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Parah Adumah? FallJA.qxd:Layout 1 7/28/10 12:36 PM Page 76 Legal-Ease By Ari Z. Zivotofsky What’s the Truth about . the Parah Adumah? MISCONCEPTION: The person who The blood of the parah adumah was Taharot 60). This includes the shochet sprinkles the ashes of a parah adumah then collected by a kohen who sprin- as well as those who collect the blood, (“red heifer”) on a tamei (ritually im- kled it seven times in the direction of sprinkle the blood, burn the cow, throw pure) person becomes tamei himself. the Holy of Holies. The entire animal— in the ezov, turn over the meat while it skin, meat, blood and all—was then is burning, collect the ashes, et cetera. FACT: Most of the people involved in burnt and pieces of erez (cedar), ezov In summary, anyone involved in the preparing the ashes become tamei, but (hyssop), and sheni tola’at (scarlet- preparation becomes tamei and re- the one who sprinkles the water with dyed wool) were added to the confla- mains so until he immerses in a mikvah the ashes does not. gration; the ashes were then collected and waits until sunset. Furthermore, and stored. the clothing he is wearing and any FACT: Among the various types of Spring water was collected in a utensil he touches while engaged in the tumah (ritual impurities) enumerated vessel and sanctified as ashes were activity become tamei too (Rambam, in the Torah, the kind acquired from mixed into it. The water was called Parah Adumah 5:2).6 Although touch- direct contact with a human corpse is “mei niddah” by the Torah and “mei ing the cow does not render one tamei, unique. One who acquires such tumah chatat”5 by Chazal. one who touches the sanctified mei is considered a “tamei met,” and in ad- This entire process, replete with chatat does become tamei (Keilim 1:1-2; dition to the standard ritual immersion myriad technical regulations, had one Aruch Hashulchan Ha’atid, Taharot required to remove tumah, the Torah purpose—to purify tamei individuals. 77).7 Thus, while the sprinkler of the mandates that he be sprinkled with All those involved in the process were mei chatat does not become tamei, the ashes of a parah adumah (“parat required to be tahor. Many stringencies description of the parah adumah ritual chatat”) on the third and seventh day applied to those involved in the ritual as one that is “metaheir temaim” and after such contact.1 The cow used must of the parah adumah—more than ap- “metamei tahorim” is quite accurate. be completely red, 2 older than three plied even to those performing the avo- The fact that the parah adumah is a years (Parah 1:1), with no physical dah in the Temple! Nevertheless, an source of tumah is not unusual. There blemishes.3 Furthermore, the cow must individual involved in the ritual of the are three broad categories of tumah have been purchased by the beit din parah adumah was permitted to be a sources. The most well-known causes with Temple funds for the purpose of tvul yom, i.e., a tamei person who im- of tumah are those associated with preparing the requisite ashes, and have mersed in the mikvah and is only fully death. The most potent source of never worked (Shekalim 4:2). tahor after the sun sets. The Tzed- tumah is a human corpse (Bamidbar The details of the preparation are dukim (Sadducees) believed, however, 19:11). Other death-related sources in- outlined in Parashat Chukat (Bamidbar that a tvul yom was not permitted to clude dead kosher animals (Vayikra 19). Unlike sacrifices, all of which took participate in the preparation of the rit- 11:39-40), dead non-kosher animals place within the Temple precinct, the ual. (Consequently, to reinforce this ha- (Vayikra 11:24-28), and dead kosher parah adumah ritual took place outside lachah, the rabbis insisted that after all birds (Vayikra 17:15; see Rashi). A sec- the Temple precinct. When the Temple the stringencies were observed and ond source is certain bodily emissions. stood, the ritual of the parah adumah there was absolutely no doubt that the The third category, called tumot ke- took place outside of the municipal individual selected to perform the rit- dushot (Tosefta, Sheviit 1:4) is tumah borders of Jerusalem, on the Mount of ual was tahor, he should be then be in- associated with sacrificial rites, one of Olives (Middot 2:4).4 Additionally, simi- tentionally defiled so that he could which is the parah adumah. In this last lar to sacrifices, a non-kohen was qual- have the status of a tvul yom!) category, one finds, for example, that ified to slaughter the parah adumah. All of those involved