And the donkey turned out of the road and went into a field. And Balaam struck the donkey, to turn it back into the road.
24 And the Messenger of YAHUVEH stood in a narrow path of the vine-yards, a wall being on this side and a wall on that.
25 And the donkey saw the Messenger of YAHUVEH, and she pushed herself to the wall and crushed the foot of Balaam against the wall. And again he struck her.
26 And again the Messenger of YAHUVEH passed on and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn, either to the right or to the left.
27 And the donkey saw the Messenger of YAHUVEH, and she lay down under Balaam. And the anger of Balaam glowed, and he struck the donkey with his staff.
28 And YAHUVEH opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?
29 And Balaam said to the donkey, Because you have insulted me. If only there were a sword in my hand now I would kill you.
30 And the donkey said to Balaam, Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Was I ever known to do so to you? And he said, No.
31 And YAHUVEH opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the Messenger of YAHUVEH standing in the road with His sword drawn in His hand. And he bowed and fell on his face.
32 And the Messenger of YAHUVEH said to him, Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out as an enemy because your way is contrary to Me.
33 And the donkey saw Me and turned aside before Me these three times. If she had not turned aside surely now I would have killed you and saved her alive.
34 And Balaam said to the Messenger of YAHUVEH, I have sinned, for I did not know that You stood against me in the way. Now if evil is in Your eyes, I will turn back by myself.
35 And the Messenger of YAHUVEH said to Balaam, Go with the men. But only the word that I speak to you, it you shall speak. And Balaam went with the leaders of Balak.
36 And when Balak heard that Balaam had come, and had gone out to meet him, to a city of Moab which is on the border of Arnon, which is in the outermost border,
37 then Balak said to Balaam, Sending, did I not send to you, to call for you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not truly able to honor you?
38 And Balaam said to Balak, Behold, I have come to you. Now am I able to speak anything at all? The word which ELOHIM puts in my mouth that I will speak.
39 And Balaam went with Balak. And they came to Kirjath-Huzoth.
40 And Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam and to the leaders who were with him.
41 And it happened in the morning, and Balak took Balaam and caused him to go up to the high places of Baal. And from there he saw the edge of the people.

*~Numbers Chapter 23 ~*


1 And Balaam said to Balak, Build seven altars for me here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.
2 And Balak did as Balaam had spoken. And Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on the altar.
3 And Balaam said to Balak, Station yourself by your burnt offering, and I will go on; it may be that YAHUVEH will come to meet me, and I will declare to you the things which He reveals to me. And he went to a high place.
4 And ELOHIM came to Balaam, and he said to Him, I have set up seven altars. And I have offered a bull and a ram on the altar.
5 And YAHUVEH put a word in Balaam’s mouth, and said, Return to Balak, and you shall say this.
6 And he returned to him. And, lo, he was standing by his burnt offering, he and all the leaders of Moab.
7 And he took up his parable and said, He has led me from Aram, Balak king of Moab; from the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse Jacob for me; and, come, rage at Israel.
8 How shall I curse him whom El has not cursed? And how shall I rage at him at whom YAHUVEH has not raged?
9 For from the top of the rocks I see him, and I behold him from the heights. Behold, it is a people that shall dwell alone and not be reckoned among the nations.
10 Who can count Jacob’s dust, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!
11 And Balak said to Balaam, What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and lo you have surely blessed.
12 And he replied and said, Must not I take heed to speak what YAHUVEH has put in my mouth?
13 And Balak said to him, Now come with me to another place where you will see it; only you will see its edge and shall not see all of it; and curse it for me there.
14 And he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on the altar.
15 And he said to Balak, Station yourself by the burnt offering while I go to meet Him over there.
16 And YAHUVEH met Balaam and put a word in his mouth and said, Return to Balak, and say this.
17 And he came to him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt offering, and Moab’s chiefs with him. And he said to him, What has YAHUVEH spoken?
18 And he took up his parable and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; give ear to me, son of Zippor.
19 El is not a man that He should lie, or a son of man that He should repent. Has He said, and shall He not do it? And has He spoken, and shall He not make it good?
20 Behold, I have received word to bless; yes, He has blessed; I cannot reverse it.
21 He has seen no iniquity in Jacob, nor has He seen mischief in Israel. YAHUVEH his ELOHIM is with him, and the shout of a king is in him.
22 El who brought them out of Egypt is for him like the lofty horns of the wild ox.
23 For there is not a spell against Jacob, nor any fortune telling against Israel. Now it is said of Jacob and Israel, See what El has done!
24 Behold, the people shall rise like a lioness and like a lion he shall lift himself up; he shall not lie down until he eats the prey and drinks the blood of the slain.
25 And Balak said to Balaam, Do not curse it at all, nor bless it at all.
26 And Balaam answered and said to Balak, Did I not speak to you, saying, All that YAHUVEH speaks, that I will do?
27 And Balak said to Balaam, Come, please, I will take you to another place. It may be that it will be right in the eyes of ELOHIM to curse it for me from there.
28 And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which looks toward the wilderness.
29 And Balaam said to Balak, Build seven altars for me here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.
30 And Balak did as Balaam said; and he offered a bull and a ram on the altar.

