RR Rabbi’s Reflection for Parshah Chukat By Jeffrey Freeman

Shabbat Shalom,

This weeks’ Parshah is Chukat, or “Statute.”

Highlights for this week’s reading are preparing and reserving ashes of a red heifer; improperly obtaining water from a rock costing Moses and Aaron their right to enter the Land; Edom prohibiting Israel crossing their land; the death of Aaron; the command to cast and mount a bronze snake; and a couple battles where Israel defeats enemies.

Chukat is a challenging read. Several parts are hard to understand. I am far from alone in this assessment. Even its name is synonymous with difficulty. Sages refer to Torah passages for which there is no rational or self-evident explanation as “chuk,” deriving the name from this parshah.

Let’s look closer at one enigmatic chuk, the cow. This is a very specific cow, a heifer destined for an important part in Tabernacle and Temple rituals.

Excerpts from Numbers 19 This is the statute of the Torah which ADONAI commanded…bring a flawless red heifer on which there is no blemish and on which there has never been a yoke…take her outside the camp and slaughter her…burn the heifer, her hide, flesh, blood, and refuse…add some ceder wood, hyssop, and scarlet wool…gather up the ashes and store them in a clean place outside the camp.
They (ashes) are to be for use as water of purification from sin … Whoever touches any dead body will be unclean for seven days. He is to purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day. Then he will be clean… If he does not purify himself…he will not be clean. Because cleansing water was not sprinkled on him, he is unclean; His uncleanness will remain on him.

This is a very odd commandment. In most instances, a simple immersion in a mikvah was sufficient to remove ritual impurity. However, if a person contacts a human corpse, he or she must undergo special ritual cleansing.
This special cleansing ritual was a seven-day long process. The “defiled” individual must be sprinkled with a concoction of living water (mayim chayim) and ashes from the red heifer. After the application of the purification water on the third and seventh days, the person had to immerse in a mikvah to complete the cleansing.

More Numbers 19 excerpts. After slaughtering the heifer in the priests’ presence – the kohen is to wash his clothes and bathe his flesh with water…the Kohen will be unclean till evening…The one who burning it is to wash his clothes and bathe his flesh with water, and he will be unclean till evening…The one who gathers the heifer’s is also to wash his clothes as well, and be unclean till evening…The one sprinkling the cleansing water is also to wash his clothes…and will be unclean until evening.

This is an interesting point. Every person involved with the red heifer and its cleansing of people became unclean. It’s like they were taking on other people’s impurities.

Hebrews 13:11-13 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the Holies by the kohen gadol as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore, to make people holy through His own blood, Yeshua also suffered outside the gate.

2 Corinthians 5:21 He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf…

Like the ones handling the red heifer and her ashes, Yeshua became impure when he bore our sins. By making us pure in the sight of ADONAI Yeshua became impure. He gave up His life so that we might have life eternal. Baruch HaShem! Shabbat Shalom.

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