tqx June 19 2010 7 Tamuz 5770 Bamidbar (Numbers) 19:1-22:1

The Torah gives us Mitzvot מצות (commandments) which are basically divided into two groups Chukkim חקים (regulations without making sense or understanding the reason) and Mishpatim משפטים (regulations or judgments with logical understanding). In this parashah, we simply have to obey knowing that G-d is the One who knows why. In the Talmud Berachot 34b it says from Moses to the last prophet, everything points to Mashiach. Rambam said that when Mashiach would come, he would explain all these things making them clear.  As Jews who believe that Mashiach has already come, we can see more clearly the picture of Yeshua in the Parah adumah פרה אדמה, the red heifer or “female” cow. This portion is pregnant with Messianic references. Read More Midrash Parah 3:5 explains that from Moshe to the destruction of the Temple, there were 9 red heifers and that number 10 would be brought in by Messiah. Rambam and Rashi supported this belief.  In my opinion, the 10th red heifer has come in Messiah Yeshua. G-d told Moshe to build a mishkan in which He would dwell betocham בתוכם “among them”. Rashi explains that G-d did not need a mishkan in which to live but as Ezekiel 36:24-28 and Jeremiah 31:31-33 says, the Ruach ha Kodesh would dwell in us. In other words, we ourselves are the temple of the Ruach ha Kodesh.  Rav Shaul repeats this idea about our bodies being tents or temporary dwellings and that one day G-d would replace them with more eternal houses or temples.

Let us examine some of the elements of the “Parah adumah”. It had to be a perfect animal; every single hair had to be red. Over and over the terms red and female are emphasized in this portion. How can a cow represent our Messiah?  Why a female? Our sages have no answer for this but could it be that in so doing our Messiah was reversing the sin caused by Eve when her disobedience caused them to be expelled from Gan Eden?  Eve was deceived by the serpent which put the poison of sin upon humanity bringing in the battle between the yetzer rah and the yetzer tov (the evil and good inclinations).  This poison is in us and the only antidote is Messiah Yeshua. The Parah adumah was the means for cleansing us after we came in contact with a corpse just as Yeshua cleanses our “dead” bodies from the contamination of sin bringing us back to life, eternal life.

The Parah adumah had to be sacrificed outside the camp whereas all the other animal offerings were made inside the altar.  Yeshua in the same way was killed outside the camp (Jerusalem), looking from west to east on the Mount of Olives.

The entire heifer was burned up, blood and all whereas in the other offerings, the blood was sprinkled on the altar and only parts of the animal was burned.  In the other offerings the ashes were thrown away but here the ashes were kept added to water (called mei-niddah מי נדה , water of purification). There were 3 extra elements which were added to the burning of the heifer, cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet wool. Our sages say that cedar is a tall tree which represents pride while hyssop was a very short bush representing humility.  The scarlet or crimson wool represented blood and sin.  The three elements play an important role in the death of Yeshua—the wood he carried, like Isaac for the sacrifice, the hyssop with which he was given the vinegar and the scarlet wool which represents his blood and water that came from his wound, also the wool that it was tied on the horns of Azazel (the scapegoat).

These three elements were also used for the cleansing of tsaarat- leprosy (Vayikra).  It is interesting to note that Eleazar, Aaron’s son and High Priest, who had to be clean in order to do the offering was made unclean by the offering of the Parah adumah yet the ashes of the Parah when mixed with water made the unclean person clean. It seems to be a paradox yet all these elements point to Messiah who in the same way became unclean when he took the sin of the world upon himself in order to make us clean.

Later in this portion we read that Israel’s complaints once again causes G-d to bring death to many of the people of Israel when He sent fiery serpents to bite them. G-d told Moshe to make a fiery serpent and put it up on a pole and whoever would look at it would be healed.  How could looking at a serpent heal anyone? Years later King Hezekiah destroyed the bronze serpent because it had become an idol (2 Chron. 18:4). It was of course, the faith that G-d gave those people who looked up at the serpent that healed them, not the serpent itself.  This pointed to the time when Yeshua would be hung on the tree and whoever would look up to him would be healed for eternity.  Once again the image was not to be made into an idol but what would heal people would be the faith that G-d would give to those who look up to him.  The image of the serpent would reverse the curse that came upon mankind by that first serpent which tempted Eve.

G-d provides everything for us to have a relationship with Him.  Religion is not what saves us. It only makes us think that we are better or more holy than someone else. The theme of Chukkat is learning to trust G-d instead of trusting in ourselves.

The red heifer had to be an animal on which a yoke had never had been placed. Our sages say that it had never done anything wrong. Its only purpose was to be the Parah adumah to be offered. There has never been a perfect heifer since then.  Yeshua told us to take his yoke upon us replacing our heavy yoke with his light one.  He came to earth at that time for one purpose alone and that was to be the ultimate offering for the sin of mankind.

Let me end with this. In 2 Corinthians 5:21 Rav Shaul said:”For our sake He made the sinless one a victim for sin so that in him we might become “Tsaddikim”.This portion Chukkat is a perfect picture of Yeshua.  Let us learn to be honest with ourselves. We are not righteous, he is. He is the one who makes us righteous. Let us put aside all appearances of self-righteousness, stop being holier than thou and begin to do things His way for He gave us the perfect Parah Adumah- Yeshua ha Mashiach.

May G-d add blessings to His Word.