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This Shabbat we will read, besides the Weekly Portion Ki Tisa, the Parasha Para, literally the Portion of the Cow. This portion describes the purification procedure for a Jew who is Tame (ritually impure) because of his contact with a dead. The Cohen (priest) would take a Red Heifer (cow), Para Aduma, slaughter it, burn it on a pyre, along with a cedar branch, hyssop sprig and crimson wool. Then, a Jew who was Tahor (ritually pure) would take a little bit of the ashes, mix it with water and sprinkle the mixture on the person who was Tame, on the 3rd and the 7th day of the purification procedure, after which the person became Tahor.
Why do we read the Parasha Para? Because it is connected to Pesach. In the times of the Temple, on the eve of Pesach, the Jews would bring an offering (called Korban Pesach, the Sacrifice of Passover), which was eaten during the night of the Seder. In order to enter the Temple, to offer and eat from this sacrifice, one had to be Tahor, ritually pure. Since this procedure took some time (one week), this was a reminder to all Jews not to wait for the last minute but purify themselves ahead of the Offering of Pesach. In remembrance of this process, we read the Parasha Para.
What is the message of Parasha Para? The Tuma (ritual impurity) of the dead, is the worse Tuma that exists. Why? Because the worse thing that can happen to a person is when he acts like a dead person. What does dead mean? The body is complete and functioning, but there is not life inside it. The practice of the Mitzvot and the study of the Torah must be done with enthusiasm, joy and life.
Thus, we will arrive speedily to the times of Mashiach, where death will no longer exist, not physical, not spiritual death.
Shabbat Shalom,
Arie from the Yeshiva
