Torah Readings
Numbers 21:1-20 - Israelites speak against God. Serpents punish and cure. Song at the well.
or
Numbers 21:1-22:1
Haftarah Reading
2 Kings 18:1-8 - Hezekiah destroys the bronze serpent
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What is it about snakes? They seem to constantly get a bad reputation. From the very start of creation, snakes are associated with all kinds of bad things. It is a serpent which suggests to Eve that she should break God's rules, leading to banishment from Eden. Even in popular culture, snakes are the obvious scary and evil-seeming animal to turn to, whether that be in sayings (where it is synonymous with deception) or in film and TV where snakes are particularly feared by celebrities in jungles or by people on planes.
In this week's reading, it is snakes which once again appear in a negative light. The Children of Israel are complaining (again) about their life in the wilderness, even saying it was better in Egypt. God sends "burning serpents" against the people, killing many of them through their bites. As Rashi notes, the same animal which was punished for its slanderous words back in Genesis is now used as a symbol in the punishment of the people for their slander against God.
Moses once again steps in to try to plead on the behalf of the people for this to end. God's instruction to Moses is very interesting - he tells Moses to make a copper snake and mount it high above the people. Anyone who got bitten by the snakes and who looked intently at this copper snake would be healed.
This seems very odd and almost idolatrous - a copper snake curing people? How could this be? Of course, it should not be taken literally that looking at an image of a snake could cure a snake bite. The people were being asked to find focus, and the snake symbol was what they were given to focus on. They had lost perspective of their situation and ended up following falsehoods into speaking out against God. Could Egypt really have been better, in slavery? Of course not, but sometimes we need a moment of focus to realise the truth. According to commentary, only those who looked up to the copper snake, focused their minds on it and realised the perspective they had lost were cured from their bite.
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Make sure to check out our podcasts, including "Rabbiting On" with Rabbis Debbie Young-Somers, Miriam Berger and Robyn Ashworth-Steen discussing events in their lives, the Jewish world and the wider world, and "Progressively Jewish", our weekly podcast in conjunction with Liberal Judaism.
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This week is Refugee Week - a national week for recognising the situation, resilience and contribution of those refugees and asylum seekers who have needed to seek sanctuary in our country. Of course, in our community there are many of us who are descendants of refugees - whether that be from pogroms in the 19th Century, from the Nazis and the Holocaust or from the Middle East in the mid 20th Century - or, of course, from any of the other countless times Jewish people have found themselves as refugees. There are many people who find themselves in that same position today and are looking for the refuge which allowed so many in our community to be here today. Rene Cassin is the Jewish Human Rights charity and has resources and events for this week specifically from a Jewish perspective. This year's theme for the week is "We Cannot Walk Alone" and asks us to consider how we are all more linked and connected than we often think - and to extend your hand and thoughts to a new person or group in need, an opportunity to learn about a cause we were not familiar with already. There are some suggested simple acts which you might want to look at as a starting point for marking this week.
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Many of our communities are sharing their events and inviting you to join. Have a look at the listings on RJ Communities TV to see which events might appeal to you.
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In Chukkat, the people are not grateful for what they have in the wilderness despite being miraculously supported throughout their journey. This is a theme shared with our books for this week: "A Big Quiet House" and "The Apple Tree's Discovery"
Please contact Sara at PJ Library (skibel@pjlibrary.org.uk) if you would like to borrow a copy of one of these books for this weekend.
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RSY-Netzer, the youth movement of Reform Judaism, is currently accepting registration for Shemesh, their summer camps. We're sure all of our young people are even more keen than usual to have a fun adventure this summer, so please share the details with your communities.
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Last Friday in Israel, the Women of the Wall group - a feminist organisation which seeks the right for women to pray freely at the Kotel in Jerusalem - was attacked by Ultra-Orthodox men. 39 of their prayer books were destroyed in the incident. Reform Judaism in the UK, with our commitment to supporting religious pluralism in Israel and respect between Jews of all denominations, has stood in solidarity with Women of the Wall and we remain amazed at their courage in standing up for this cause. The situation at the Kotel and negotiations over how the space should be used have been ongoing for some time - this Jerusalem Post article outlines what has been discussed and the prospects under the new Israeli government. Some readers may have visited Azarat Yisrael - the small, separate Egalitarian plaza built at a lower level than the main Kotel compound which is the only space currently available for Progressive-style prayer at the wall (and even that isn't always available for the purpose). As the site understood by Jews globally to be our holiest, finding a pluralist solution at the Kotel remains a challenging situation - but one we hope can be successfully resolved.
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