Shabbos Parashas Chukas - 5774

Shabbos Parashas Chukas - 5774

Rabbi Hal Miller

You shall give it to Elazar the Kohen, he shall take it out to the outside

of the camp and someone shall slaughter it in his presence. [Bamidbar 19:3]

The mitzvah of the Red Cow is a "chok", a commandment whose reason we cannot

understand. But this does not excuse us from studying it and trying to learn

those parts we can understand. In our pasuk, G-d tells Moshe to give the cow

to Aharon's son Elazar for the performance of the ritual. Why Elazar? Aharon

is standing right there and performing all the other 'chief priest' type

commandments. The Torah tells us elsewhere that one should not step in front

of one's parents or teachers. Why is Elazar the one to do this? What happens

in future generations when Elazar is no longer around?

Rashi cites Sifre: "Specifically the deputy Kohen Gadol, to exclude the Kohen

Gadol or other Kohanim." Rashi continues, "But this only applied to this first

red cow. Others dispute future red cows, either the mitzvah is to be done

under the direct supervision of the Kohen Gadol or any Kohen could do it."

Rashbam says, "In the presence of Elazar", which seems to mean that anyone may

do the actual work, so long as Elazar is present. Rav Hirsch writes, "As a

rule it was the Kohen Gadol who performed the act." He ties it to the wearing

of the garments of the priests, and ends with, "It may not be done by a

non-priest."

The Gemora [Yoma 42b] addresses our question directly. "Ulla said, the entire

passage is an implied condition that reverses the implication. And you shall

give it to Elazar the Kohen: 'it' alone to Elazar, but in later generations,

not to Elazar. There are those who say in the generations by the Kohen Gadol,

while there are those who say in the generations even by an ordinary Kohen."

The Gemora goes on to explain a machlokes regarding whether:

-Elazar did the shechitah or it was done in front of him by anyone

-the pasukim apply to "this" first parah, or all subsequent as well

-the pasuk means Kohen Gadol or any Kohen

The question is not resolved. Ramban explains the Gemora as meaning, "Now,

the intent is not that the requirement of the commandment is that it be by

the deputy more than the Kohen Gadol nor any ordinary Kohen. Rather it was a

(once-only) ruling for that time concerning the first cow, that it should be

done by Elazar, who was the deputy."

But the Gemora also says, "only this one is to be prepared by Elazar, but all

other cows should be by the Kohen Gadol. These are the words of R'Meir." It

proceeds to give similar opinions by R'Yose, R'Yehudah, R'Shimon and

R'Eliezer ben Yaakov.

Ramban then says, "And the idea is to say that it would have been appropriate

that this command be given to the greatest of the priesthood due to the deep

significance of its esoteric concept, yet it was not given to Aharon. Perhaps

this was due to Aharon's greatness, for he was 'the holy one of G-d'."

This seems to say that something about this mitzvah will cause some kind of

harm to the one who performs it. We also suspect this from the verses that

tell us that the one who uses the ash later to purify someone will himself

become tamei. If something similar is occurring at the point of slaughter,

then we can understand why the Torah said we should not contaminate Aharon,

the Kohen Gadol. But why would it allow such contamination to future high

priests, or for that matter the deputy (Elazar) or any other Kohen?

Ramban gives another answer. "Alternatively it was to crown Elazar and to

induct him in the lifetime of his father by means of one of the commandments

involved with the high priesthood." But this seems weak as it would have

presumably meant that all future transfers of the office would also need a

similar arrangement.

Midrash Rabbah states that King Solomon understood the reasoning behind the

entire Torah except for the red cow. In Koheles [7:23], he says: "I thought I

had wisdom, but it is beyond me."

It seems that, although many have tried to explain our question, from many

different angles, we stand with the wisest man to ever live. It is beyond us

too. But, we are still commanded to study it!