The Red Heifer - staring death in the face | The Shalom Center

Without the context of the cross what does Nubmers 21:4-9 mean? For Jewish rabbis it appears in the context of other parodoxes:
The Red Heifer - staring death in the face | The Shalom Center: "The burning cow becomes a spectacle, literally, of redness for the priest to stare at hard. Look hard at all this red, then quickly shut your eyes: You will see a flash of green, a field of green. Green grass, green growth, green Tree of Life, green Garden.
If you look upon the color of death, you will live. . . .Paradox upon paradox. Death purifies from death, but the process of purification itself makes for impurity."

"Later in the portion (Num 20: 8), when the people are athirst God tells Moses to speak to a rock so that, for/ before the eyes of the people, it will turn to water. If they stare hard at hardness, dryness, deadliness, unchangeableness, it will turn to flow, to giving life."

"And finally (Num. 21: 4-9) , God tells Moses to cure the people of a plague of fiery snakes. How? By raising before them a nahash n'hoshet for them to stare at. What does this Hebrew phrase mean? According to the dictionary, a brass or copper serpent. But if we listen to the sound of the words, we might hear "a copper copperhead," "a serpenty serpent," a "super-serpent."

What cures us from serpents? The cure is a serpent that we call forth for ourselves , even more deeply "serpenty" in its essence than the deadly living snakes.

And what do you do with these super-serpents? Look hard into their faces. Stare hard at death, the face of fear, and you will be freed to life.

Stare hard at death -- and blink. Shut your eyes tight. Stare, and stop staring. Then the colors of life will appear."