וַיִּסְע֖וּ מִקָּדֵ֑שׁ וַיָּבֹ֧אוּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל כָּל־הָעֵדָ֖ה הֹ֥ר הָהָֽר׃

They traveled from Kadesh; and the children of Israel, the entire congregation, came to Hor Mountain. It was known by the name Hor, which itself means mountain, due to its regional prominence.

וַיֹּ֧אמֶר יְהוָ֛ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה וְאֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֖ן בְּהֹ֣ר הָהָ֑ר עַל־גְּב֥וּל אֶֽרֶץ־אֱד֖וֹם לֵאמֹֽר׃

The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron at Hor Mountain, on the border of the land of Edom, saying:

יֵאָסֵ֤ף אַהֲרֹן֙ אֶל־עַמָּ֔יו כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יָבֹא֙ אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר נָתַ֖תִּי לִבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל עַ֛ל אֲשֶׁר־מְרִיתֶ֥ם אֶת־פִּ֖י לְמֵ֥י מְרִיבָֽה׃

Aaron shall be gathered to his people, the time has come for him to die; his soul shall be returned to its source. For he shall not come into the land that I gave to the children of Israel because you defied My directive at the incident of the waters of dispute (20:7–13).

קַ֚ח אֶֽת־אַהֲרֹ֔ן וְאֶת־אֶלְעָזָ֖ר בְּנ֑וֹ וְהַ֥עַל אֹתָ֖ם הֹ֥ר הָהָֽר׃

Take Aaron and Elazar his son, and take them up Hor Mountain.

וְהַפְשֵׁ֤ט אֶֽת־אַהֲרֹן֙ אֶת־בְּגָדָ֔יו וְהִלְבַּשְׁתָּ֖ם אֶת־אֶלְעָזָ֣ר בְּנ֑וֹ וְאַהֲרֹ֥ן יֵאָסֵ֖ף וּמֵ֥ת שָֽׁם׃

Undress Aaron of his priestly vestments, and dress Elazar his son in them. In this way, Aaron will merit to see his son assume the position of High Priest in his place. Aaron will be gathered to his people, and he will die there, in perfect serenity, in the presence of only his brother and one of his sons.

וַיַּ֣עַשׂ מֹשֶׁ֔ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר צִוָּ֣ה יְהוָ֑ה וַֽיַּעֲלוּ֙ אֶל־הֹ֣ר הָהָ֔ר לְעֵינֵ֖י כָּל־הָעֵדָֽה׃

Moses did as the Lord had commanded and they went up to Hor Mountain before the eyes of the entire congregation, in a ceremonial and public fashion. It is evident from the verse that Aaron did not die from old age or frailty, as he was capable of ascending the mountain alongside his brother and son.

וַיַּפְשֵׁט֩ מֹשֶׁ֨ה אֶֽת־אַהֲרֹ֜ן אֶת־בְּגָדָ֗יו וַיַּלְבֵּ֤שׁ אֹתָם֙ אֶת־אֶלְעָזָ֣ר בְּנ֔וֹ וַיָּ֧מָת אַהֲרֹ֛ן שָׁ֖ם בְּרֹ֣אשׁ הָהָ֑ר וַיֵּ֧רֶד מֹשֶׁ֛ה וְאֶלְעָזָ֖ר מִן־הָהָֽר׃

Moses undressed Aaron of his vestments, and dressed Elazar his son in them; and Aaron died there at the top of the mountain; and Moses and Elazar descended from the mountain.

וַיִּרְאוּ֙ כָּל־הָ֣עֵדָ֔ה כִּ֥י גָוַ֖ע אַהֲרֹ֑ן וַיִּבְכּ֤וּ אֶֽת־אַהֲרֹן֙ שְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים י֔וֹם כֹּ֖ל בֵּ֥ית יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (ס)

The entire congregation saw that Aaron had perished. Although the people knew that Moses, Aaron, and Elazar ascended the mountain, they were unaware of the purpose of this ascent. Now they saw that Moses and Elazar returned without Aaron. And they wept for Aaron thirty days, the

וַיִּשְׁמַ֞ע הַכְּנַעֲנִ֤י מֶֽלֶךְ־עֲרָד֙ יֹשֵׁ֣ב הַנֶּ֔גֶב כִּ֚י בָּ֣א יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל דֶּ֖רֶךְ הָאֲתָרִ֑ים וַיִּלָּ֙חֶם֙ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיִּ֥שְׁבְּ ׀ מִמֶּ֖נּוּ שֶֽׁבִי׃

The Canaanite, king of Arad, who lives in the South, to the west of Israel’s route, heard that Israel came via Atarim, a place that perhaps served as one of the entrances to Canaan. According to the Sages, the king of Arad ruled over a mixed population of Amalekites and Canaanites. And he fought against Israel, and although this was not a particularly large-scale war, the people were dispirited by Aaron’s recent death, and the king took a captive from them.

