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Copyright 2003 Darche Noam Institutions
The Long Journey
The mysterious ceremony
of the "Para Aduma," the Red Heifer, whose ashes mixed with water are able to
purify one who came in contact with the dead, is the prototype "chok", a law
not understandable by human intelligence. Even the wisest man that ever lived,
King Shlomo, said, "I thought that I would become wise, but it remains far from
me. What was is far away, deep, deep and who can find it (Kohelet 7:23-24)."
The Midrash expands on this: I investigated and searched through the whole Torah,
says, Shlomo, and found a reason for everything, until I got to the section
of the Para Aduma. Then I said, 'I thought that I was wise, but it remains far
from me. What was is far away. . . .'"
The expression, "What was is far away," needs explanation. A parable will help.
A man decided he wanted to go on a journey to the end of the world. He made
all of his preparations, got a good carriage ready, got his assistant to join
him, and set off. After a long day's trip they stopped off at an inn, and, along
with the other guests at an inn, joined a conversation about everyone's travels.
When he is asked, "Where are you travelling, near or far?" he replies, "My journey
is a long, long one."
Let us take a close look at the traveler's reply. When he says his journey is
a "long, long one," he really means that even though there is still a long journey
before him, it is shorter than it was when the day began. For one who traveled
a hundred miles during the day, his journey to the end of the world is hundred
miles less than it was when the day began.
King Shlomo tells us that
he wanted to travel to the end of the world - to understand even the deepest
secrets of the Torah. "I thought I would become wise." The reason behind the
Para Aduma still evades him, though, as he says, "It is still distant from me."
However, one might have compared Shlomo Hamelekh's progress to that of the traveler
in the parable. You might have thought that even though his goal is still distant,
it is still not as far away as it was when he began his journey - he still made
some headway into understanding the Para Aduma. Here they differ. Shlomo is
still as far away from his goal as he was when he started investigating the
Para Aduma. This is what he added by saying, "What was is far away." It is just
as far away as it was when he began.
Often we say when learning about the reasons behind the mitzvot, "After all
we have understood, we have only scratched the surface." With regards to understanding
the Para Aduma, says the Dubno Maggid, we do not even scratch the surface.
from
Classic Divrei Torah on Parshat Shavua
Print Version of http://www.darchenoam.org/articles/web/parsha/ar_chukat.htm.htm
Copyright 2003 Darche
Noam Institutions