Weekly Dvar Torah: Purity of the Red Heifer

The Talmud Yerushalmi (Jerusalemite Talmud) says that as we prepare for the Korban Pesach (the Paschal lamb), we must first have the Para Aduma (Red Heifer), because this is the purity of “all of Israel.”

We know that the Red Heifer was there to purify anyone who came in contact with a dead body, so how does this affect all the Jews, most people don’t come close to dead bodies?

Also, Halachically if for whatever reason most of the community is impure, then we bring the Paschal offering even with impurity, so which one is it, if only a few people are impure, then it’s not the entire community that needs to become pure, and if the entire community is impure, there is no need to purify everybody?

So why does the Talmud say that the Red Heifer is there to purify “all of Israel”?

The Rambam describes the Mitzvah of Para Aduma as a necessity to have the ashes (of the Red Heifer) prepared and ready at any time, for anybody who needs to purify oneself.

At all times there must be purifying waters available and ready, to purify anybody and everybody at a moment’s notice.

Chassidus teaches that the service in the Beis Hamikdash (the Holy Temple), is all about our personal Temple, even when there is no service in the Holy Temple.

When we apply the message to our personal service of Hashem, this process comes to life and is extremely applicable.

Hashem is the ultimate purity and the source of all purity, to become impure means to disconnect from G-d in some way.

To become pure again, is to return to G-d, and this comes about by doing Teshuva.

Hence, the process of purification which in the Temple was by using the Para Aduma, on a personal scale it is the process of doing Teshuva.

There are people who transgress seriously, and they really become impure, they obviously require the Para Aduma, the process of Teshuva.

But then there are people who are fine and perfect, why do they need Teshuva, they are pure?

Says the Yerushalmi that the Red Heifer is there for “all of Israel”.

And the Rambam adds that it has to be ready for use all the time, for anybody and everybody.

Why?

Even the righteous at some point come in contact with impurity, at times they feel satisfied with themselves, and this “self” has a scintilla of impurity in it.

Furthermore, even the righteous who are perfectly pure, without even a hint of “self” involved, also they encounter their own death due to the sin of the tree of knowledge, and as long as that sin is not eradicated, which will happen when Moshiach comes, they too suffer from some form of sin.

As the Rambam says, that at every given moment a person should see himself and the entire existence as perfectly balanced, and with one good deed he can tip the scale for good and bring salvation to the whole world, so as long as scale has not tilted and redemption is not yet here, also the righteous have work to do to fix things.

So how do you correct it?

This is where Para Aduma comes into play; every single Jew, regardless of level of purity, in one way or another is affected by some form of death, and therefore, self-purification, Teshuva, applies to every single Jew.

The transgressors need to repent for their misdeeds, the righteous have to repent for the fact that they didn’t yet tilt the world towards full redemption, and as a result they too are affected by death.

And since everybody needs to do Teshuva at every given moment, it is important to have the Para Aduma ready and prepared for everyone to dip in and become pure at all times.

This is how we prepare for the Paschal lamb, which is all about redemption, without exception we all return to Hashem and do Teshuva, and we become pure so we can move to the next step which is the complete redemption through Moshiach, who will also prepare the tenth and last Para Aduma to purify us all on all levels, and this will enable us to be close to Hashem for eternity.

Purify for Me and I will purify you, says G-d.

Have a purifying Shabbos,
Gut Shabbos

Rabbi Yosef Katzman