Parshas Chukas-Balak: Dark Before Dawn

Torah Parallels Weekly

Parshas Chukas-Balak

💭 A Thought on the Parsha: Dark Before Dawn                         One of the most interesting aspects of the mitzva of Parah Aduma is the fact that the one who does the sprinkling of the ash-water becomes tamei (impure) at the very same time he is making the tamei person tahor by sprinkling him with the same solution.             This fascinating paradox is so perplexing that Shlomo Ha’melech in all his wisdom could not grasp it. It is no wonder the Torah explicitly states this mitzva as a “chok”. To approach this difficult concept, the Kli Yakar offers the following explanation. As you look around the world, you will notice that the world is a natural habitat for opposition, and even more so – it is often through the opposition itself that the other element prevails. A light could be seen most clearly through utter darkness. Plants providing edible foods grow out of dirt, the thing that we bury death in. It is even natural for things to have a desire to approach their opposite. The observation that cold things warm, warm things cool, wet things dry and parched things get wet, is even the basis of Psychiatrist Carl Jung’s concept of Enantiodromia – the concept used to explain how actions, especially with abundance of force, easily turn into their opposites.             This is also true in a spiritual sense – the greater the talmud chachom one is, the more the yetzer hara will try to attack him. This creates an opposition between these two forces which must result in one conquering the other. The same principles could be seen within the laws of tumah/taharah. For example, the halacha is that certain foods could only be fit to become tamei after being in contact with water – an odd concept as water is usually associated with cleanliness and purity (example: mikva). Yet, when the food gets wet and then subsequently interacts with tumah, the tumah gains the ability to thrive under such conditions and succeeds in making the item tamei.             The Kli Yakar explains that the application of this idea is the engine behind how that ash-water of the Parah Aduma works. The mixture of the ash and the water is exactly the combination of two opposing forces. Water is completely tahor, while the ashes represent the lowest levels of tumah. Therefore, when the tamei person is sprinkled with this mixture, the ash feels right at home while the water then comes, sees the opposition, and works tremendously hard – so to speak – to make the person tahor. In contrast, when the ashes see the tahor person who is carrying the mixture and does the sprinkling, the ashes naturally thrive and ultimately overcomes the water to make the person tamei.             This concept is interesting to consider. However if it is truly the case that such a mixture naturally causes the tahor person to become tamei, why does the Torah add the troubling ingredient? It does not seem that the ash is necessary for the tamei person’s process so why have it if it causes the damage of turning the tahor person tamei?  Why not just sprinkle the water without the ashes, thereby making the tamei one tahor without having the reverse effect on the one doing the sprinkling?                         The Kli Yakar answers with a fantastic yesod: One cannot become pure until they understand the source of the tumah and work to remove the root cause. The ashes are indeed an essential ingredient of the mixture – it plays the role of being the very present tumah which, once recognized, the water could come as its opposing force and conquer. Learning to recognize our own imperfections, misdeeds, and mistakes is the only path forward to thriving. The realization of what is a current state gives the force behind a strategic opposition to conquer.

Have a wonderful Shabbos!