Numbers 19

This week’s Torah portion contains the most important of all of the unexplained mitzvot, the red heifer. The portion details a rather involved ceremony to produce water that is used to ritually decontaminate. The decontamination water may be diluted infinitely, consequently, there have only been 9 red heifer’s used to make the waters of decontamination through all of Israel’s history. The sages explain to us​, the red heifer which is necessary to rebuild the Temple, will herald Messiah’s return.

​In modern times, we did not stress, or even much potential to, ritual contamination. In Torah, ritual contamination is clearly a very important issue. One of the important questions we must ask is, why? Why is ritual contamination important?

​Ritual contamination may have one of several origins. These origins are seemingly unrelated. The touching of a corpse, skin disease, and the partaking in certain rituals, their leave, what in a state of contamination. So, what is this contamination? What does the contamination mean? The contamination is a reminder of the connection that we have between that which is within time and space and that which is not within time and space. Ritual contamination is a spiritual condition, that is, a condition of the Ruach and the Neshama. The condition of ritual contamination exists outside time and space, however, the remedy for the contamination must be executed within time and space. This acknowledgment of a condition of the Ruach and the Neshama, and the recognition that a physical remedy is required, again keeps us mentally in a state of connection between that which is spiritual and that which is physical. This is a basic tenet of Torah; we should keep constantly in the forefront of our minds that we are connected, both physically and spiritually, and we must act accordingly. Shabbat shalom.