*~Numbers Chapter 24 ~*


1 And Balaam saw that it pleased YAHUVEH to bless Israel, and he did not go, as at other times to seek spells. And he set his face toward the wilderness.
2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping, by its tribes. And the Spirit of ELOHIM was on him.
3 And he took up his parable and said, The saying of Balaam the son of Beor, and the saying of the man whose eyes have been opened;
4 the saying of him who hears the Words of ELOHIM, who sees the vision of the Almighty (Shaddai), fallen down, yet with open eyes:
5 How good are your tents, O Jacob, your dwellings, O Israel!
6 They are spread out like valleys, like gardens by a river; and YAHUVEH has planted aloes, as cedars beside the water.
7 He makes water flow from his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters; his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom exalted.
8 ELOHIM who has brought him out of Egypt is for him like the lofty horns of the wild ox; he shall eat up the nations that are his foes, and shall break their bones in pieces, and shall pierce them through with his arrows.
9 He has crouched; he has lain down like a lion, and like a lioness; who shall rouse him up? Blessed is everyone that blesses you, and cursed is everyone that curses you.
10 And Balak’s anger glowed against Balaam, and he struck his hands together. And Balak said to Balaam, I called you to curse my enemies; and, behold, you have altogether blessed them these three times.
11 And now, flee to your place. I said to honor you with great riches, but, behold, YAHUVEH has kept you back from honor.
12 And Balaam said to Balak, Did I not speak to your messengers that you sent to me, saying,
13If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the mouth of YAHUVEH, to do good or bad of my own heart. What YAHUVEH speaks, that I will speak.
14 And now, behold, I go to my people. Come, and I will counsel you what this people shall do to your people in the latter days.
15 And he took up his parable and said, The saying of Balaam the son of Beor, and the saying of the man whose eyes are opened;
16 the saying of him who hears the words of El, and he knowing the knowledge of the Most High who sees the vision of the Almighty (Shaddai), falling down, yet with open eyes:
17 I shall see him, but not now; I shall behold him, but not near. A star leads forth out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel and shall dash the corners of Moab, and break down all the sons of tumult.
18 And Edom shall be a possession; and Seir shall be a possession, for his foes; but Israel shall do mightily.
19 And one out of Jacob shall rule, and will destroy the survivors from Ar.
20 And he looked upon Amalek, and took up his parable and said, Amalek was the first of the nations, but his latter end is to destruction forever.
21 And he looked upon the Kenites, and took up his parable, and said, Your dwelling place may be enduring, and your nest may be set in a rock.
22 But the Kenites shall be consumed, until Assyria shall carry you away.
23 And he took up his parable and said, Alas! Who shall live when El does this?
24 And ships shall come from the coast of Cyprus, and they shall humble Assyria, and they shall humble Eber, and he also shall come to destruction forever.
25 And Balaam rose up and left, and returned to his place; and Balak also went on his way.

*~Numbers Chapter 25 ~*


1 And Israel lived in Shittim. And the people began to fornicate with the daughters of Moab.
2 And they called the people to the sacrifices of their Elohims. And the people ate and bowed themselves to their Elohims.
3 And Israel was joined to Baal-Peor, and the anger of YAHUVEH burned against Israel.
4 And YAHUVEH said to Moses, Take all the leaders of the people and hang them up to YAHUVEH before the sun, that the fierce anger of YAHUVEH may be turned away from Israel.
5 And Moses said to the judges of Israel, Each one of you kill his men, those who joined to Baal-Peor.
6 And, behold! A man of the sons of Israel came and brought in to his brothers a woman of Midian, before the eyes of Moses and before the eyes of all the congregation of the sons of Israel groaning at the door of the tent of meeting.
7 And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw. And he rose from amidst the congregation and took a javelin in his hand,
8 and went in after the man of Israel, into the tent room. And he pierced both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman, through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the sons of Israel.
9 And those that died by the plague were twenty four thousand.