Thursday, June 13, 2013
Parshas Chukas: The Inexplainable Mitzvos
9:56 PM | 
Posted by
Rabbi Chaim Coffman |
"Hashem spoke to Moshe and Aharon saying, "This is the decree of the Torah which Hashem has commanded saying, Speak to the Children of Israel and they shall take to you a completely red cow which is without blemish, and upon which a yoke has not come" (Numbers 19:1-2)
Rashi explains that the Satan and the nations of the world will say what do you need this mitzvah for and what is the reason behind it? Therefore, the Torah calls this a "chok" (a mitzvah that is given without any fathomable reason as to why I have to do it) and it is a decree in front of Me and you don't have permission to question Me on this.
Rav Moshe Sternbuch Shlita in Ta'am V'Da'as asks why this mitzvah is singled out as a "chok" more than any other "chok" in the Torah, like by sha'atnez, or the laws of separating milk and meat? What is so special about the mitzvah of the red heifer?
Rav Sternbuch learns that the Torah chose the red heifer as the ultimate chok because of the contradiction that the mitzvah poses because it purifies the one that became impure and makes the one that is pure impure. In reality though, even if the Torah gives us reasons for the mitzvos that we do, this is not the ultimate reason of why we perform the mitzvos.
At the end of the day, the Torah is so deep that we cannot possibly fathom the reasons for the mitzvos that G-d has decreed and even if we do understand the reasons for the mitzvos, it is only a tiny fraction of their essence and why we perform them.
This is why the Torah tells us "this is the chok of the Torah" because in essence, the entire Torah is really a chok and we only understand a small amount about the reasons for the mitzvos. This doesn't mean we shouldn't try and understand the reasons for them but it should be clear that this is G-d's wisdom and what we do know is only scratching the surface.
Another way to undertand this is that the foundation of the mitzvah of the red heifer is that it makes the one who is impure pure and the one who is pure impure. From this we can learn how to better serve G-d. People have different strengths and weaknesses and everyone is different. Also, the source of a person's soul is different one to another.
For example, one person's strength in service to G-d may be another's weakness and vice-versa. Therefore, every one of us should be introspective and know where their strengths and weaknesses lie. This in turn, will help us finding our special path to G-d and helping us to reach our true potential.
Shabbat Shalom
Rashi explains that the Satan and the nations of the world will say what do you need this mitzvah for and what is the reason behind it? Therefore, the Torah calls this a "chok" (a mitzvah that is given without any fathomable reason as to why I have to do it) and it is a decree in front of Me and you don't have permission to question Me on this.
Rav Moshe Sternbuch Shlita in Ta'am V'Da'as asks why this mitzvah is singled out as a "chok" more than any other "chok" in the Torah, like by sha'atnez, or the laws of separating milk and meat? What is so special about the mitzvah of the red heifer?
Rav Sternbuch learns that the Torah chose the red heifer as the ultimate chok because of the contradiction that the mitzvah poses because it purifies the one that became impure and makes the one that is pure impure. In reality though, even if the Torah gives us reasons for the mitzvos that we do, this is not the ultimate reason of why we perform the mitzvos.
At the end of the day, the Torah is so deep that we cannot possibly fathom the reasons for the mitzvos that G-d has decreed and even if we do understand the reasons for the mitzvos, it is only a tiny fraction of their essence and why we perform them.
This is why the Torah tells us "this is the chok of the Torah" because in essence, the entire Torah is really a chok and we only understand a small amount about the reasons for the mitzvos. This doesn't mean we shouldn't try and understand the reasons for them but it should be clear that this is G-d's wisdom and what we do know is only scratching the surface.
Another way to undertand this is that the foundation of the mitzvah of the red heifer is that it makes the one who is impure pure and the one who is pure impure. From this we can learn how to better serve G-d. People have different strengths and weaknesses and everyone is different. Also, the source of a person's soul is different one to another.
For example, one person's strength in service to G-d may be another's weakness and vice-versa. Therefore, every one of us should be introspective and know where their strengths and weaknesses lie. This in turn, will help us finding our special path to G-d and helping us to reach our true potential.
Shabbat Shalom
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