Shabbos candle lighting for
Shabbos concludes 6:54 pm
Parsha thoughts
The rhythm of the life of a Jew is guided by the calendar and its special days and occasions. The holidays play their role in creating this context. The Shabbos certainly plays its role in this as well. There are other moments of the calendar outside of holidays and Shabbos that play their role. Among these other moments are the Four Parshios. The Four Parshios are four Shabbosim (plural for Shabbos) on which we have an additional Torah reading. Every one of these four Torah readings addresses a specific theme that relates to the energy of that Shabbos. This week is the third of the Four Parshios, on which we will read the additional Parsha of the “Red Heifer”. I would like to explore the reason we read this Parsha and how this affects our rhythm. We will begin our exploration with understanding what the Red Heifer is.
There is a concept in Torah called tumah which is a state of being that a person finds himself when he comes in contact with a body of a deceased
person. The closest explanation I can find to describe this state is to
identify it as a form of spiritual contamination. For this reason when one is
in a state of tumah he may not
participate in the services of the Bais Hamikdosh (
How does one purify himself or perhaps cleanse himself from his tumah? That was the role of the Red Heifer. In the Parsha of the Red Heifer the Torah instructs us to prepare this cow and mix its ashes in water and sprinkle the water on the one who is in the state of tumah.
One of the most important components of the holiday of
Pesach (Passover) is the eating of the sacrificial lamb. Without participating
in the lamb, one has not properly fulfilled the holiday of Pesach. (As long as
the
With the holiday of Pesach less than a month away we read the Parsha of the Red Heifer in order to remind us of the need to purify ourselves before the Pesach. This is the reason for our reading this Parsha tomorrow.
We have touched the surface of why we read this Parsha this
week. However, we need to delve deeper if we wish to find how this affects the
rhythm of the Jew. What is the lesson that is being taught and how does it
prepare us for the approaching holiday of Pesach? Another valid question we may
ask is why do we read this Parsha today when there is no
We can often find this deeper level exposed in the words of the prophets that we will read in the synagogues tomorrow. The prophet Yechezkel (Ezekiel) tells his people in the name of HaShem “I shall take you from the nations and gather you in from all the countries and I shall bring you to your Land; and I shall sprinkle purifying water on you that you will be cleansed. From all your contamination and from all your filth I will cleanse you. I shall give you a new heart, and a new spirit shall I put in you…”
Behold! Ezekiel is drawing the metaphor of the purifying water of the Red Heifer as the means by which HaShem will purify His people in the Messianic period. Surely, HaShem will not sprinkle the water of the Red Heifer on His people.
Water is used in many places in Torah as a metaphor for humility. The reason for this is because water always moves to the lowest place. It is always flowing down.
Spiritual contamination occurs the moment a person detaches his existence from his Creator. When one begins to think that he is self sufficient and does not need the constant gift of life bestowed upon him by his Creator he becomes spiritually contaminated. Arrogance, too, occurs the moment one begins to think that he is independent of HaShem. So long as a person maintains a consciousness of his absolute dependence on HaShem’s gift of life to him he will maintain a strong sense of humility as well. Whether he is rich or beautiful or even intelligent he will recognize that all those gifts were bestowed upon him by HaShem. They are not intrinsic qualities that he possesses on his own.
It is true that today in 5770 / 2010 we celebrate Pesach
without the purifying waters of the Red Heifer. However, to properly gain from
the energy of Pesach we need to recognize that it was HaShem who took us out of
Egyptian bondage. Without HaShem’s intervention the Jewish people would never
have come into existence. This recognition is necessary today as much as it was
necessary when we had the
So when we read the Parsha of the Red Heifer tomorrow in the synagogue we must open ourselves to the purifying water that HaShem promised to sprinkle on us whereby He promised “I shall give you a new heart, and a new spirit shall I put in you…”
If we are open to recognize our absolute dependence on His Graciousness then in fact we will be receive a new heart and a new spirit will be put in us.
Have a wonderful Shabbos.
Paysach Diskind