Chukat - Weekly Torah Portion

This week’s reading from the Torah begins with the ordinance of the red heifer. “This is the statute of the law which the Lord has commanded, saying, ‘Speak to the sons of Israel that they bring you an unblemished red heifer in which there is no defect and on which a yoke has never been mounted. And you shall give it to Eleazar the priest, and it shall be brought outside the camp and be slaughtered in his presence. And Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and sprinkle some of its blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times. Then the heifer shall be burned in his sight; its hide, its flesh, and its blood, with its refuse, shall be burned. And the priest shall take cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet material, and throw it into the midst of the burning heifer. The priest shall then wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward come into the camp; but the priest will be unclean until evening.’” The ashes are then to be collected and placed “outside the camp in a clean place, and the congregation of the sons of Israel shall keep them for water to remove impurity; it is purification from sin.”

According to the scripture this is serious business with dire consequence if not promptly performed. For example, “Anyone who touches a dead body, the body of a person who has died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of the Lord; and that person shall be cut off from Israel. Since the water for impurity was not sprinkled on him, he will be unclean; his uncleanness is still on him.” This is further true for anyone who comes in touch with a person who died in a tent, and anything he came in touch with, including containers and even the grave. It is then emphasized, “But the person who is unclean and does not purify himself, that person shall be cut off from the midst of the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord; the water for impurity has not been sprinkled on him, so he is unclean.”

Obviously, the ordinance of the red heifer is not followed these days, even though we do hear from time-to-time of those who would like to reinstate this particular ritual. It may be an ordinance that was fine for its time, and perfectly understood. I doubt if this is the case today. Our wise Elders give this case as an extreme example of a mitzvah that its reason is not understood. The Midrash quote rabbi Yossi ben Hanina to the statement “bring you an unblemished red heifer” as God telling Moses that he will know what the reason for this Mitzvah is but there after it become ‘the statute of the law’”. The late professor Leibowitz argued that there is no place to attempt to understand these ordinances. Once given we must follow them regardless of if we think we understand them or not. One can respect this position but certainly one has no obligation to accept it.

In this ref heifer ordinance, it is said once “that person shall be cut off from Israel” and then also, “that person shall be cut off from the midst of the assembly”. On the other hand, reality as we observe it today, and that has been continuing for at least the last 1,500 years, this ordinance is not observed whatsoever. In practice, even though life certainly provide ample opportunities that require the sort of purification required by the ordinance, and yet the consequence is not observed. As in this case the ordinance promises personal consequence to those who do not stick to it, and as we observe that such consequence does not happen, it is possible that the essence of the ritual of the ordinance has long gone. However, this does not necessarily mean that we should stop paying attention to the Mitzvah, mock it, or find ways to make it relevant in a different form.

It is almost with a kneejerk that the portion of the Torah continues with stories from the wilderness and the people’s complaints. “Why did you make us come up from Egypt, to bring us into this wretched place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, nor is there water to drink!” Moses receives specific instructions to address the issue, “Take the staff; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it shall yield its water. So you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and have the congregation and their livestock drink.” Moses, frustrated, angry and exhausted, takes “the staff from before the Lord, just as He had commanded him; and Moses and Aaron summoned the assembly in front of the rock. And he said to them, ‘Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring water for you out of this rock?’ Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their livestock drank.” He does not comply with the instructions received and he will be paying the price. He and his brother Aharon will not be entering the Promised Land. Even this great leader in the history of the nation does not receive any benefit and he will be replaced by someone else who will complete what he undertook many years before.

One may view that the ashes of the red heifer and the supply of fresh water having nothing to do with each other. According to the Mammonite the burning of the red heifer was a rare event that happened only nine times and that the tenth time will be when the Messiah will come. The replacement of a great leader is also something that does not happen often but is necessary for a nation to continue to flourish. So this gives us an opportunity to address something that is rare, has to happen from time-to-time, and is absolutely necessary.

Fresh water is the source of life. The ashes of the red heifer are mixed in water, in small quantities, for purification purposes. Water is not that rare, but a red heifer certainly is. So today, rather than sacrificing a red heifer we get the opportunity to generate fresh water for the Israel Reform Movement. It is therefore that the Movement has begun, for the first time ever, a crowdfunding campaign. It is a rare even because it is an initial effort and will not occur frequently. It will generate much need sources of life for the Movement, especially because we are targeting the Israeli audience primarily. Using the Jgive platform, we are using many ambassadors who call upon friends and family to support the IMPJ. Working on this together we can purify the term the Jewish State to be not a one stream Judaism but one that provides many facets of Judaism that is not battered by partitions and separations.

Shabbat Shalom and wishes for Good Health.

Reuven Marko, 18 June 2021, 9 Tamuz, 5781