B"H
Wednesday, Tammuz 6, 5781 / June 16, 2021
Parshat Chukat is read this Shabbat. It begins with the mitzvah of "Para Adumah" - "Red Heifer."
The ashes of a red heifer mixed with water were used to purify those who came into contact with a dead body so they could enter into the Holy Temple or eat of the holy sacrifices. The sacrifices were forbidden for someone who was impure, especially those coming in contact with the dead.
Death symbolizes the very opposite of holiness and G-dliness, which is called "life". One who came in contact with a dead person became spiritually contaminated and had to go through the process of "purification." Through the Para Adumah – the red heifer, a person was transformed from a state of spiritual impurity to a state of spiritual purity.
The Torah calls this process "ChukatHaTorah." “Chukah” applies to the mitzvot in the Torah that have no logical or apparent reason. This mitzvah is considered illogical due to the paradox of this commandment. While the spiritually unclean person becomes clean through the process of the Para Adumah, the Kohen (Priest) who performs part of the process, becomes impure!
The irrationality of this mitzvah also has a rationale. This mitzvah teaches us that to make the leap from impurity to spirituality; one has to commit to G-d’s mitzvot beyondthe limitations of one's logic. One has to put their own rationale aside in order to perform G-d’s will.
There is another important lesson in this mitzvah. The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains that Para Adumah teaches us the extent a Jew must go to help another one spiritually. Just like the Kohen-priest who was prepared to become impure in order to purify and elevate another Jew, so too, if need be, one must make personal sacrificesto help a fellow Jew come closer to G-d.
Our sages tell us that when we make a personal sacrifice to help another person, we benefit from this too. The following story illustrates this point..
Two peddlers were walking from village to village to sell their wares. One cold winter day it began snowing heavily and walking became treacherous. After many hours, one of them was so overcome by the cold and exhaustion that he fell to the ground.
The partner, also shivering from cold, realized that his friend would freeze to death if left alone. He immediately went to work on his friend, massaging him, moving his hands, feet and limbs, so they wouldn't freeze. He worked for many hours, even though he too was freezing from the cold. Finally, a coach drove by, picked them up and brought them to the city where they were attended to by a doctor.
The one who massaged his friend boasted that hesaved his friend's life.
But the doctor told him, "True you saved his life, but he saved your life too... Had you not massaged him and used your hands and feet to help him, you too would have suffered from frostbite!" Sacrificing to help others is helping ourselves.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY