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Harav Hagaon Shmuel Friedman Shlita

Achdus and Taharah: Preparation for Geulah

Parshas Vayakhel/Parah

Harav Hagaon Shmuel Friedman Shlita  

The word vayakhel is a lashon of gathering, connoting bringing Klal Yisrael together. At kabbalas haTorah Klal Yisrael were b’achdus — וַיִּחַן שָׁם יִשְׂרָאֵל נֶגֶד הָהָר — but the incident with the eigel caused divisiveness among Klal Yisrael. The Yerushalmi teaches that there were actually twelve agalim, one eigel for each of the twelve shevatim, as each had their own idea and their own way of bringing the eigel.

The purpose of the Mishkan, says R’ Yaakov Kamenetsky, was to restore the achdus among Klal Yisrael, and in that way to bring back the Shechinah, and that’s why the parashah begins with vayakhel.

The talmidim of the Chasam Sofer quote the following incredible insight of their rebbi. How was Aharon zocheh to become the kohen gadol after he stumbled in the sin of the eigel? The Torah directly attributes the eigel to him, as it says, הָעֵגֶל אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה אַהֲרֹן! The Chasam Sofer explains that Aharon HaKohen saw that Bnei Yisrael were divided when they came to make the eigel; each individual had a different idea of how to connect with the Ribbono Shel Olam in Moshe Rabbeinu’s absence, through the eigel, and this caused a major machlokes. Aharon understood that since machlokes reigned, it would not make a difference whether Moshe Rabbeinu would come down the next day. Indeed, Rashi states in Parshas Korach that when there was machlokes, נתרשלו ידיו — Moshe’s hands were weakened. Aharon therefore thought of an idea to eliminate the machlokes: if he himself would join in the fashioning of the eigel, then everyone else would join, and no one would have any objection. Then, when Moshe Rabbeinu would return the next day, there would be peace among Bnei Yisrael, and the bad will disappear instantly from among them.

This, explains the Chasam Sofer, is why Aharon was zocheh to the kehunah gedolah.

This idea is central to the Purim story as well. Haman Harasha described Klal Yisrael as מְפֻזָּר וּמְפֹרָד, divided and lacking achdus, and in order to bring the yeshuah, that unity had to be restored, as Esther said: לֵךְ כְּנוֹס אֶת כָּל הַיְּהוּדִים. This need for achdus is reflected in the mitzvos of Purim — mishloach manos, matanos la’evyonim, and the Purim seudah, which are meant to increase friendship, love, and brotherhood.

Parah: Even Nowadays

Rashi, in Megillah, cites the Yerushalmi’s statement that really, Parshas Hachodesh should precede Parshas Parah, because the Mishkan was erected on the first day of Nissan and the parah adumah was burnt the following day. However, Parshas Parah comes first מפני טהרתן של ישראל — in deference to the taharah of Klal Yisrael.

Nowadays, we purify ourselves through reading Parshas Parah, in keeping with the principle of וּנְשַׁלְּמָה פָרִים שְׂפָתֵינוּ. The Aruch Hashulchan notes that the phrase חֻקַּת עוֹלָם appears twice in the passage about parah adumah. The first mention conveys that a parah adumah can be made even after the churban Beis Hamikdash, and the second mention conveys that through reading the parashah of parah adumah, we can purify ourselves just as Klal Yisrael purified themselves when they actually had a parah adumah.

The Arvei Nachal (Parshas Shemini), citing Chessed L’Avraham, states that during the thirty days from Purim until Pesach, the Ribbono Shel Olam purifies Klal Yisrael and elevates us another level each day, just as He was metaher us when we went out of Mitzrayim.

The Chok of the Torah

Let us try to gain a better understanding of the taharah that we gain from Parshas Parah.

The passage begins with the words זֹאת חֻקַּת הַתּוֹרָה, and Rashi observes that the Satan and the other nations deride Klal Yisrael regarding this mitzvah, which has no logical basis or explanation: גזירה היא מלפני ואין לך רשות להרהר אחריה. The Beis HaLevi (Parshas Ki Sisa) notes, however, that Rashi then goes on to bring a logical reason for this mitzvah, citing R’ Moshe Hadarshan’s explanation that the parah hatumah comes to atone for the eigel, as per the mashal that after the maidservant’s son soiled the palace, the king declared, “Let the mother come and clean up her son’s mess.” Similarly, the parah adumah, which is a cow, atones for the sin of a calf. Rashi draws a parallel between the eigel and each detail of the way the parah adumah was prepared, and this theme is expanded upon in the yotzros of Parshas Parah.

If every detail of the parah adumah correlates to the eigel and atones for it, then why is this mitzvah deemed a chok? It seems to have a clear explanation!

Furthermore, why is this mitzvah introduced with the words zos chukas haTorah? Shouldn’t the Torah say zos chukas haparah? It seems that something about this mitzvah relates to the entire Torah, but how so?

Another question about the mitzvah of parah adumah is, why was it necessary to teach this mitzvah to Klal Yisrael even before Mattan Torah, at Marah, along with the mitzvos of kibbud av v’eim, dinim, and Shabbos? It is understandable that those other mitzvos were given prior to Mattan Torah, but why was parah adumah given at that time?

Yet another difficulty regarding the parah adumah relates to Shlomo Hamelech’s statement that he was zocheh to understand the taamim for all the other mitzvos, and he asked that he be able to know the reason for the mitzvah of parah adumah as well, but the Ribbono Shel Olam was unwilling to reveal it to him. Why wasn’t he allowed to know the reason for this mitzvah?

Chukim: Advantages and Disadvantages

There are advantages to doing mitzvos after knowing the reason, but there is an advantage to doing mitzvos without knowing the reason. The taamei hamitzvos are also a portion of the Torah, and studying them is included in the obligation of talmud Torah, which encompasses the requirement to understand the depths of the mitzvos and grasp the secrets of the Torah. Furthermore, when a person does a mitzvah whose taam he understands, he does it with greater cheishek and simchah, and with more dikduk halachah. Taam connotes not only reason, but also “taste,” and just as the flavor of food makes it more palatable and appetizing, knowing the taam of the mitzvah adds depth and meaning to its performance.

But the Ribbono Shel Olam also gave us some chukim, which we perform as an eved serves his master, and for no other reason. Klal Yisrael were taught this chok of parah adumah even before Mattan Torah so that they would have a mitzvah that had to be done without knowing the reason, unlike kibbud av v’eim and the other mitzvos they received then. This mitzvah would have to be done solely because Hashem commanded, and that is why it is referred to as זֹאת חֻקַּת הַתּוֹרָה — because it was the basis for the whole Torah.

That also explain why Hakadosh Baruch Hu didn’t want to reveal the reason to Shlomo Hamelech. This mitzvah of parah adumah has a special benefit: it shows us that when we do all the other mitzvos, we are doing them because the Ribbono Shel Olam told us to, and not only because we understand them. And this intention of doing mitzvos just because He commanded us is what makes the observance of the mitzvos pure.

The Beis HaLevi and the Chasam Sofer explain that when R’ Moshe Hadarshan states that the mother should come and clean up after her son, that is not the reason this mitzvah was given. Rather, this is an explanation of why the Ribbono Shel Olam did not reveal to us the reason for this mitzvah. The lack of a taam for the parah adumah is what is mechaper for the cheit ha’eigel, because the sin of the eigel was that Klal Yisrael made cheshbonos and did something that Hashem did not command. Their intentions were positive, as they wanted to connect themselves to ruchniyus in the absence of a manhig and bring about hashra’as haShechinah, but they erred in acting independently, without a tzivui from Hashem.

The parah adumah symbolizes the very opposite:  אין לך רשות להרהר אחריה — you can’t make your own cheshbonos in order to advance in ruchniyus. Rather, you need to follow Hashem’s tzivui.

That, says the Beis HaLevi, is why, throughout the construction of the Mishkan, the words כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה’ are emphasized again and again. Klal Yisrael’s building the Mishkan because of Hashem’s tzivui, and not because of their own cheshbonos, atoned for their mistake in the cheit ha’eigel.

This principle of following Hashem without making cheshbonos applies not only to doing mitzvos, but to everything that happens in life. The Chasam Sofer, on last week’s parshah, sees a beautiful message in the passuk וְרָאִיתָ אֶת אֲחֹרָי וּפָנַי לֹא יֵרָאוּ. We can’t understand Hashem’s ways when they happen, he says; only afterwards can we be privy to why things occur as they do. Indeed, he continues, we see in the Purim story that Vashti was killed and Esther was crowned queen, and everything seemed to be going terribly for Klal Yisrael, but in the end, we saw retroactively that every detail of the Megillah was for Klal Yisrael’s benefit, and was planned by Hashem in advance as part of the yeshuah. All the things that appeared to be misfortunes and bad for Klal Yisrael, ultimately turned out to be part of Klal Yisrael’s salvation.

The Taharah is No Coincidence

We can now understand how we gain taharah through reading the parshah of the parah adumah. When we achieve dveikus in Hashem and we understand that we do His mitzvos just because He commanded us to, and not necessarily because we understand the reasons for them, that brings taharah. It is not a coincidence that the chok of parah adumah also brings taharah. Rather, our dveikus in Hashem, as evidenced through our observance of this inexplicable mitzvah of parah adumah, is what brings the taharah.

We also see that the parah adumah atones for the sin of avodah zarah, in the episode of the eigel. Similarly, this mitzvah can help a person eliminate the avodah zarah within himself. Indeed, Parshas Parah is meant to help us strengthen our emunah, as a hakdamah to the Yom Tov of Pesach, which is the chag of emunah. This prepares us for the geulah and actually brings the geulah.

The Yerushalmi states that the four parshiyos corresponded to the four kosos. The halachah is that there shouldn’t be an interruption of a week between the third and fourth of the parshiyos; Parshas Parah and Parshas Hachodesh are always read on consecutive Shabbosim. Similarly, there should be no interruption between the third and fourth kosos.

The four kosos also correspond to the four leshonos of geulah, which refer to varying levels of redemption. So these four parshiyos really prepare us for the geulah, and for Nissan, which is the month of geulah.

Through the parshah of parah adumah that we are going to read this week, along with Parshas Vayakhel, which signifies the achdus of Klal Yisrael, we should be zocheh to achieve taharah and achdus, as well as forgiveness for the sin of avodah zarah, which should bring emunah into our lives, spurring us to do mitzvos with more of a connection to the Ribbono Shel Olam. And that will b’ezras Hashem bring about the geulah, במהרה בימינו אמן.

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