In the 1950’s, Egypt’s Nasser tried unifying the Arab states as a single entity under his military command. Rather than unify them, Nasser soon began to foment conflict with Saudi Arabia and Jordan, who opposed his dictatorial aspirations. As a result of these hostilities, Egypt tried assassinating King Hussein and overextended its military in Yemen’s civil war in an effort to undermine Saudi Arabia. What could have been a dangerous pan-Arab alliance in fact contributed to the weakening of Israel’s enemies on the brink of a major military confrontation with the Jewish State.
The section in the prophets, read alongside the Torah portion for Chukat is Judges 11:1-33. This section tells the story of Jefthah, a military leader in the times of the Judges. The nation of Ammon instigated hostilities towards Israel in an effort to reclaim land they alleged the Jewish people had conquered from them hundreds of years earlier in a battle mentioned in our parsha. Jefthah recounts verses from Numbers, nearly verbatim, asserting that the Israelites had legitimately conquered the land from Sihon and the Emorites, not from Ammon who we had agreed not to fight against. Jefthah recalls how Sihon the king of the Emorites had battled Ammon and conquered their land before the arrival of the Children of Israel. Subsequently, in our Torah portion, Sihon instigated a battle against the Israelites who wanted to cross through their territory on their way into the Land of Israel, but when they refused Bnei Yisrael defeated Sihon and so captured the land from the Emorites, not the Ammonites.
Of all the themes in Chukat, highlighting this battle and the infighting of the local population seems to be a minor issue. What, then, is the lesson of the section from the prophets that draws our attention to the war between Sichon and the people of Ammon?
When the Jewish people left Egypt, God commanded them not to wage war against Ammon and Moav, or to capture their land.
As a result of this command, much of the bountiful land east of the Jordan River was off-limits to the Israelites as it resided in the hands of our cousins, the descendants of Lot. One can imagine that Israel was disappointed to hear that their cousins were defeated by the more hostile Ammonites, yet God had other plans.
The Talmud states, “the land of Ammon and Moav became purified through the conquest of Sihon.” Once Sihon had taken the territory from Ammon and Moav, Israel was free to capture it. When the Jewish people defeated Sihon, they were thus entitled to settle there, and they did not violate the command against taking Ammon’s land. This region became part of the portion inhabited by Reuben, Gad, and half of Menase.
What may have seemed like a minor domestic skirmish, or irrelevant infighting between neighboring nations, ended up allowing the Israelites to settle some of the most fertile land in the region. This hidden miracle found in the portion of Chukat sets the stage for a new type of providence that God will demonstrate as the Jewish people prepare to conquer and settle the Land of Israel.
God’s covert support of the efforts through orchestrating “foreign affairs” is displayed prominently numerous times in the book of Numbers. According to commentators, in the Torah portion called Shelach (13:1-15:41), God provided cover for the twelve scouts by causing the death of local inhabitants, and distracting them with funeral arrangements. According to commentators, in the portion of the Bible, Chukat portion, God caused an earthquake to crush Emorite warriors who were waiting to ambush the Jewish people (Bamidbar 21:15). And in next week’s portion, God changes Balaam’s intended curses into blessings, completely outside of the Israelite’s awareness.
In the heat of the Six Day War, after Israel had already defeated the Egyptian air force, Prime Minister Eshkol reached out to King Hussein urging Jordan not to intervene. With IDF paratroopers within striking range of Jerusalem’s Old City, Eshkol promised not to take the city provided that Jordan wouldn’t attack first. Nevertheless, on account of complex Arab domestic and foreign alliances, Jordan artillery began shelling IDF positions in Jerusalem, leading to Israel’s great territorial expansion and the liberation of our holiest places in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. Just like the Israelites entered Israel and Jefthah commanding his army saw many open miracles buttressed by countless hidden ones, the modern State of Israel has seen “God purifying” the region for the people of Israel.
Allowing a Palestinian terror state in the heart of Israel would destroy the Jewish State.
Keep God’s Land is dedicated to strengthening and defending Israel’s right to its biblical heartland, with the ultimate goal of Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria. Learn More about this incredible mission today!
