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Parashas Chukas:
The Red
Heifer: Honoring the Purity of Shem and the Holy Land
[Background of Red Heifer]
In this week’s Torah Portion of “Chukas”, the Para Adumah is
the most perplexing topic in the entire Torah. Since the Torah was given, there
has been one question that has stumped the minds of every scholar, even the
great wisdom of King Solomon: what is the meaning [even on any level] of the
mysterious command imposed upon the Jewish People – The Para Adumah [Red
Heifer]? Even as there may be success in answering this enigma, the ultimate
answer evades the most diligent scholar each time; for every door that we go
through, the outcome will be a fresh set of doors to investigate and once again
ponder the appropriate path that will grant adequate understanding of the challenge
known as the Para Adumah.
[Noahides and their hidden interest of the Red Heifer]
When we gaze at the terrain of Torah students of today, we
interestingly find that it is not only “one” nation who is enthralled with the
anticipation of returning to a state of Holiness that can only be achieved with
the return of the Para Adumah in a fully functioning Torah state of affairs,
for there is yet another – The Noahide Nations all over the World equally anticipate
and yearn for this return to Holiness. We see this very clearly today, as there
are tremendous efforts underway to reclaim the merit of possessing the Para
Adumah and existing in this state of purity, in the Land of Israel; The
Noahides are one of the main idealists furthering along the attempt to locate
the elusive [purity of] The Red Heifer. [Purity and Holiness are two separate
concepts; holiness is he who is separate, i.e. the Noahide from the rest of the
World, whereas purity is the concept to remedy impurity, a reality and
affliction (not only by sin, but by contact with the dead) that is imposed on
the holy, i.e. Jews and in this case, Noahides] This may seem as a simple
observation that does not warrant any further investigation, but one must ask,
“where does this precedent come from,” for Gentiles to have a vested interest
in something that would seem to garner no interest, namely the Para Adumah. If
one were to invest thought and research [within Torah] perhaps the Torah does
make this quite [unclearly] clear! Not only does the Torah allude to this
eternal secret as being in relation to the Noahide, but there is absolute
reason to consider that it is the very Noahides themselves that make the
mystery of the Para Adumah!
[Red
Heifer and the enigmatic text description in text of Torah; explaining “Ger”]
When we look into the Torah Verses of the Para Adumah, along
with the basic instructions, details, and background of the sacred Mitzvah
[commandment], there comes a strange detail that ends the Torah’s account of
what will be the resting place of the ashes of the Para Adumah. If one looks to
“Bamidbar” 19:10 – “…and it should be to The Children of Israel and to the
“Ger” that dwells amongst you, an eternal [mysterious] decree” [והיתה
לבני ישראל ולגר הגר בתוכם לחקת עולם]
as we have learned with Jethro, who was also called a “Ger” along with the
precedent to identify Noahides as “Gerim”, here too one not only can, but
should make the same distinction. A Ger loosely means a convert [to
Judaism], but in Devarim 14:21 in reference to the forbidden act of mixing
milk and meat, the Torah identifies the Ger [literally dweller]
to be a Noahide in particular. Let us not forget Aravnah the Noahide who sold
the Temple Mount [expressing his direct connection to the heart of the Land of
Israel] to King David as well, of which the Metzudas David commentary lists
Aravnah as a “Ger Tzedek” [the righteous Ger] which is usually in reference to
a Righteous Jewish Convert, yet the commentators have made it quite clear that
this reference when spoken of Aravnah is a sure reference to his being a
Noahide. [Thus the righteous Ger is the righteous Noahide when deviating from
the other connotation of convert] Now that we have an absolute Torah principle
that “Gerim” [plural for Ger] can [and often] refer to a Noahide, the Para
Adumah scenario begins to make more sense [and ultimately leads to a greater
path of confusion, as the Para Adumah never makes absolute sense, yet we have
now pushed the envelope even further, with breaking through and making sense in
the text, more questions are sure to follow!] when we identify “the Ger who
dwells amongst you” as a Noahide.
[Torah
commentary of text of Red Heifer]
Before we get into the particulars of how this works we need
a basis, and that basis comes in the form of the Commentator “The Even Ezra.”
