Parashat Chukat (חקת – “Decree”)
Numbers 19:1 – 22:1 • Haftarah: Judges 11:1–33
The parasha begins with the mysterious law of the red heifer, then recounts the deaths of Miriam and Aaron, Moses’ sin, the episode of the bronze serpent, and Israel’s first military victories. The haftarah also tells of a victory: that of Jephthah over the Ammonites.
Numbers 20:28
וַיָּמָת אַהֲרֹן שָׁם, בְּרֹאשׁ הָהָר
“And Aaron died there, on the top of the mountain.”
Following God’s command, Moses ascends Mount Hor with Aaron and his son Eleazar. There, Eleazar receives the priestly garments. Aaron dies in silence atop the mountain.
Tradition identifies Mount Hor with Jebel Haroun – “the Mountain of Silence” – near Petra, Jordan. At the summit stands the Tomb of Aaron (Arabic: Maqam Haroun), built in the 14th century by the Mamluks.
Today, the site is under Muslim religious administration, and as in many such locations, Jewish religious practices (tallit, tefillin, prayers, singing, etc.) may be seen as provocative or even illegal.