Xukat (Numbers 19:1 – 22:1)

Xukat, literally "the law of", is thus named because it begins with the command of a special law of purification.

The portion begins with a command to take a red heifer, with no blemish and on which no yoke has even been laid. The heifer is to be burned by Elazar the priest, and its ashes are to be used in order to purify the Israelites from the impurity caused by being near a dead body. The laws concerning this impurity are given, and are especially important because no one impure is allowed to enter the Temple. The Israelites continue their desert journey, and we hear that Miriam, the sister of Moses, died. The people then complain that they have no water, and God commands Moses to speak to the rock, together with Aaron, and bring water out of it. Moses then defies God's commandment, and rather than speaking to the rock, hits it with his stick, while calling the people rebels. Moses and Aaron are punished by God for defying his command, which was intended to make the water coming out of the rock appear more impressive and convince the people of God's power. They are told that they will not be the ones to bring the Israelites into the Promised Land.

Moses then sends a message to the king of Edom, asking to pass through his land and promising to go only on the main road and pay for any water the Israelites might drink on the way. The Edomites refuse and wage war against the Israelites, who retreat.

The Israelites then arrive at Hor HaHar. Moses, Aaron and his sons are commanded to go up to the mountain, where Aaron's son Elazar is to be dressed with Aaron's clothes, and Aaron then dies there. The Israelites mourn Aaron for thirty days.

The Canaanites then wage war against the Israelites, who with God's help defeat the Canaanites and destroy their cities. The people then continue their journey, and become impatient on the way. God punishes them with snakes, and the people realize their sin and repent. Moses prays to god, who instructs him to make a bronze serpent. All those who look up at this serpent are cured from the snake bites. We then hear of more stops in the Israelite's journey, one of which includes the digging of a well about which the people sang praise.

After this, the Israelites send messengers to the Emorites, hoping that they will allow them to pass through their land, but the Emorites refuse and wage war against them. The Israelites conquer the entire Emorite country.