The Even Ezra states in conjunction with the text in our verse [Bamidbar
19:10]:” [and for the Ger who dwells amongst you…] ‘So that it should be A Land
of Israel of Holiness, for the [Glory is there/ Honor is there/ Honor of Shem
(ben Noah); all 3 connotations are valid as the word for Glory/Honor “כבוד” has 2
meanings and the word for there and Shem “שם” has 2 meanings.]
[Why the Noahide is the “Ger” of the text]
If we take this Even Ezra literally and in context, while
thinking into the text of the Torah in this same way, [that we are referring to
a Convert to Judaism and not a Noahide] the explanation becomes rather
difficult! [Thus forcing the conclusion that we do in fact speak of the
Noahide] Why would the Torah need to state the Convert “living amongst you?” If
this is an eternal decree, and therefore in context of a time when there will
be a Third and final Temple, it should be obvious since the Convert lives
amongst you. In this frame of thought, he should simply be considered as a Jew
without being singled out as a Convert, as in this area there is no distinctive
difference in sanctity. [There are levels of holiness of the Jewish People:
Priest – Levi – Yisrael; the Yisrael and the Convert weigh the same, and thus
there is not a sub-Jew standard on any level] And in this way, the Even Ezra
does not make sense as being spoken of the Convert since obviously the Land
would never suffer from the Convert; additionally the Convert does not convert
for the sake of inheriting Land – even allegorically. Thus the logical
conclusion is that the verse is in reference to the Noahide.
[Noahides and Israel via commentary of “Shem”]
Once we identify the Noahide in this verse, we can open up
the doors of perception that baffle the mind when contemplating the Para
Adumah. The first and most literal yet abstract reason this is a Noahide
reference to the Para Adumah[as per the Even Ezra] is the usage of the word “שם” / Shem in the
commentary. To put it simply: Noahides will one day be intrigued to live in the
same Land as their Great forefather Shem. The Torah allows for this when it
speaks of the “Ger Toshav” – “The Gentile who lives in the Land” and is a
fervent follower of the 7 Laws of Noah as the Torah demands [belief in the system
told over to Moses].
[Question: why then the Noahide and his affiliation of the Red Heifer]
The other way of understanding the Noahide here, is to
simply take it literally because the extreme literal path makes no sense and
leaves us without understanding, as shown before. On this level, the Torah
makes an observation that the Noahide has already realized from his own life
experience: he is connected to the Jewish People. From that moment on, even
living in the Land of Israel [as Shem did and since the Land is the True Glory]
is a possibility. The fact that the Para Adumah is a mystery [which we have
solved now on some level – which proves to be consistent with study of the Para
Adumah since it led to an even bigger question, one based on understanding!] does
not contradict the fact that we have introduced a new facet to the never ending
discovery of the Para Adumah. What we have done is shown a new question in
Torah, one that sheds light on the nature of the Para Adumah: what is the
connection of the Noahide and the Jew? The answer is simple: they unite under
the umbrella of purity within the waters of the Para Adumah.
[Practicality of the Noahide and the Red Heifer]
It would seem that the Torah’s mystery in the Para Adumah is
the secret of the Noahide, and that he is connected to the Jewish People in a
way that maybe can’t be simply answered, to the point that the Torah says “you
can’t figure it out totally!” One attempt to answer is that the Land must
remain Holy, and the unification in the Land is this Purity of the Para Adumah.
