The Red Heifer, or Parah Adumah, is a profound symbol in the Jewish tradition. Our sages consider it the archetype of laws that demand faithful obedience, even when they defy rational sense or intuition, as captured by the opening phrase the section is named for: this is the law – זֹאת חֻקַּת הַתּוֹרָה / חֹק.
The Red Heifer ritual restores people from a state of corpse impurity, having been contaminated from coming in contact with death – זֹאת הַתּוֹרָה אָדָם כִּי־יָמוּת בְּאֹהֶל. Although no longer practiced in our day, our sages interpreted every element of the law to embody spiritual and ethical principles that remain relevant to contemporary life.
Despite being out of practice today, our sages understood every element of the law to embody principles relevant to contemporary living.
Rashi, citing R’ Moshe HaDarshan, teaches that just as a mother cleans up after her child, the Red Heifer ritual atones for the sin of the Golden Calf; R’ Yitzchak Vorki suggests that if the Golden Calf represented a lack of faith, the Red Heifer serves as its antithesis, which is the mechanism for restoring spiritual balance and the return to faith and purity.
A Red Heifer eligible for the ritual must be without blemish and having never borne a yoke – אֵין־בָּהּ מוּם אֲשֶׁר לֹא־עָלָה עָלֶיהָ עֹל. The Chozeh of Lublin interprets this as a metaphor for spiritual humility; if a person believes themselves to be without fault or mistakes, it suggests a lack of submission to the yoke of Heaven, underscoring the necessity of humility in spiritual practice.
R’ Simcha Bunim of Peshischa, on his deathbed, stoically confronted his impending death while his wife wept. He reminded her of the teaching that the essence of life and the whole Torah is about preparing oneself for death – זֹאת הַתּוֹרָה אָדָם כִּי־יָמוּת בְּאֹהֶל.
The Chafetz Chaim taught that people should be willing to make sacrifices to learn Torah, challenging the notion of prioritizing material and worldly living over spirituality – זֹאת הַתּוֹרָה אָדָם כִּי־יָמוּת בְּאֹהֶל. Do not forsake Torah study to be preoccupied with mere living; instead, occupy yourself with and live by the Torah in full awareness of life’s fleeting transience and consciousness of our mortality – זֹאת הַתּוֹרָה. This is the law; this is what it’s all about.
The Kohen would add cedar wood and hyssop grass to the fire and burn them with the Red Heifer. Cedar trees are used throughout the Torah and our prayers to symbolize might and pride; hyssop grass symbolizes humility. R’ Simcha Bunim taught that individuals must balance pride and humility, carrying a note in one pocket stating, “The world is mine” in one and “I am dust and ashes” in the other, illustrating the balance between humility and recognizing one’s potential.
The ashes of the burnt Red Heifer are ineffective on their own. To complete the purification process, they had to be mixed with living water, that is, fresh, flowing water – מַיִם חַיִּים. Alone or mixed with anything else, even stagnant or prepared water, the ritual is incomplete and ineffective.
R’ Meir Schapiro emphasized that water, the fundamental life force, is powerful only when it flows. Flowing water can break mountains, make deserts bloom, and carve rock, while stagnant or frozen water is inert.
R’ Leibele Eiger adds that flowing water’s natural descent down the drainage basin represents the virtue of humility, suggesting that we should aspire to be humble and flexible, allowing ourselves to be shaped by the divine. You put water into a bottle; it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot; it becomes the teapot. Be more fluid.
Ultimately, R’ Yitzchak Vorki highlights how the heart of the law of the Red Heifer is loving one’s neighbor; the Kohen who performs the ritual purifies everyone else but defiles himself in the process, symbolizing the self-sacrifice inherent in a life of genuine love and service to others, even at the cost of one’s own comfort.
We may not currently practice the laws of ritual purity, and the Red Heifer may just be something we read and talk about today, but its profound lessons in humility, faith, and selflessness are eternal. These values inspire us to purify our intentions and actions, reminding us of our potential to make a difference, not only for ourselves but for all the lives we touch as well.