in the prepara- the one who burns the bull and goat tion of the ritual become tamei, except sacrifices of the Yom Kippur service Rabbi Dr. Ari Zivotofsky is on the faculty of for the one who sprinkles the ash becomes tamei, as does the one who the Brain Science Program at Bar-Ilan Uni- water (Parah 4:4; Rambam, Parah Ad- leads the Yom Kippur scapegoat to its versity in Israel. umah 5:1; Aruch Hashulchan Ha’atid, death in the desert (Parah 8:3).8 76 I JEWISH ACTION Fall 5771/2010 FallJA.qxd:Layout 1 7/28/10 12:36 PM Page 77 If the sprinkler of the mei chatat while the sprinkled becomes tahor— itcher Rebbe promised his many emis- does not become tamei, why do many that is the most confounding element saries spread out over the far reaches people think otherwise? This is proba- of this mitzvah. Indeed, what element of the globe that because they are in- bly due to the verse in Bamidbar, stat- of this “chok” did King Solomon find volved in purifying their fellow Jews, ing (9:21): “He also that sprinkled the inexplicable.11 they and their families will remain water shall wash his garments . ” The Gemara (Yoma 14a) asks this pure, no matter how isolated they are. which seems to indicate that the sprin- very question and provides two possi- Indeed, the fact that a kohen must be kler becomes tamei. However, the Tal- ble answers: willing to defile himself in order to mud (Yoma 14a) rejects a literal If sprinkling upon a tamei makes help remove a form of impurity for the interpretation of the verse. him tahor, how much more should nation conveys an important message But is he who sprinkles clean? Surely sprinkling upon a tahor person not make about what it means to be a spiritual it is written,“And he that sprinkles the him tamei, yet Rabbi Akiva says it leader of Klal Yisrael. water of sprinkling shall wash his makes him tamei! And Rabbi Akiva? It is A related midrash (Bamidbar Rabba clothes?” “Sprinkle” here means “touch.” with reference to this that Solomon said: 19:5; cf., Pesikta D’Rav Kahana iv, Buber But the text reads “sprinkle” and also “I said, I will get wisdom, but it is far ed. 38b) states that there are four con- mentions “touch”; furthermore, he who from me.” And the Sages? They explain cepts, referred to by the Torah as “sprinkles” must wash his clothes, this to refer to the fact that he who “chukah,” that the Satan (yetzer hara) whereas he who “touches” need not sprinkles and he who is sprinkled are ridicules because of seemingly inherent wash his clothes? clean, whereas he who touches them contradictions. According to the Rather “sprinkle” here means [mei chatat] is rendered unclean.12 midrash, they are: 1. yibum: the Torah “carry.” Then let the Divine Law write The Sefer HaChinuch, who provides prohibits a man from marrying his “carry”; why is “sprinkle” written? That reasons for almost all of the mitvzot, brother’s wife except when the brother [is meant] to let us know that there must when writing about the parah adumah dies leaving no children; 2. kilayim: the be a quantity sufficient for the sprinkling (397) states “My hands grew weak and Torah prohibits the mixing of wool and [in order for the one who carries to be- I was afraid to open my mouth.”13 The linen together, yet permits one to wear come tamei]. Beit HaLevi on Parashat Ki Tissa (Beit a linen garment with wool tzitzit; 3. the What the gemara is stating is that HaLevi al HaTorah, p. 55 in 5747 seir hamishtaleach (scapegoat on Yom the one who sprinkles is not tamei; the reprint of 5644 ed.) comments that Kippur): one who leads the goat to its verse simply comes to teach that one when King Solomon was stumped by death becomes impure yet the goat who carries or touches an amount of the parah adumah ritual, it made him serves as an atonement for others; 4. mei chatat that is sufficient with which realize that he also did not fully under- parah adumah: a heifer that defiles the to “sprinkle” a person is tamei.9 stand the other mitzvot. garments of those involved in the Expounding upon the Biblical From the inexplicable nature of process yet purifies a tamei garment (in verse, Rambam states that one cannot parah adumah, the Beit HaLevi com- the language of the midrash).16 explain the verse according to its sim- ments that we learn that the whole Another midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah ple meaning because it is illogical that Torah is a chok—that is, all the mitzvot 19:8; Pesikta D’Rav Kahana 4:7) relates the act of sprinkling the mei chatat pu- are interrelated and unknowable.
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