Daily Chumash

The entire process repeats itself once again, Balak takes Balaam to another place, hoping that Balaam can curse the Jews from there. For a third time they build altars and bring offerings, and for a third time, only blessings issue from Balaam's mouth: "How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel! ... G‑d, who has brought them out of Egypt with the strength of His loftiness...

Balak takes Balaam to another location, hoping that this new venue would be more inauspicious for the Jews. They again build altars and offer sacrifices, and again G‑d dictates blessing for the Jews which Balaam repeats. "G‑d does not look at evil in Jacob, and has seen no perversity in Israel; the L-rd, his G‑d, is with [Israel], and he has the King's friendship..."

Balaam leaves together with the Moabite dignitaries. G‑d sends an angel with a drawn sword to block Balaam's path. While Balaam couldn't see the angel, the she-donkey he was riding did, and refused to move onwards, causing Balaam to strike her. The donkey miraculously speaks, admonishing Balaam for striking her. Eventually, G‑d "opens Balaam's eyes," and he sees the angel. A conversation between B...

Balaam sent word with Balak's messengers that G‑d doesn't permit him to go with them. So Balak sent more prestigious messengers to Balaam, promising him great riches in return for his services. Once again G‑d appeared to Balaam. This time G‑d allowed Balaam to go — provided that he only speak the words which G‑d dictates to him.

The Israelites have just conquered the Emorites and the Bashanites, the two mighty neighbors of Moab . Balak, king of Moab, worries that his nation would be the Israelites' next victim. He sends messengers to the Land of Midian, to Balaam, a famed non-Jewish prophet and sorcerer, asking him to come and curse the Jews. G‑d appeared to Balaam that night and instructed him not to go to Moab. "You sha...

The abovementioned purification process is continued, along with an admonition that the impure individual not enter the Tabernacle or Temple until the purification process is completed. Miriam dies in the fortieth year of the Israelites' sojourn in the desert. With Miriam's death, the waters which flowed from the miraculous "Well of Miriam" dried up. The people complain bitterly about the lack of...

The Jews journey on, making their way towards the eastern bank of the Jordan River. Encrypted in this section is a great miracle that occurred when the Jews passed through the Arnon valley. Tall cliffs rose from both sides of this narrow valley, and in the clefts of these cliffs the Amorites, armed with arrows and rocks, were waiting to ambush the Jews. Miraculously, the mountains moved towards ea...

The Jews arrive at Mount Hor. At G‑d's command, Moses, Aaron and Aaron's son, Elazar, go up the mountain. Aaron removes his high priest's vestments and Elazar dons them. Aaron then passes away. The entire nation mourns Aaron's death for thirty days. The Amalekites, disguised as Canaanites, attack the Jews. The Jews pray to G‑d and are victorious in battle. The Jews complain about their food, claim...

G‑d tells Moses and Aaron to take a staff and gather the people in front of a certain rock. They should speak to the rock, and it will give forth water. Moses and Aaron gather everybody, and Moses strikes the rock and it gives forth water. In the course of this episode they committed a grave error, the conventional explanation being that they struck the rock instead of speaking to it. This caused...

The most severe of all ritual impurities is tum'at met, the impurity contracted through contact with a human corpse. This section details the purification process for an individual or object which has contracted this form of impurity. A red heifer is slaughtered and is burned together with a few added ingredients. Water from a stream is added to the ashes. On the third and seventh day after contra...

G‑d commands Moses to return "Aaron's staff" to the Holy of Holies , where it is to remain for perpetuity. The Jews express to Moses their fear of mistakenly entering a restricted area of the Tabernacle, and dying as a result. In response, G‑d commands the priests and the Levites to carefully guard the Tabernacle, to prevent unauthorized entry by non-priests. The Torah then lists the various gifts...

This section describes the "test of the staffs." G‑d tells Moses to take a staff from each of the twelve tribes, with the name of each tribe's prince written upon their staff. Another staff was taken to represent the tribe of Levi, and Aaron's name was written on that staff. These staffs were placed overnight in the Holy of Holies chamber of the Tabernacle. Next morning they were removed, and mira...

