The Torah interrupts its narrative of the events that befell the
Jewish people in the desert with a description of a commandment that admittedly
lies beyond any rational human logic and understanding. Even the great King
Solomon, the wisest and most analytical of all humans, was forced to admit that
comprehension of this parsha was beyond even his most gifted intellect. So, if
the Torah is meant to instruct us in life and its values, to improve and
influence our behavior and lifestyle and to help us achieve our goal of being a
holy people, why insert this parsha in the Torah when it can seemingly have no
practical impact on our daily life or broaden our understanding of God’s
presence in our lives?
Though there is a section of Mishna devoted to the laws and halachic technicalities of the sacrifice of the “red heifer” it does not deal with the underlying motives for the existence of this commandment. Nor does it explain why this parsha is inserted here, right in the middle of its narrative of the events that transpired in the desert to the generation of Jews who left Egypt and stood at Mount Sinai.
Both the Mishna and non-rabbinic sources provide a historical record that describes the actual performance of the commandment in Temple times. They remind us of our necessary obedience to God’s commandments even if they are not subject to human understanding. Even so, we still demand at least a glimmer of comprehension in order to make this parsha meaningful to us.
The Torah seems to point out the reality that human life is always irrational and that human behavior frequently defies any logic or good sense. How could the generation that left Egypt and witnessed the revelation at Sinai complain about food when there was an adequate supply from Heaven? How could they prefer life in Egypt or even in the desert to living in the Land of Israel? And how could Moshe’s and Aharon’s own tribe and relatives rise against them in defiant and open rebellion? Are these not at heart bafflingly irrational decisions with a terrible downside to them? Yet they happened—and continued to happen constantly in Jewish and general life throughout history. Despite our best efforts and our constant delusion that we exist in a rational world, the Torah comes to inform us here that this is a false premise.
If everyday life defies logic and accurate prediction, is it not most unfair and indeed illogical to demand of Torah and God that they provide us with perfectly explicable commandments and laws. The Torah inserts this parsha into the middle of its narrative of the desert adventures of the Jewish people to point out that the mysteries of life abound in the spiritual world just as they do in the mundane and seemingly practical world.
One of the great lessons of Judaism is that we are to attempt to behave rationally even if, at the very same time, we realize that much in our personal and national lives is simply beyond our comprehension.
Shabbat shalom, Rabbi Berel Wein
