The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.”—Numbers 21:8

The Torah portion for this week is Chukat, which means “law” or “requirement,” from Numbers 19:1–22:1, and the Haftorah is from Judges 11:1–33.

Not many people like snakes. They are creepy and many are poisonous. These dangerous creatures are prevalent in the desert, so it’s not a surprise that in this week’s reading, snakes are present and hurt the children of Israel. What is surprising is that for the first 39 years the Israelites were in the desert, not one snake was to be seen.

The Sages teach that God didn’t suddenly send the snakes in, but rather, he let them lose at that time. Until then, God had provided special protection so that the Israelites would not be disturbed by the desert snakes. But after they complained about the “food service” in the desert, saying “There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” (v.5), God decided to teach them a lesson. They didn’t like the way He was taking care of them, so God decided to let them see how well things worked out without Him. God removed His divine protection, and the snakes did what they would normally do. As soon as the people were bitten and began to die, the Israelites learned their lesson.

Next, God healed them, because God always prefers life to death and healing over illness. However, His healing came about in a most unusual way. God commanded Moses to create a copper snake on a pole to be raised up high. Those who gazed at it would be healed.

However, when you think about it, it’s a little bit confusing. The very thing that caused the pain and illness is the same thing that would bring the healing?

The Sages teach that it’s not the snake that brought healing, but God. The snake was raised high so that the people would look beyond it and see the heavens. Not everyone was healed from glancing at the snake – only those who really looked at it and understood that it wasn’t the snake that poisons, but sin, and that it’s not the snake that heals, but God.

On our journey through life, we are bound to encounter our share of snakes on our path. Sometimes, we are even bitten. It could be an illness, a lawsuit, or a betrayal by a loved one. However, we need to see beyond the people and circumstances that are causing us pain and see God. In Judaism, we have a slogan: “There is nothing but Him.” If we can find Him in our problems and come close to Him and repent, He will bring about our salvation.

Friends, remember that the thing that brings you down can be the very thing that raises you up. Seek God in all your challenges, and you will emerge from them stronger, better, and closer to God.