What a busy week and one that got away from me. I should have written this on Thursday....and then Friday, before Shabbat, was a zoo. So...here we are early on Sunday Morning... One of the more interesting Torah Portions comes to us this past week from Numbers 19:1 - 22:1 where we read about perplexing law of the red heifer. G-d commands us to use the ashes to make the impure...pure. But the odd thing about it, those who come into contact with those ashes become, themselves, impure. Why?
It's Much Like Life
We are surrounded by choices. We have the luxury of living in the beautiful state of Iowa. Food here abounds...and food is good. G-d gave it to us. But, sometimes when we eat too much of one food over another we get into problems. From too much sugar to too much fat...but, it's all good. When we make a decision to change our habits and learn what we can eat and what we should not...but food goes from a problem maker...to a problem solver.
Or, Try This...
King Solomon, it is said, knew what all the commandments of the Torah meant with the exception of...the red heifer. Sometimes there is no visible or clear understand as to why G-d tells us to do something. We can understand the great benefit Shabbat gives to us...a day to connect with family, study, recharge. And, we understand the discipline we achieve when we keep kosher, don't mix dairy and meat... But this law?
If you are a person of faith you believe that everything comes into being because of G-d. I just read this interesting example by Rabbi Shraga Simmons about the orange. Have a listen to his brief commentary.
In The End...
We understand that our mission in life is to obey and honor G-d. Every blessing, every action, every day...the Jew's duty is to honor G-d through what we do. The red heifer? I don't know...but if it was important enough to offer the commandment to us...it must have been important to do. It's really that simple.
In Torah....
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