The constant purity amongst Jews and Noahides eradicates any schism of any
potential separation, for the connection of the two people in the Land [a Land
of the One-ness of God] must be a perfect seal, after all, the Light is going
out to the Nations as One. [Not to be confused: One; as Genesis
states the concept: “Like One”] This would in fact be the basis of why we learn
Mikveh / ritual bathing from Jethro in relation to Noahides as a proactive
practice. With a precedent of bathing in waters of the Para Adumah for a level of the highest
degree of Purity [even if the association to the Para Adumah coupled with the
need of purity and affiliation with Israel is a mystery], then all the more so
any type of ritual bath [even not on the sanctity of the Para Adumah] would be
a meritorious and practical custom, one that could acclimate the Noahide to the
Para Adumah, withholding the mitzvah as a foreign object before coming to the
Land if he indeed does decide to dwell amongst Israel. [It could also serve as
a Torah imposed fence so that if one happens upon the Land in haste he will be
accustomed to ritual bath and not subject the Land to something alien and
inappropriate]
[The
gentile vs. the Noahide – “Adam”; Noahide and his Learning Torah]
In the Talmud Yevamos 61a the question arises about the
nature of a “gentile” and his status of being impure after his death and upon
burial. The decision is left as a bit of a question, yet there is one offshoot
that the Talmud investigates: The Noahide who learns the Torah is compared to a
High Priest, in that they share the name “Adam.” [(High level) Man] King David also told over that, “The ‘Land’ is
given to Bnei Adam.” Here the Bnei Adam would signal those who repaired Adam
through Torah as opposed to the Bnei Adam who perpetuate his sin. [It should be
noted the expression “repair of Adam has the same gematria as Torah, 611] It
would then seem that the Talmud is issuing a secret of the Para Adumah text,
proving that a Noahide does indeed merit the purification of the Red Heifer,
and that the Noahide has a distinct connection to Israel. After all, Abraham is
called “the Hebrew” and Shem is called the “Father of all Hebrews.” Perhaps by
being knowingly connected to Shem invokes the Para Adumah as a need of
one’s soul. [Every non-Jew called “Adam” has a direct relationship to Shem,
even the original Adam, as Shem and Noah are the repair of the sin of Adam, as
all were brought out by him.] It should be noted that Para Adumah is spelled in
Hebrew, “פרה אדמה” – notice
that “Adumah” is really “The Adam” when
we unscramble the letters. It is now clearly understood why the Noahides
today have vested interest in the sacred Para Adumah: They are directly
involved with its qualities for deep, personal, and mysterious reasons.
[The Noahide and his root back to Shem: a connection to Red Heifer]
The text will always remain a mystery in the absolute sense,
but at least at this juncture we find an answer to many of Torah’s perplexing
questions as to what is the reality of the Noahide on many levels. One thing
remains perfectly clear, in that the rationale is traced directly back to Shem,
as the Noahide who awakens his soul on its root level identifies with Shem and
the existence of the Supernal Adam. [Adam in reference to learning Torah] The
entire passage in the Torah would remain a bit unclear if it were not for a
simple support in the name of Shem, as we mentioned amidst the commentaries.
Once the Even Ezra explained the Torah’s Simple Meaning to go along with a
difficult passage of Torah by the inclusion of a rogue “Shem” quotation, the
door of many possibilities was once again opened in the one place in Torah that
we would expect no less, the Para Adumah. What seems like a locked door in the
face of many may just be a challenge to find a key called Shem. The key may not
unlock every door, but at least it allowed the Noahide to enter where he is
destined to be: alongside the Jewish people [in the sanctity of Torah study and
way of life], and if that place is the Land of Israel, it is easy to conclude
that Shem foresaw that too, as his yeshiva is in Israel. If Shem made Israel possible after the Ark
[and through his righteousness he still teaches through the Living Torah, as we
saw with the Even Ezra], then the dream comes true when not only Jews, but
Noahides as well, unite through the holy waters of the Para Adumah. It is only
fitting that this key to understanding the Para Adumah, should come from the
merit of an equally massive Torah concept: The Torah that comes through the
hand of Shem ben Noah.
Rabbi David P. Katz
|
Shabbat Shalom! |
3 comments :
May all the Noahides long and merit living in the Holy Land of Israel... Where the Torah will flourish thru the Land and flow out to the rest of the world ... the Perfect Truth of HaShem.
We very much appreciate your teaching us, Rabbi Katz, of Shem and Noah... and all these things. We connect with it because we, as gentile followers of Torah, are very much following your teaching to help us know our roots as well.
Thank you...
annie
This is a fascinating read into the parshah. There is something that is unclear, though. The existence of tahor and tumah apply only to B'nei Yisrael, and do not apply to B'nei Noach. That is what I have heard said, though I do not recall from where. Can you comment on this?
i believe this is part of the chok. the gemara in yevamos 61a says that "adam" has tumah, and they resolve that noahides who learn torah are called adam. the nature of the tumah i dont know. but they do join in on the para adumah, which again, i believe is part of the chok.
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