Hukkat and Balak (Numbers 19-25:9)
LA JOLLA, California — I have chosen four passages from these two parshot, for comparison with ancient non-Israelite practices regarding purification, sacrifices, water-bearing rocks, snake bites, and spells.
I. Numbers 19:2-12 “…Instruct the Israelite people to bring you a red cow (parah adumah) without blemish…It shall be taken outside the camp and slaughtered…cow shall be burned…dung included…gather up the ashes…to be kept for water of lustration…for cleansing…He who touches…corpse of any human being…shall cleanse himself with it…”
Purification of pollution is a major theme in almost all pagan and major monotheistic religions. Religious pollution calls for specific rituals of purification.
Domestication of cattle dates back 10,500 years, which engendered rituals relating to cattle. Why red? The idea of red-haired subjects for sacrifice has roots in the Middle East and Egypt. Egyptians had a tradition of burning red-haired men and cattle, and scattering the ashes with fans. This sacrifice was offered by the king at the legendary grave of Osiris. The red-haired oxen that were sacrificed in ancient Egypt also had to be perfectly red. A single black or white hair on the beast disqualified it for sacrifice.
The ancient Hebrews were impacted by practices from both East and West, i.e. Mesopotamia and Egypt, and their Canaanite neighbors. Though all these practiced human sacrifice, the Hebrews rejected this, performing only animal sacrifice. Likely the Egyptian ritual that used the ashes of red-haired humans and cattle, carried over into the ritual described in the above passage. [1]
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II. Numbers 20:10-11 “Moses…said…Listen, you rebels…shall we get water…out of this rock…And Moses…struck the rock…Out came copious water…”
How do rocks affect water? Snowmelt and rainwater infiltrate into fractures in limestone. [2] At a certain limestone quarry, containing flint rock up to a foot of thickness, cracks in the rock yield a water flow of 2-3 gallons/minute of potable water. [3]
Water-bearing formations of soft porous limestone, may have a high water-retaining capacity. A sharp blow to such rock may crack its crust and release a flow of groundwater. {4]
III. Numbers 21:6-9 The Lord sent (seraphs) serpents against the people…many…Israelites died…Moses interceded…(with a) seraph figure…a copper serpent…mounted…on a standard…anyone bitten by a serpent…would look at the copper serpent and recover.”
I found no equivalent example in my perusal of the internet.
It was known that natives of islands with venomous snakes often developed some immunity to the toxins. Some peoples’ resistance was so powerful that their breath or saliva was believed to cure bites. According to the Romans, the Psylli of North Africa were so habituated to snakebite that that their spit was an effective antivenin. Psylli saliva was eagerly sought by Romans during Cato’s Civil War campaign in North Africa (1st Century BCE). The Roman poet Lucan (39-65CE) claimed the Psylli could identify the species of snake by the taste of the venom. Psylli practitioners soon set up shop in Rome, selling snake venoms and antidotes. The spit idea was probably an error, as result was likely due to sucking out venom.
In fact the best known ancient remedy was to suck out venom by mouth, which could be hazardous. There is a described case, wherein such practice “reduced the treater’s gums and mouth to putrescence” and spread through his body, resulting in death. He evidently had sores in his mouth, which absorbed the venom! To avoid such an event, Trojan doctors used leeches; Indian doctors stuffed a wad of linen in their mouths as a filter. The Roman physician-writer Celsus (c. 25 BC- 50 CE) recommended a suction cup.
A related issue is the medical symbol of a caduceus, i.e. from Aeusclapius, the Greek god of medicine, which is a staff wrapped by a serpent. There a number of versions of how this symbol came to be. One is that the god learned the secrets of the healing arts from a serpent (non-venomous) who whispered them into his ear.
One intuitive reason for the association of snakes with medicine is that they shed their skins periodically, which came to be a symbol of rebirth or rejuvenation.
The association with Aeusclapius may actually be historically incorrect. A British publisher around the turn of the 20th century offered the correction that the caduceus was actually the staff of the god Hermes, who was the god of commerce and trade, and also of thieves! [5]
IV. Numbers 22:4-6 “Balak…king of Moab…sent messengers to Balaam…to invite him… (to) put a curse upon (the Israelites)…For I know that…whom you curse is cursed.”
From an internet check, I learned that seers (mantis) in the Greek tradition offered a range of advisory services, e.g. seeing or manipulating hidden things, offering sacrifices and incantations that could expiate and cure misdeeds by one’s ancestor. They were oracles. They could also cast spells and enchantments with which to harm an enemy. [6]
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NOTES
[1] https://m.scirp.org/papers/72043
[2] www.uwyo.edu_files>documents>magazine>fal
[3] Dept. of the Interior, United States Geological Survey, Water Supply Paper 258, Underground Water Papers, 1910,M.L. Fuller et al
[4] The JPS Torah Commentary, “Exodus,” Nahum M. Sarna, 1991, The Jewish Publication Society, p. 94
[5] https://www.snakebitefoundation.org/symbolism
[6] Oracles, Cursess, and Risk Among Ancient Greeks, Esther Eidinow: ISBN-13:978-0199277780
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Irv Jacobs is a retired medical doctor who delights in Torah analysis. He often delivers a drosh at Congregation Beth El in La Jolla, and at his chavurah.
Thank you, Dr. Jacobs for the informative article and comparisons! This is my Parsha, and you have illuminated it differently for me.