Arguably, Numbers 19 opens a discussion of the most elusive of all divine commandments: the red
heifer.
“And God spoke to Moses and Aaron saying. This is the governing law
which God has commanded saying. Speak unto the Children of Israel
that they should take for you a red heifer, faultless, where there is no
blemish, and upon which never came yoke.”
Questions regarding it abound, as Abravanel and other commentators have inquired:
- Why the requirements that the heifer be “red”, “faultless”, “where there is no blemish”, and
“upon which never came a yoke?” - Why the particular language that introduces our topic: “This is the governing law?”
In the wider scheme, any discussion concerning spiritual cleanliness and defilement boggles the mind.
Here, we read how the red heifer’s ashes cleanse the spiritually defiled among the Jews. Do the
mechanics of the purifying process not beggar the imagination?
For Abravanel, in a sense, the red heifer represents divine Torah. Specifically, the governing law of the
red heifer shares elements with the Torah. How so?
Consider a sampling of the similarities:
Just as the red heifer is faultless, so too is God’s Torah.
Just as a man enjoys the fruits of Torah in this world and the next one, the red heifer rite curries
boundless benefit for the Hebrews: it brings them catharsis and spiritual renewal from defilement.
Just as a man who fully immerses himself in Torah merits much reward, including a divine wink and
promise that the yoke of livelihood will be lifted from him, allowing him to dedicate his time solely to
Torah studies, so too will the red heifer’s life be one “upon which never came yoke.”
To be sure, Abravanel’s essay on the red heifer brings additional illustrations, and dives deeper. For our
purposes here, however, we offer a smattering of the points in his argument showing the likeness of the
Torah and red heifer.
