The parasha of Chukkat, at least chapter 20 onwards, is set forty years after the Exodus from Egypt. Thirty-eight years have passed since the spies in last week’s Sedra prompted the lack of faith and belief in the entire community and the doubt that God would lead them into the Promised Land. The result was that the entire generation would have to die out before they entered the land.
The opening of this week’s Sedra deals with the laws concerning the Red Heifer and the ritual to overcome impurity. Then we move to the incredibly brief report of the death of Miriam the prophet: “The whole community of the Children of Israel came to the wilderness of Zin, in the first month. The people dwelt in Kadesh. Miriam died there and was buried there”. (Numbers 20.1)
Immediately after that the text continues: “There was no water for the community, and the people gathered against Moses and Aaron.” They quarrelled with Moses and challenged him, as they have done before, about the wilderness being a wretched place, with no food and “there is no water to drink”.
The obvious link is that this is because of the connection between Miriam and water. Miriam’s first appearance in Torah is in the story of Moses as a baby in the basket in the Nile. Since then, Miriam is associated with water. She leads the women in song and dance at the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, and she appears to be the reason that the Israelites had water while she was alive. Hence the interpretation by Rashi and others that for 40 years they had a well of water because of the merit of Miriam. When she died the water dried up. That’s why Torah tells us immediately: “there was no water for the community”.
There appears to be no mourning period for Miriam. Then Moses is told by God to take the rod (which he has used for the plagues and other signs) and to order the rock to produce water. Then enough water will be produced for the people and their animals. Moses and Aaron gather the people and Moses says: “Listen you rebels! Shall we get water for you out of this rock?” He then raises his hand and strikes the rock twice with the rod – which is counter to what he had been instructed by God.
It is interesting to note that the word for rebels (Morim) is written the same way as Miriam and this is the only place he calls them rebels in this way, although he calls them stiff-necked and rebellious in other places. Is the use of this term a link to show us his grief at the death of his sister? He has certainly not had a chance to grieve and mourn but has been sent straight into the arena to provide water for the Israelites, at precisely the time he is missing his sister and needs some space.
So, it is not surprising that he may have been angry but there appears to be no compassion or leeway from God. Because Moses and Aaron did not sanctify God by speaking to the rock, they are to be punished by not being allowed to enter the Promised Land. On one level, this seems to be the punishment of Aaron and Moses but at the same time it is also about the death of the old leadership, the team of two brothers and a sister, that brought the Israelites out of Egypt. Miriam dies and later this chapter, so does her brother Aaron.
The Israelites reach Mount Hor and Aaron is gathered to his people and the people cry (and mourn) for Aaron for thirty days. This is the reason that we have the period of Sheloshim, thirty days of mourning. It is a contrast to the death of Miriam. Is it because Aaron was the High Priest? Either way, they do mourn for Aaron until they move on.
Moses doesn’t die yet, but he is told he will not live to bring the Israelites into the Promised Land. It is stated as a punishment for striking the rock, which does seem very harsh, especially as he was mourning the death of his sister and after everything Moses had done to lead the people from slavery to the border of the Promised Land, receiving and transmitting Torah on the way. After all, he was Eved Adonai – the servant of God!
The reality is that this older group of leaders, who were able to orchestrate the radical break from slavery and lead the Israelites to freedom, are no longer up to the challenge of leading the next generation into the Promised Land to establish the new society.
After Aaron dies, the journey continues and our Sedra ends with two significant victories, against Sihon, King of the Amorites and Og, King of Bashan.
But Parashat Chukkat signals the end of a generation and its leadership. The significance and influence of Miriam and Aaron were immense – Zichronam Livracha, their memories will always be for a blessing.