Weekly Torah Portion

Many years ago, while I was still studying in yeshiva in New York, I joined a cohort of other guys my age (early 20’s) on a four-month program at a Vancouver Jewish boys’ high school. We stayed in the student dormitory and studied and interacted with the students on a consistent basis. This helped my friends and I to begin building a path within Jewish education, and also gave the students older role models.

At the outset, the rabbinic dean of the Vancouver school met with me and three friends to convince us to form the cohort. He told us how impactful our presence would be, and asked us to list any hesitations we had. We came up with a list and, one by one, he responded to and explained away each of our hesitations. And when that list of doubts was eradicated, he said, “Well, I guess you guys are going to Vancouver.” By the next week, we had booked our tickets.

While in Vancouver, I revisited this meeting with the rabbi. He told me that he uses the tactic of having people list reasons in many situations, whether asking them to donate money, join a cohort or tackle a challenge – because basically, every excuse or reason not to do something can be managed or explained to get to a “yes”. By making a list and going through each concern, one may be left with no reasons not to do something – how we ultimately agreed to go to Vancouver. Eliminating challenges or excuses can give clarity to navigating right and wrong.

This week’s Torah portion contains another perspective of this philosophy. Years ago, when the Beis Hamikdash (Temple) was still standing as the center of Jewish life, if someone became ritually impure (usually involving physical contact with a deceased person), the method to cleanse oneself was to undergo a complicated process, using the ashes of the Parah Adumah, a designated Red Cow. The whole process is extremely difficult to understand, with most commentaries saying that this is a commandment where we need to have “true faith in Hashem”, as it is a law that is classified as one without a discernible reason (called a chok).

Why would such a mitzvah exist? The mitzvos are our guideposts, ways to better ourselves, our community, family, and future. Every mitzvah we do makes us into a better person. Why would Hashem orchestrate something without a defined positive impact within the framework of Judaism?

The Talmud gives one potential explanation: Hashem has decreed it, and we have no right to question it. The idea of the Red Cow purification process is just that – to show us that sometimes, we need to trust the process more than the reason.

Yes, we need to understand the why’s of the commandments, appreciating how they create a positive lasting impression on our lives. But if we have only the why, then what happens when we don’t like the reason or can’t understand it? Do we drop that mitzvah? Get angry at Hashem? Downplay our Judaism? Drop G-d from the picture? Or do we use the Parah Adumah as a template to say sometimes I don’t know the reason. But I know Hashem has got it covered and has my best interests in mind. And that is enough.