Shabbat Parah- Torah Portion for 3/6
This coming Shabbat is called Shabbat Parah – the Sabbath of the Red Heifer. It is one of four special shabbats that precede Passover and comes on the first shabbat following Purim. The special reading for this Shabbat describes the mysterious command to take an unblemished red heifer, kill it, reduce it to ashes in fire, mix the ashes with water and then to use that mixture to ritually purify anyone who comes in contact with a corpse. Our sages call this ruling a choc, that is, a command that has no logical explanation. Why is it in the Torah? No one knows. Why do we read it before Pesach? Our sages say it is to remind us that we need to purify ourselves before Passover, just as our ancestors did before making their pilgrimage for the Pesach sacrifice when the Temple stood – in other words spring cleaning. The removal of leaven from our house is not for dietary reasons, and not simply a reminder of the Exodus from Egypt. It is an opportunity to take a look at our lives and do a spring cleaning of our souls, to remove the worries, angers, and resentments that hold us back from living full lives.
~Rabbi Dean
