Although this Shabbat we read two parashiyot together, I would like to focus on the first of them: Chukat. Some portions of the Torah revolve around a single central theme. Chukat, however, seems to unfold through a succession of crises. It opens with the Parah Adumah, the mysterious Red Heifer; continues with Miriam's death, the disappearance of the well, the episode at the rock, Aaron's passing, and finally the plague of fiery serpents. At first glance, these appear to be