A Change of State
King Solomon remarked about himself that all of the gates of
Divine wisdom had been opened to him, with the exception of
one: he did not know why the Poroh Adumoh (red heifer)
purifies the impure yet at the same time contaminates the
individuals who are involved with its preparation. Although
we cannot hope to shed light on an issue which was unclear to
the wisest of all men, perhaps we can try to fathom why
Hashem chose this particular area of Torah to be left beyond
the grasp of our intellect.
Ten miracles took place daily within the walls of the Beis
Hamikdosh. Even non-Jews who were privileged to get a
glimpse of what transpired there left feeling overwhelmed by
the sheer power of their encounter with sanctity. A person
couldn't just stroll into the Temple in the hope that he
would be able to grasp its holiness. He would literally need
to change his world outlook to be able to appreciate this
magnificently spiritual realm.
How did this transformation take place? Employing a means of
purification whose interpretation eludes the intellect taught
the pure and impure alike that the experience of entering the
Beis Hamikdosh similarly reaches way beyond the
limited confines of human comprehension. Considering the
process of the Poroh Adumoh helped all who entered the Temple
internalize this idea, and prepared them to appreciate the
unparalleled sanctity that awaited them.
Pesach Preparation
In the times of the Beis Hamikdosh, a crucial activity
before the month of Nisan was to insure the availability of
the ashes of the Poroh Adumoh. Anyone who had touched a
corpse could not enter the Beis Hamikdosh, and
consequently could not bring a korbon Pesach. The
ashes of the Poroh Adumoh were placed in water, and this
mixture was sprinkled on someone who was impure, as part of
the process of making him tohor and it becoming
permissible for him to enter the Temple.
In order that this mitzvah should be fresh in our mind, prior
to the arrival of Pesach we are obligated to read Parshas
Poroh, the verses that describe the Poroh Adumoh process.
The Shulchan Oruch writes that the reading of
Parshas Poroh is a Torah-based commandment (146:2;
685:7). However, most authorities disagree, contending that
Parshas Poroh in only a rabbinically required reading
(Mishnah Berurah 685:15). Some explain that the Torah
obligation to read these verses only applied while burning
the ashes of the Poroh (Meshech Chochmoh, Parshas
Chukas).
Many authorities write that even according to the Shulchan
Oruch, women are not required to hear the reading of
Parshas Poroh, since they were not involved with the
preparation of the ashes (Moadim Uzmanim 2:168).
Furthermore, since the obligation to read Parshas Poroh
is relevant only once a year before Pesach, it is
considered a time bound mitzvah, which women are exempt from
fulfilling (Hilchos Chag BeChag p. 25).
Red All Over
As implied by its name, one of the primary qualifications of
the Poroh Adumoh is that it must be completely red. All its
hairs must be red, and even two black or white hairs growing
from the same source are enough to invalidate it. One
isolated black or white hair would not disqualify the
heifer.
If the nails or horns of the Poroh are black, they can be cut
off. So too if there is black in its eyes, teeth or tongue
the animal remains kosher, even without removing them.
However, a wart disqualifies the Poroh, even if it was later
cut off (Bartenura, Poroh 2:2,5).
Hair Splitting
Because of the very exact qualifications of the Poroh Adumoh,
it was a very rare commodity. Before purchasing one for the
Beis Hamikdosh, the heifer was checked over extremely
carefully to insure that it was in fact completely red. If
the animal was found to fit this qualification, and it met
the other requirements of a Poroh Adumoh, it was worth a
small fortune.
How far did this requirement go? If two hairs were half red
and half black would the hairs still be considered red? Our
Sages said that the status of the hairs is determined by the
color of root of the hair. If the roots of the hairs are red
then the heifer is deemed a kosher Poroh Adumoh.
Even if the roots of the hair are red, the Poroh Adumoh is
not kosher unless a substantial amount of the hair itself is
red. If there is not enough red hair to cut with a pair of
scissors then the Poroh is not considered kosher. If the red
root is long enough, then the black section was cut off, and
the heifer was kosher (Bartenura 2:5).
Other Blemishes
"You should take a perfectly red heifer that has no blemishes
. . ." (Bamidbar 19:2). All blemishes that render a
sacrifice unfit for use, also disqualify a Poroh Adumoh. Not
every divergence is considered a blemish, and size deviations
did not render the heifer unfit (Meleches Shlomo, Poroh
2:3).
Dogs are considered especially brazen creatures. Since the
whole purpose of bringing a sacrifice is to humble oneself
before his Creator, an animal used in connection with
purchasing a dog cannot be "brought into the house of Hashem
to be offered as a korbon" (Devorim 23:19).