וַיִּדַּ֨ר יִשְׂרָאֵ֥ל נֶ֛דֶר לַֽיהוָ֖ה וַיֹּאמַ֑ר אִם־נָתֹ֨ן תִּתֵּ֜ן אֶת־הָעָ֤ם הַזֶּה֙ בְּיָדִ֔י וְהַֽחֲרַמְתִּ֖י אֶת־עָרֵיהֶֽם׃

Israel took a vow to the Lord, and said: If You will deliver this people into my hand, I will destroy their cities. None of us will take from the spoils.

וַיִּשְׁמַ֨ע יְהוָ֜ה בְּק֣וֹל יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וַיִּתֵּן֙ אֶת־הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֔י וַיַּחֲרֵ֥ם אֶתְהֶ֖ם וְאֶת־עָרֵיהֶ֑ם וַיִּקְרָ֥א שֵׁם־הַמָּק֖וֹם חָרְמָֽה׃ (פ)

The Lord heeded the voice of Israel, and delivered the Canaanites into their hands; it destroyed [ vayah · ] them and their cities; and from then onward, it, the people, called the name of the place Horma, after the destruction [ ḥerem ]. Some commentaries say that it was called by that name because after its destruction, no permanent settlement was ever erected there.

וַיִּסְע֞וּ מֵהֹ֤ר הָהָר֙ דֶּ֣רֶךְ יַם־ס֔וּף לִסְבֹ֖ב אֶת־אֶ֣רֶץ אֱד֑וֹם וַתִּקְצַ֥ר נֶֽפֶשׁ־הָעָ֖ם בַּדָּֽרֶךְ׃

They, the children of Israel, traveled from Hor Mountain via the Red Sea. They turned southward, toward the modern-day Gulf of Aqaba, in order to circumvent the land of Edom. The soul of the people grew restive on the way, as they appeared to be heading away from Canaan.

וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר הָעָ֗ם בֵּֽאלֹהִים֮ וּבְמֹשֶׁה֒ לָמָ֤ה הֶֽעֱלִיתֻ֙נוּ֙ מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם לָמ֖וּת בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר כִּ֣י אֵ֥ין לֶ֙חֶם֙ וְאֵ֣ין מַ֔יִם וְנַפְשֵׁ֣נוּ קָ֔צָה בַּלֶּ֖חֶם הַקְּלֹקֵֽל׃

The people spoke harshly against God and against Moses: Why did you bring us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness, for there is no real bread and there is no natural water, and our soul loathes this insubstantial bread, the manna.

וַיְשַׁלַּ֨ח יְהוָ֜ה בָּעָ֗ם אֵ֚ת הַנְּחָשִׁ֣ים הַשְּׂרָפִ֔ים וַֽיְנַשְּׁכ֖וּ אֶת־הָעָ֑ם וַיָּ֥מָת עַם־רָ֖ב מִיִּשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

The Lord sent the fiery serpents whose poison burns human

וַיָּבֹא֩ הָעָ֨ם אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֜ה וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ חָטָ֗אנוּ כִּֽי־דִבַּ֤רְנוּ בַֽיהוָה֙ וָבָ֔ךְ הִתְפַּלֵּל֙ אֶל־יְהוָ֔ה וְיָסֵ֥ר מֵעָלֵ֖ינוּ אֶת־הַנָּחָ֑שׁ וַיִּתְפַּלֵּ֥ל מֹשֶׁ֖ה בְּעַ֥ד הָעָֽם׃

The people came to Moses, and they said: We sinned, for we spoke against the Lord, and against you; pray to the Lord, and He will remove the serpents from us. Unlike on earlier occasions when the people complained about their situation in a rebellious spirit, this time the people accepted responsibility for their current state. Moses prayed on behalf of the people.

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֗ה עֲשֵׂ֤ה לְךָ֙ שָׂרָ֔ף וְשִׂ֥ים אֹת֖וֹ עַל־נֵ֑ס וְהָיָה֙ כָּל־הַנָּשׁ֔וּךְ וְרָאָ֥ה אֹת֖וֹ וָחָֽי׃

The Lord said to Moses: Craft for yourself a fiery, poisonous serpent, and place it upon a standard, or a tall pillar; it shall be that anyone who was bitten by a serpent will see it and live.

וַיַּ֤עַשׂ מֹשֶׁה֙ נְחַ֣שׁ נְחֹ֔שֶׁת וַיְשִׂמֵ֖הוּ עַל־הַנֵּ֑ס וְהָיָ֗ה אִם־נָשַׁ֤ךְ הַנָּחָשׁ֙ אֶת־אִ֔ישׁ וְהִבִּ֛יט אֶל־נְחַ֥שׁ הַנְּחֹ֖שֶׁת וָחָֽי׃

Moses crafted a bronze serpent. Although God did not tell Moses with which material to fashion the serpent, Moses chose to use bronze [ neḥoshet ] due to its similarity to the word naḥash , serpent, as if God’s instructions alluded to the metal he should use. Alternatively, he did not want to use a precious metal, as that might have led the people to deify the serpent. And Moses placed it on the standard and it was that if a serpent bit a man, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.