Here is a list of good discussions of this weeks Parasha, Parasha Chukat. This is the portion which discusses the mysterious ritual involving the Red Cow. The Red Cow commandments are some of the most obvious Chukim {Laws for which we have no rational explanation}. Even King Solomon was not able to understand the dichotomy posed by the purification ritual.
The parasha also contains the stories of both Miriam and Aarons deaths. Upon Miriams death the well of Miriam dries up and Moses is commanded to SPEAK TO THE ROCK and instead ends up HITTING THE ROCK which makes Hashem angry at Moshe. Moshe is then told he will not be permitted to enter the land... When Aaron dies the CLOUDS OF GLORY leave the Israelite camp...
Parasha in a Nutshell
Moses is taught the laws of the red heifer, whose ashes purify a person who has been contaminated by contact with a dead body.
After forty years of journeying through the desert, the people of Israel arrive in the wilderness of Zin. Miriam dies, and the people thirst for water. G‑d tells Moses to speak to a rock and command it to give water. Moses gets angry at the rebellious Israelites and strikes the stone. Water issues forth, but Moses is told by G‑d that neither he nor Aaron will enter the Promised Land.
Aaron dies at Hor Hahar and is succeeded in the high priesthood by his son Elazar. Venomous snakes attack the Israelite camp after yet another eruption of discontent in which the people “speak against G‑d and Moses”; G‑d tells Moses to place a brass serpent upon a high pole, and all who will gaze heavenward will be healed. The people sing a song in honor of the miraculous well that provided them water in the desert.
Moses leads the people in battles against the Emorite kings Sichon and Og (who seek to prevent Israel’s passage through their territory) and conquers their lands, which lie east of the Jordan.
http://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/2959/jewish/Chukat-in-a-Nutshell.htm
Here is a guy reading Rabbi Binyamin Kahanes thoughts on this Parasha.
http://www.ravkooktorah.org/CHUKAT63.htmChukat: Beyond Human Logic
Even King Solomon, renown for his great wisdom, failed to understand it. "I thought I would attain wisdom," he admitted, "but it is distant from me" (Ecclesiates 7:23).
What was it that eluded his powerful intellect? The Talmud in Nidah 9a explains that Solomon was referring to the Parah Adumah, the red heifer whose ashes were used for ritual purification. The inner meaning of this ritual is uniquely profound, beyond the grasp of the human intellect.
Why is this mitzvah so intellectually challenging?
Here is the G-dcast animated presentation of the Parasha concerning the episode of the snakes.
Topic: Video Study for Parasha Chukat (Read 3972 times)