them in one place to deliver them into the Israelites' hands without trouble. In the same vein, in God said, "Behold, I have begun to deliver up Sihon . . . before you," and says, "Sihon gathered all his people together," and reports, "And Israel took all these cities." Even though in and God forbade the Israelites from occupying the territory of Ammon and Moab, Rav Papa taught that the land of Ammon and Moab that Sihon conquered (as reported in ) became purified for acquisition by the Israelites through Sihon's occupation of it (as discussed in ). The Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer identified Og, king of Bashan, introduced in with Abraham's servant Eliezer, introduced in and with the unnamed steward of Abraham's household in The Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer told that when Abraham left Ur of the Chaldees, all the magnates of the kingdom gave him gifts, and Nimrod gave Abraham Nimrod's first-born son Eliezer as a perpetual slave. After Eliezer had dealt kindly with Isaac by securing Rebekah to be Isaac's wife, he set Eliezer free, and God gave Eliezer his reward in this world by raising him up to become a king — Og, king of Bashan. In medieval Jewish interpretation The parashah is discussed in these medieval Jewish sources: Numbers chapter 19 The Zohar taught that “a red heifer, faultless, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke,” epitomized the four Kingdoms foretold in The “heifer” is Israel, of whom says, “For Israel is stubborn like a stubborn heifer.” “Red” indicates Babylonia, regarding which says, “you are the head of gold.” “Faultless” points to Media (an allusion to Cyrus the Great, who liberated the Babylonian Jews). “Wherein is no blemish” indicates Greece (who were near the true faith). And “upon which never came yoke” alludes to Edom, that is, Rome, which was never under the yoke of any other power. Maimonides taught that nine red heifers were offered from the time that the Israelites were commanded to fulfill the commandment until the time when the Temple was destroyed a second time. Moses brought the first, Ezra brought the second, seven others were offered until the destruction of the Second Temple, and the Messiah will bring the tenth. In modern interpretation The parashah is discussed in these modern sources: Numbers chapter 19 Reflecting the uncleanness that dead bodies convey (as discussed in ), the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch