Rabbi Frand on Parshas Chukas
These divrei Torah were adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Tapes on the weekly portion: Tape # 199, Stam Yeinom: Non-Kosher Wines. Good Shabbos!
Seeking the Meaning of the Red Heifer in the Garden of Eden
In this week's parsha we learn of the mitzvah of the Red Heifer. When aperson comes into contact with a dead body he becomes 'tameh', spirituallyimpure, and the only way for him to regain his state of purity is to besprinkled with the water which was mixed with the ashes of the ParahAdumah, the Red Heifer, which make him 'tahor' once again.
Parah Adumah is the classic example of a Torah law which seems to have --at least for us -- no rationale. Not only that, but it is paradoxical innature: although it can purify the impure, the people who are involved in the process of preparing and administering the ashes of the Red Heifer become impure. Therefore, it remains the quintessential 'chok' -- a law without an apparent reason.
The passage discussing the Red Heifer begins "This is the Chok of theTorah..." [Bamidbar 19:2]. The Or HaChayim HaKadosh asks, should it notread "This is the Chok of Tumah"?
He says, on the contrary, that this is indeed the Chok of the Torah, thatthis Commandment embodies the very essence of Torah. Why? Because Torah --no matter how much we delve into its laws and no matter how much we try tounderstand it -- ultimately presents a religion which one must practiceeven though he does not understand the why and the wherefore. The basis ofaccepting Torah is "We will do and we will listen" [Shmos 24:7]. One has tobe prepared to accept even without fully understanding. That is why theverse emphasizes "This is the Chok of the Torah". This law personifiesTorah. This law teaches what Torah is all about: we must do it even if wedon't understand.
Our next question is: why is this particular law used to teach us thisprinciple?
Forbidden mixtures (sha'tnez) are a chok; Milk and Meat is a chok; there are dozens of 'chukim.' Yet this is THE law that represents the fulfillment of Torah even when we do not understand. Why Parah Adumah?
I saw an interesting interpretation in the Shemen HaTov. Chazal tell us that this world received a terrible punishment called 'Death' as a result of the incident with the Tree of Knowledge. Up until Adam and Chava ate from that tree, there was not supposed to be anything in this world called 'Death'. Once they violated the prohibition to consume the fruit of that tree, Death descended into the world.
What was the key behind the sin of the Tree of Knowledge? It was so that "You may be like Elohim -- knowing Good and Evil" [Bereishis 3:5]. The motivating factor behind that original sin was because people wanted to know 'Why'.
Man does not want to be a robot. He has curiosity. He has a desire(ta'avah) to know 'Why'. That passion led to the sin of the Tree ofKnowledge. As a result of that we received an appropriate punishment --death. How does one deal with death? When one has confronted death, heneeds to subsequently confront the Parah Adumah, the Red Heifer. The ParahAdumah represents our inability to know why.
That is why this is the appropriate punishment for the sin of the Tree ofKnowledge. Man's burning desire to know why led him to death, and deathmakes man deal with the Parah Adumah, which teaches him that he cannotalways know why. That is what life is about -- sometimes not knowing why.That is why specifically this mitzvah represents the essence of what Torahis about: doing, even without necessarily knowing why we are doing.
Sources and Personalities
Or HaChayim HaKadosh --- Rav Chaim ben Attar (1696-1743); Livorno, Italy and subsequently Jerusalem; Kabbalist and Talmudic scholar.
Shemen HaTov --- Rav Dov Weinberger; contemporary author, Rav, Brooklyn, NY.
Glossary
tahor / tameh --- spiritually pure / impure
tumah --- the state of being tameh
Parah Adumah --- Red Heifer whose ashes are used in purification ritual
chok (chukim) --- command(s) whose reason is unknown
This week's write-up is adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Torah Tapes on the weekly Torahportion (#199). The corresponding halachic portion for this tape is: StamYeinom -- Non Kosher Wines. The other halachic portions for ParshasChukos(/Balak) from the Commuter Chavrusah Series are:
Also Available: Mesorah / Artscroll has published a collection of Rabbi Frand's essays. The book is entitled:
and is available through your local Hebrew book store or from Genesis Judaica, http://books.torah.org/ , 1-410-358-9800.
