Chukas: the laws of (magic) nature

This is probably the most magical parsha, the most mysterious. There are elements that reproduce the creation story: the forbidden food וְנַפְשֵׁנוּ קָצָה בַּלֶּחֶם הַקְּלֹקֵל , the serpent, and death. The parsha has themes that are linguistic ( edom.. para aduma, dam,adam, edom) and conceptual .. the danger ( the poorly defined sin of Moshe and Aaron at the water bearing rock) and mystery ( the purifying mei nidah of the parah aduma; the need for chet to complete the purification process) of the sacred . Ultimately, the chok, the law that has no explanation, is nature; and the predictable and important aspect of nature is that everybody dies.

So the parsha begins dealing with death.The (blood) red cow that never worked and had no flaws dies to repair the impurity inflicted upon people by contact with a dead human ( adam) [n.b. human from humus, soil... the Latin tradition of Edom!] And there are references to Nida ( the renewal of the life cycle) and Chet ( possibly the cause of death; or involved in the renewal cycle, depending upon your religious preference).

Now that we are prepared to deal with it, Miriam dies. Death is reborn. Just as in the creation story, death is an impetus for change of venue. the death of Miriam and Aaron mark the beginning of the conquest of (the) land. Perhaps the idea that Aaron pursued peace comes from his influence on international relations. There are no wars as long as Aaron is alive. ( Chazal say that the nations gained the courage to attack when they saw Aaron dead, perhaps Aaron's peaceful influence was more direct while he was alive)

The first war ( to rescue [the solitary] captive) rejects the conquered land. That land is not Incorporated into the territory of settlement. But subsequent conquests are Incorporated into greater Promised Land. Cf: the criticism of David for conquering Suria prior to the completing the consolidation of (the) Promisedland.

The (homeopathic [Fraser]) magical cure for the snake bites is either difficult or fun or embarrassing. It is embarrassingly (common) magical. So much so that Chizkiya hides it during his reign. It is fun if you believe that it is a true therapeutic intervention, that the psychological perspective has a life-or-death impact upon physical events. It is difficult to understand.