G‑d is angered by the Jews' association with Korach, and wishes to destroy them. Moses and Aaron pray on the Jews' behalf and the decree is averted. The earth opens up and swallows Korach and his family, and a heavenly fire consumes the rest of the 250 rebels. Moses instructs Aaron's son Elazar to retrieve the frying pans which were used for the incense offering, to flatten them and plate the alta...

Moses pleads with G‑d not to accept the incense offering of the rebellious group. Korach spends the night inciting the Jews against Moses, and gathers them all to the entrance of the Tabernacle to witness the grand spectacle. G‑d's glory appears.

Korach, Moses' first cousin, stages a rebellion against Moses and Aaron. Together with a few ringleaders, he gathers 250 men of renown and accuses Moses and Aaron of power hoarding. "The entire congregation is holy, and the L-rd is in their midst. So why do you raise yourselves above the L-rd's assembly?" They took specific issue with the appointment of Aaron as High Priest. Moses proposes that on...

The mitzvah of challah is contained in this section: when one kneads dough, a portion must be taken and given to the priest. If the Sanhedrin (rabbinic supreme court) erroneously permits an act of idolatry, and the community acts upon this permission, the Sanhedrin must bring a special sin-offering, detailed in this section.

The Jews are told that upon entering Israel an individual who pledges to bring a sacrifice must also bring an accompaniment consisting of a wine libation and a flour offering mixed with olive oil. This section continues with the rules of the aforementioned sacrifice accompaniments — detailing the quantities of wine, flour and oil to be brought with various species of livestock.

The Jewish people rejected the pleas of Joshua and Caleb, and decided to stone them. G‑d intervened, His glory appearing over the Tabernacle. G‑d informs Moses of His decision to instantaneously wipe out the Israelites in a massive plague due to their persistent lack of faith. Moses successfully invoked G‑d's mercy and pointed out that this mass execution will cause a mammoth desecration of G‑d's...

The scouts spent forty days reconnoitering the land. They returned to the Israelite encampment with specimens of Canaan's produce, and with an ominous report. They conceded that the land flowed with milk and honey, but they warned that its population was mighty and the cities well fortified and impossible to conquer. Only Caleb and Joshua, the scouts representing the tribes of Judah and Ephraim, d...

G‑d allows Moses to send scouts to reconnoiter the land of Canaan in preparation for their anticipated invasion of the land. One member of every tribe — with the exception of the tribe of Levi — was chosen for this task. Moses instructed the scouts to bring back a report regarding the nature of the land; its strengths and weaknesses. He also instructed them to bring back samples of the land's prod...

No sooner than the Jews start traveling, and they start complaining. First they complain about the "arduous" journey. Then they grumble about the manna , expressing their desire for meat. Moses turns to G‑d and insists that he cannot bear his leadership role any longer. G‑d tells Moses to gather seventy elders who will assist him in his leadership duties. He also promises to provide the Jews with...

On the first anniversary of the Exodus, the Jews are instructed to bring the Paschal Offering. Certain individuals, however, couldn't participate because they were ritually impure. These people lodged a complaint, which Moses then transmitted to G‑d. G‑d responds by designating a " Second Passover " to be observed exactly one month later. Anyone who could not offer the Paschal Offering in its prop...

On the first anniversary of the Exodus, the Jews are instructed to bring the Paschal Offering. Certain individuals, however, couldn't participate because they were ritually impure. These people lodged a complaint, which Moses then transmitted to G‑d. G‑d responds by designating a " Second Passover " to be observed exactly one month later. Anyone who could not offer the Paschal Offering in its prop...

The exact prescribed initiation procedure is followed, and the Levites are consecrated to G‑d — in stead of the firstborn who lost their hallowed status when they participated in the sin of the Golden Calf. Towards the end of this section we learn the Levite service age-requirements and retirement age.

G‑d commands Aaron to light the golden Tabernacle Menorah on a daily basis. Moses is then commanded to initiate the Levites into Tabernacle service. This inauguration procedure included shaving their bodies, immersion in a mikvah, and the offering of certain sacrifices.