aliyah), the Israelites sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, asking that he allow them to pass through his country, without entering the fields or vineyards, and without drinking water from wells. But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory and engaged the Israelites in battle. The Israelites defeated the Amorites and took possession of their land and towns. Then the Israelites marched on, and King Og of Bashan engaged them in battle. The Israelites defeated his forces and took possession of his country. The Israelites then marched to the steppes of Moab, across the Jordan River from Jericho. Readings according to the triennial cycle Jews who read the Torah according to the triennial cycle of Torah reading read the parashah according to a different schedule. In inner-biblical interpretation The parashah has parallels or is discussed in these Biblical sources: Numbers chapter 19 Corpse contamination The discussion of the Red Cow mixture for decontamination from corpse contamination in is one of a series of passages in the Hebrew Bible setting out the teaching that contact with the dead is antithetical to purity. In God instructed Moses to direct the priests not to allow themselves to become defiled by contact with the dead, except for a mother, father, son, daughter, brother, or unmarried sister. And the priests were not to engage in mourning rituals of making baldness upon their heads, shaving off the corners of their beards, or cutting their flesh. In God instructed Moses to command the Israelites to put out of the camp every person defiled by contact with the dead, so that they would not defile their camps, in the midst of which God dwelt. sets out a procedure for a Red Cow mixture for decontamination from corpse contamination. In its profession associated with tithing, instructed Israelites to aver that they had not eaten from the tithe in mourning, nor put away any of it while unclean, nor given any of it to the dead. In the prophet Ezekiel cites the burial of kings within the Temple as one of the practices that defiled the Temple and cause God to abandon it. In the Hebrew Bible, uncleanness has a variety of associations. 11; 11; and and associate it with death. And perhaps similarly, associates it with childbirth, and associates it with skin disease. associates it with various sexuality-related events. And 23; and and associate it