Lesson plan
Chukat
) Chukat, Huqqat, or Khukes ( ḥuqqaṯ, 'decree', the ninth word and the first distinctive word) is the 39th weekly Torah portion in the annual triennial cycle of Rabbinic and the sixth in the Book of Numbers. The parashah sets out the laws of corpse contamination (tumat hamet) and purification with the water of lustration prepared with the red heifer. It also reports the deaths of Miriam and Aaron, the failure of Moses at the Waters of Meribah, and the conquest of Arad, the Amorites, and Bashan. The parashah comprises Numbers 19:1–22:1. The parashah is the shortest weekly Torah portion in the Book of Numbers (although not the shortest in the Torah), and is made up of 4,670 Hebrew letters, 1,245 Hebrew words, 87 verses, and 159 lines in a Torah Scroll. Rabbinic Jews generally read it in late June or July. In most years (for example, in 2025 and 2028), Parashat Chukat is read separately. In some years (for example, 2026 and 2027) when the second day of Shavuot falls on Shabbat in the Jewish diaspora (where observant Jews observe Shavuot for two days), Parashat Huqqat is combined with the subsequent parashah, Balak, in the Diaspora to synchronize readings thereafter with those in the Holy Land, where Jews observe Shavuot for one day.…
Article summary
) Chukat, Huqqat, or Khukes ( ḥuqqaṯ, 'decree', the ninth word and the first distinctive word) is the 39th weekly Torah portion in the annual triennial cycle of Rabbinic and the sixth in the Book of Numbers. The parashah sets out the laws of corpse contamination (tumat hamet) and purification with the water of lustration prepared with the red heifer. It also reports the deaths of Miriam and Aaron, the failure of Moses at the Waters of Meribah, and the conquest of Arad, the Amorites, and Bashan. The parashah comprises Numbers 19:1–22:1. The parashah is the shortest weekly Torah portion in the Book of Numbers (although not the shortest in the Torah), and is made up of 4,670 Hebrew letters, 1,245 Hebrew words, 87 verses, and 159 lines in a Torah Scroll. Rabbinic Jews generally read it in late June or July. In most years (for example, in 2025 and 2028), Parashat Chukat is read separately. In some years (for example, 2026 and 2027) when the second day of Shavuot falls on Shabbat in the Jewish diaspora (where observant Jews observe Shavuot for two days), Parashat Huqqat is combined with the subsequent parashah, Balak, in the Diaspora to synchronize readings thereafter with those in the Holy Land, where Jews observe Shavuot for one day.…
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.