Parashat Chukat-Balak

Worlds are created -- and destroyed -- through words.

The famed red heifer is a key part of a biblical purification process. But why do we need laws to create a system of purity and impurity in the first place?

A closer look at Moses's sister.

The story of King Balak and Balaam demonstrates that truly seeing others is what allows fears to dispel.

Miriam's death should motivate us to recognize people today who provide nurture and support.

The prophet Balaam's curse, which becomes a blessing, is a reflection of the relationship between God and the Israelites.

What Balaam's donkey and under-represented minorities have in common.

We cannot slip into loopholes and forego responsibility.

How to learn from biblical nature imagery.

Pinchas saw the relationship of an Israelite and a Midianite as a curse--but perhaps he, like Balaam, could have turned it into a blessing.

Moses' frustration and fatigue were no excuse for his refusal to accept the people's cry for help.

Balak intuited an important truth about the Israelites: Their strength was spiritual, not military.

Because of his position of leadership, Moses is judged extremely harshly when he sins.

The Israelites' dwellings in the wilderness provide us with a model for ensuring the existence and dignity of housing for all members of society.

Like Balaam, we should open our eyes to seeing the problematic paths we take in life.

Miriam, whose death is recorded in Parashat Chukat, embodied the honor and glory of the women of Israel.

Comparing Moses to Yiftah raises questions about when we should be people of speech and when we should be people of action.

Balaam's death by sword at the hands of the Israelites is ironic retribution for his verbal power over them.

Though we may challenge the severity of Moses' and Aaron's punishment, we affirm sacredness by trying to comprehend it.

Unlike Jewish prophets, Balaam was merely a mouthpiece for the word of God, not an active participant.

Our actions and our words must be in line with one another.

How to send environmental problems down the drain.

The Torah law about the red heifer was given because it anticipated the temporal nature and limitation of what Miriam had to offer.

He came to curse, and ended up reciting a blessing so beautiful it is prominent in our liturgy.

Jewish sources suggest tears and tzedakah [charity] as two modern replacements for the Red Heifer.

Moses' fatal flaw is his inability to wean his people from their dependence on him.

Unlike Abraham, Bil'am failed to examine his own prayers and intentions, attributing their failure to his location of prayer.

Were the Canaanites the nation of Amalek?

Talking about the death and burial of those who came before us can also make it a bit easier to talk about the mortality of those close to us.

Jealousy can paralyze us and force us to define ourselves by another person's successes.

Just as words can push people apart, so too can they bring us closer.

In his anger, Moses uses a destructive label for his people in public.

The stabbing.

Balak: A resource for families

Chukat: A resource for families

Slaughtering the red heifer.

Learn more about the weekly Torah portion.

Learn more about the weekly Torah portion.

Numbers 22:2-25:9

Numbers 19:1-22:1