Similarly a heifer used in an exchange for acquiring dogs was
unfit for a Poroh Adumoh (Rambam, Hilchos Poroh
1:7).
As with other mitzvos, using a beautiful heifer was
considered to be an enhancement of the mitzvah. If there was
a choice of two poros, the more beautiful one was
chosen. In the case where preparations of the less attractive
heifer had already begun, the animal was redeemed, and the
better-looking one was used (Rambam, Hilchos Poroh
1:10).
Forbidden Labor
There are more stringencies relating to the Poroh Adumoh than
to other sacrifices. The Poroh may not have been used for
work whether strenuous acts such as being ridden on, or
simple things like being used to lean on. Transporting an
object by tying something to its tail also disqualifies the
heifer.
An expectant mother knows that carrying a child is no easy
task. Since the fetus is considered a separate entity from
the mother, the halochoh views it as though she is
literally carrying the baby. In this vein, any heifer which
is or was once pregnant is disqualified from use as a Poroh
Adumoh.
Our Sages teach us that only an act of labor which is desired
by the owner disqualifies the Poroh Adumoh. But what kind of
labor, however useful, would be worth losing the small
fortune that the Poroh Adumoh was worth? Our Sages tell us
that the halochoh does not take into account the value
of the heifer in determining whether an act is desirable to
the owner (Tosafos Bava Kama 98a).
Absolute Purity
The halochoh is that when a Jew passes over a Jewish
grave, he becomes tomeh, impure. Our Sages wanted to
make certain that preparations for the Poroh Adumoh would be
done without even the slightest chance of becoming impure. We
can only react with amazement when we hear the incredible
precautions that they took in order that this process should
be performed in absolute purity. These steps were taken
because there was a controversy with the Tzedukim about
Poroh, and the one who prepared it was actually tomeh
to a low degree -- deliberately so to contradict the
Tzedukim.
Special courtyards were built in Yerushalayim, designed in a
way that ensured that a person could never become impure
there. These areas were constructed on bedrock, which clearly
had no grave in it. Houses were designed in a particular way
that even if a corpse were to be buried underneath them, it
could not contaminate its inhabitants because it was built on
vaults that blocked tumah.
Expectant mothers would come to these special courtyards to
give birth, in order that their infants should never set foot
into an environment where they could possibly become
tomeh. These children were raised there until they
were seven or eight years old, the age at which they would go
and collect the water for the preparation of the Poroh
Adumoh.
When they were ready to perform this task, special big-
bellied cattle were brought into these courtyards, to
transport the children to the Shiloach spring. The huge
stomachs of these animals ensured that the child's feet would
not pass over ground that could potentially contain a corpse.
Wooden doors were affixed to the backs of these animals, as a
further precaution against the child passing directly over a
grave.
When they got to the banks of the Shiloach they drew the
water in stone vessels, which could not become defiled by
tumah. Most opinions agree that at this point they did
not need to take precautions for becoming tomeh, since
corpses are usually not buried in a river. They were able to
dismount from the cattle, and draw the water directly. They
would remount the heifers, and bring this water to Har
Habayis to be used in the preparation of the Mei
Chattos for sprinkling on those people who had become
impure from a corpse.
Seven days before burning the ashes of the Poroh Adumoh, the
Cohen who would perform this procedure was separated from his
home and wife. This would ensure that he didn't become impure
before engaging in the preparation of the Mei Chattos.
Every day, the Cohen was sprinkled with ashes from red
heifers -- poros adumos of earlier generations,
including the one made in the time of Moshe Rabbenu in the
desert.
Beyond the Law
The rishonim point out that even after all of these
precautions were taken, it was not possible for these
children to completely avoid any impurity. Every child
becomes impure at birth, and for this reason these children
too had to purify themselves before starting this procedure
(Tosafos Succah 21a). Why then, was it necessary to
put so much effort into making sure that impurity was
avoided?
As explained previously, entering the Beis Hamikdosh
was different from entering any other building in the
world. It required a person to change his perspective on
life, and to realize that in the dwelling place of Hashem
anything was possible. To achieve such an outlook required
complete purity in every single step of the process. Once
again we went beyond the letter of the law, in order that our
entrance into Hashem's Home should be in a way that found
favor in His eyes.
Throughout our history, a total of nine Poroh Adumas were
burned and made into Mei Chattos. The tenth will be
prepared by Moshiach, may he come speedily in our days. In
the merit of reading about the Poroh Adumoh may we be
successful in arousing Divine mercy to end this long
golus, so that we will once again be able to celebrate
Yom Tov in its proper form, with the Beis Hamikdosh
rebuilt (Mishnah Berurah 685:1).
