Thursday, June 21, 2018

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Chukas

The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

In this week's parsha, the Torah states Zos Chukas HaTorah -- stating that the law of Parah Aduma is the prime Chok in the Torah. Rashi quotes the Medrash Rabbah in explaining that this is a Chok, because the Satan and the nations of the world provoke and ridicule the Jews over this law whereby the process causes the one who is impure to become pure and the one who was pure and applies the water/ash mixture, become impure. For this reason the Torah instructs that this is a Chok and one should not attempt to discern the reason for this law.

R' Frand also quoted the actual language of the Medrash Rabbah which states "Chukah Chakarti, Gezeirah Gazarti" - Hashem stated that he has set a Chok and a law and a person is not allowed to attempt to understand the meaning of this law. R' Frand further observed that there are many other Chukim in the Torah, such as Shatnez and kosher animals, but this is the prime Chok and there is no explanation for it.

R' Frand next quoted a different Medrash wherein a pasuk [perhaps from Mishlei] states that Shlomo attempted to understand the Chukim such as Shatnez and non-kosher animals, but this I did not understand. The Medrash also quoted R' Yosi who stated that Hashem told Moshe, I will explain to you the reason for Parah Adumah, but only to you, and I will not reveal it to the Jews until L'Asid L'avo. 

R' Frand then asked three questions: (1) If there is a reason for the law and Hashem revealed it to Moshe, why does He not want to reveal it to the rest of the Jews until the end of days? (2) Why does Hashem allow the Jews to be ridiculed by the world for this law? After all, the Torah writes that the nations will remark about the Jews that they are "Am Chacham V'Navon"! (3) Why does the Medrash use double language in describing it as a Chukah and Gezeira?

R' Frand answered these questions by quoting the sefer Be'er Yosef, who observed that the Parah Adumah was not needed only once in a while. A person would have a need for the ashes after coming in contact with a person who was Tamei Meis, or a body, or attending a funeral. R' Frand opined that a person might need the ashes dozens of times in his lifetime. Each time that the process was repeated he would go from being impure to pure and the Kohain would have the reverse. Each time the person would have the concept reinforced that there are things that occur in this world that he cannot understand. Similarly he might observe Tzaddik V'Ra Lo/Rasha V'Tov Lo, or the death of a Tzaddik or a child, and he would be faced with the reality that there are things that he cannot understand. Because the more a person repeats something, the more the concept is ingrained, which in this case is that there are things that are not meant to be understood.

This is why Hashem does not want to reveal the meaning for Parah Aduma and its crossover law of tamei/tahor at this time. Because Hashem wants us to know that there are things we cannot understand, even if the other nations mock us for it.

R' Frand closed the vort by explaining the double language....as not being a double after all. Hashem said to the Jews, I have set this Chok of Parah Aduma, because I have also set Gezeira(s) - decrees which you will not understand and you need to accept that it all comes from Hashem.

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