Practice Parashat Chukat with TropeTrainer
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Parashat Chukat - פָּרָשַׁת חֻקַּת־בָּלָק
Chukat (“Law Of”) opens by describing the process of burning the red heifer and using its ashes for purification. It also tells the stories of the deaths of Miriam and Aaron, Moses’ striking of a rock to bring forth water, a plague of venomous snakes, and battles against the Emorite kings Sihon and Og. Balak tells the story of the Moabite king Balak, who hires Balaam to curse the Israelites. Balaam’s donkey speaks along the way, and Balaam ends up blessing the Israelites. The portion ends with a story about Israelite men sinning with Moabite women and the stabbing of an Israelite and a Midianite.
Torah Portion: Numbers 19:1-22:1
Parashat Chukat-Balak is the 39,40th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Next read on July 17th, 2027 / 12 Tamuz 5787
- Annual Reading
Read Annually
1:
19:1 - 19:17· 17 p’sukim
2:
19:18 - 20:6· 11 p’sukim
3:
20:7 - 20:13· 7 p’sukim
4:
20:14 - 20:21· 8 p’sukim
5:
20:22 - 21:9· 17 p’sukim
6:
21:10 - 21:20· 11 p’sukim
7:
21:21 - 22:1· 16 p’sukim
Maftir:
21:34 - 22:1· 3 p’sukim
Haftarah:
Judges 11:1 - 11:33· 33 p’sukim
- Triennial Year 3
July 1st, 2028
1:
20:22 - 21:3· 11 p’sukim
2:
21:4 - 21:10· 7 p’sukim
3:
21:11 - 21:16· 6 p’sukim
4:
21:17 - 21:20· 4 p’sukim
5:
21:21 - 21:25· 5 p’sukim
6:
21:26 - 21:33· 8 p’sukim
7:
21:34 - 22:1· 3 p’sukim
Maftir:
21:34 - 22:1· 3 p’sukim
Alternate Haftarah Part 1:
II Kings 18:1 - 18:13· 13 p’sukim
Alternate Haftarah Part 2:
II Kings 19:15 - 19:19· 5 p’sukim
About Parashat Parashat Chukat
Beyond its narrative beats, Chukat is built around the idea of the chok — a divine decree observed as an act of faith rather than reason. The red heifer is its emblem: its ashes purify a person defiled by contact with death, yet they render impure the very people who prepare them, making it the Torah's classic example of a law beyond human understanding. The portion pivots from law to mortality and succession, as the deaths of Miriam and Aaron and the failure at the Waters of Meribah mark the passing of the wilderness generation and seal Moses' and Aaron's exclusion from the Land. Its closing section turns outward to the journey itself — the copper serpent, the Song of the Well, and the victories over Sihon and Og — establishing Israel's claim to the territory east of the Jordan as the people draw near to Canaan.
The Haftarah
In most Ashkenazi and Sephardi communities the haftarah for Chukat is Judges 11:1-33, the story of Jephthah (Yiftach) the Gileadite. The thematic link is territorial: in his message to the king of Ammon, Jephthah recounts the very conquest of the Amorite king Sihon described in the parashah, using that history to justify Israel's claim to the contested land east of the Jordan. A secondary echo is the reluctantly accepted leader — Jephthah, once rejected and expelled by his kin and later summoned to lead them, mirrors the leadership and succession concerns running through Chukat. The reading deliberately stops at verse 33, before the tragic vow concerning Jephthah's daughter. Note that this haftarah applies when Chukat is read on its own; in the many Diaspora years when Chukat is combined with Balak, the joined portion takes Balak's haftarah (Micah 5:6-6:8), and a special Shabbat (such as Shabbat Rosh Chodesh) can also displace the regular reading.
Notable passages and verses
The red heifer (parah adumah, Numbers 19) is among the most famous and enigmatic passages in the Torah — the prototypical chukah, traditionally cited (even, per rabbinic tradition, by King Solomon) as a decree beyond human comprehension. Moses' rebuke at the rock, "Listen, you rebels, shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?" (Numbers 20:10), and his striking of the rock are among the most discussed episodes in scripture because of their grave consequence for him. The copper serpent (nechash nechoshet) that Moses raises on a pole to heal snakebite victims (Numbers 21:8-9) is a widely recognized image, later referenced in the Mishnah (Rosh Hashanah 3:8). The portion also preserves the brief, poetic Song of the Well — "Spring up, O well — sing to it!" (Numbers 21:17).
Frequently asked questions
What is Parashat Chukat about?
Chukat (Numbers 19:1-22:1) opens with the law of the red heifer, whose ashes purify those defiled by contact with a corpse, and then turns to the deaths of Miriam and Aaron, Moses striking the rock at the Waters of Meribah, the plague of venomous serpents and the copper serpent that heals, the Song of the Well, and Israel's victories over the Amorite kings Sihon and Og. With TropeTrainer you can hear and practice this reading chanted with its trope.
What is the haftarah for Chukat?
In most Ashkenazi and Sephardi communities the haftarah for Chukat is Judges 11:1-33, the story of Jephthah the Gileadite, chosen because Jephthah recounts the conquest of Sihon described in the parashah to justify Israel's land claim. In years when Chukat is combined with Balak, the joined portion instead takes Balak's haftarah, Micah 5:6-6:8. TropeTrainer lets you hear and practice the haftarah with its trope as well.
What are the themes of Chukat?
Chukat centers on the chok — a divine decree, like the red heifer, observed by faith rather than explained by reason — alongside ritual purity, the limits of human understanding, mortality and leadership succession through the deaths of Miriam and Aaron, the consequences of Moses' lapse at the rock, and Israel's approach to the Promised Land. TropeTrainer lets you hear and practice this reading with trope so the text comes alive as you study it.
Why is the red heifer (parah adumah) so significant in Chukat?
The red heifer is the Torah's classic chukah: its ashes purify a person defiled by death, yet they render impure the people who prepare them, a paradox that made it a symbol of laws accepted as acts of faith beyond human reason. It gives the portion its name, since 'Chukat' means 'statute' or 'decree.' You can hear and practice the Chukat reading with its trope in TropeTrainer.
Where to go next
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