Thursday, July 3, 2025

Questions for Chukas

1.   Is a Parah Adumah kasher if it is mostly red, or does it have to be 100% red.

2.   What can a non-kohen do in the process of the Parah Adumah

3.   By all things that are Tamei, the Torah calls them Tamei. There is one exception. By a dead person, the Torah never calls the body Tamei. It doesn’t say tamei hu, yihyeh tamei.  It just says that one who touches it is tamei.  How would you explain the difference?

4.   Where did they keep the Matteh of Mei Meriva when it was not being used. What does this imply about whose matteh it was.

5.    A source for the idea that departed ancestors share the emotions of the living.

6.    An example that people with impulse control problems should not rely on their resolutions.

7.    Is a kohen gadol allowed to be under the same roof as a dead person?




1.   Is a Parah Adumah kasher if it is mostly red, or does it have to be 100% red.

Even two hairs that are not red make it passul. Proof- the word “temimah” in 19:2

ויקחו אליך פרה אדמה תמימה אשר אין בה מום

It says in the end of the passuk that it has to be free of blemish. So what does it mean when it says temimah? It must mean that it adumah temimah, completely red. ספרי פיסקא קכ"ג  

There is a halacha l’moshe misinai that only two hairs make it passul. People think the hlmm is to make it passul if it has two. I think that without the hlmm, even one hair would make it passul, because temimah means completely red, there's no din rov.


2.   What can a non-kohen do in the process of the Parah Adumah

From reading our parsha, it appears that he can only gather the ash, because it says “Ish Tahor”, meaning there are no other qualifications other than that. (Yoma 43)

In fact, there is a machlokes Rav and Shmuel whether he can do the shechita.

 

3.   By all things that are Tamei, the Torah calls them Tamei. There is one exception. By a dead person, the Torah never calls the body Tamei. It doesn’t say tamei hu, yihyeh tamei.  It just says that one who touches it is tamei.  How would you explain the difference?

ספרי זוטא (חקת פי"ט י"א הובא בילקוט רמז תשס"א) הנוגע במת, נוגע במת טמא אין מת עצמו טמא נוגע במת טמא אין בנה של שונמית טמא אמרו בנה של שונמית כשמת כל שהיה עמו בבית טמא היה טומאת שבעה וכשחיה היה טהור לקודש חזרו ונגעו בו טמאוהו הם ה"ז אומר מטמאיך לא טמאוני ואתה טימאתני,

The Sifri says that unlike all other things that are tamei, the body of a dead person is not tamei. It just causes tumah in others. When the child of the Shunamis was revived, he was not tamei.

This is not unique. There are other tumos that are caused by objects that are not tamei, such as a נבילת עוף טהור, which causes tuma to one who eats it (מטמא בגדים בבית הבליעה), but not to one who touches it.


4.   Where did they keep the Matteh of Mei Meriva when it was not being used. What does this imply about whose matteh it was.

20:9ויקח משה את המטה מלפני ה' כאשר צוהו

Which sounds like it was Aharon’s matteh, because that's the only matteh we know was kept in the Mishkan.

17:25, ויאמר ה' אל משה השב את מטה אהרן לפני העדות למשמרת לאות לבני מרי


5.    A source for the idea that departed ancestors share the emotions of the living.

20:15   וַיֵּרְד֤וּ אֲבֹתֵ֙ינוּ֙ מִצְרַ֔יְמָה וַנֵּ֥שֶׁב בְּמִצְרַ֖יִם יָמִ֣ים רַבִּ֑ים וַיָּרֵ֥עוּ לָ֛נוּ מִצְרַ֖יִם וְלַאֲבֹתֵֽינוּ׃

Rashi

ולאבתינו. מִכָּאן שֶׁהָאָבוֹת מִצְטַעֲרִים בַּקֶּבֶר כְּשֶׁפֻּרְעָנוּת בָּאָה עַל יִשְֹרָאֵל (עי' תנחומא י'ב):

Tanchuma

 שֶׁל אָבוֹת כָּאן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיָּרֵעוּ לָנוּ מִצְרִים וְלַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ. לְלַמֶּדְךָ שֶׁכָּל זְמַן שֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל בַּצָּרָה, אַף הֵם בַּצָּרָה

It's not only to suffer. The Mekubalim tell us that the souls of the departed come to the wedding of their children and grandchildren (see Zohar Pinchas, Shu”t Maharash Engel vol. 7 page 119, and Yesod Veshoresh Haovodah Shaar Hakolel 15)


6.    An example that people with impulse control problems should not rely on their resolutions.

20:18   וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֵלָיו֙ אֱד֔וֹם לֹ֥א תַעֲבֹ֖ר בִּ֑י פֶּן־בַּחֶ֖רֶב אֵצֵ֥א לִקְרָאתֶֽךָ׃

The word “pen” indicates that they would agree to allow Bnei Yisrael safe passage, but they knew they were children of Eisav, and it was impossible to know what might trigger a violent reaction.

 

7.    Is a kohen gadol allowed to be under the same roof as a dead person?

Eliezer became kohen gadol upon Aharon’s death, and he was in the cave with him.

Was this an exception to the rule?

Rav Shteinman (Ayeles HaShachar) brings the Baal HaTurim that implies that Elazar didn't become the Kohen Gadol until after he was anointed, in which case he was still a kohen hedyot and permitted to be present at Aharon's death. This is difficult, because that seems to be the whole point of Moshe dressing him in Aharon’s bigdei kohen gadol.

S'fas Emes (Kerisos5) says that Elazar did not need an additional anointing to become Kohen Gadol, since he had already been anointed during the seven days of the consecration of the Mishkan. 

But the question can be answered with the Ramban in 19:2 who says that those who die through Neshikah, without the malach hamaves, have no tumah.  Aharon died בנשיקה.

כִּי הַנִּפְטָרִים בִּנְשִׁיקָה לֹא יְטַמְּאוּ מִן הַדִּין, וְהוּא שֶׁאָמְרוּ: ״צַדִּיקִים אֵינָן מְטַמְּאִין״.

Also the Recanati in Chukas 5.

הנוגע במת לכל נפש אדם וטמא שבעת ימים כבר כתבנו כי סבת טומאת המת הוא מצד מלאך המות שהטיל בו זוהמא והמטמא בו צריך טהרה. אמנם מי שמת בנשיקה מת על פי יי' כפי הדבקה בשכינה ואין רוח הטומאה שולט במיתתן לפיכך אין האויר נפסד לפי ששמרו נשמתן ולא נתפתו ביצר הרע ונשארו טהורות ולבנות כמו שנופחו מפי יי' יתברך ועל כן יציאתם גם כן היא על פי יי' יתברך ושם נדבקין

This seems incompatible with the Sifri Zuta I brought above.

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