A Chok means a law without a reason. We can suggest that besides the simple Pshat that Parah Aduma is a puzzle which we don’t understand, we can say that it’s a Remez to the Yesod of Shviras HaMiddos. The Seforno says that: זֶרֶא ץֵﬠ cedar wood symbolizes Ga'ava, and: בוֹזֵא Aizov grass symbolizes Anava, and for people who are feeble in nature it is a Mitzva to be a Baal Ga'ava and vice versa.
Indeed, it sounds like a Chok when a Yid looks like he’s a big shot or a super Anav. The Gr”a says that people may not understand your actions, but you need to stick to the opposite of your nature, like a Chok (law without an apparent reason) which makes no sense to others. That’s why the Parah Aduma is: אֵמַטְמוּ םיִאֵמְטַה תֶא רֵהַטְמ םיִרוֹהְטַה תֶא makes a person who is Tamei, Tahor, and a person who is Tahor, Tamei. What is a Mitzva to Chaim, can be an Aveira to Berel.
Notice how the Seforno elaborates in how important it is to be like a Baal Ga'ava (which Shaul HaMelech unfortunately didn’t do, and therefore he lost his Malchus) and he doesn’t elaborate on trying to be an extreme Anav when your nature is to be a Baal Ga'ava. It appears that lots of Anava can be understood by others, but acting “like you own the world” is super hard, and misunderstood by most of us.
The Yetzer Hara of Anava P'sula (Misplaced Humility) is Rampant
I was told in Novardok that you’ll get plenty of Schar for your: 'ה יֵכְרַדְבּ וֹבִּל הַּבְּגִיַּו kosher Ga'ava, and it’s true Shviras HaMiddos. Believe it or not, he found it much easier to praise others than praising himself. The Yetzer Hara is ruthless in this area, and Anava P'sula (misplaced humility) is rampant. Now in our Dor, we don’t all have a Novardoker Chinuch where they monitored all your actions constantly, and people were Zoche to Ruach HaKodesh. So we end up having plenty of Anava P'sula and the wrong Ga'ava, etc.
The: בוֹזֵאְו זֶרֶא ץֵﬠ cedar wood and Aizov grass were tied with a: תַﬠָלוֹת יִנְשׁ “red” string, and red symbolizes Chet, as it says: םֶכיֵאָטֲח וּיְהִי םִא
A Person Can Have the Most Superior Situation and Yet Be Dissatisfied
Why were the Yidden punished Davka by: םיִפָרְשַּׂה םיִשָׁחְנ poisonous snakes for kvetching over the Mon? We can suggest that the: ָנ ָחשׁ ַה ַק ְדמוֹ ִני original snake was a superior creature; it was similar to humans, and it originally had hands and feet. Yet, he was dissatisfied, and he desired Chava. Similarly, the Yidden had the Gevaldige superior miracle food, Mon, yet they complained. As they acted in the same way as the: שָׁחָנ snake, they were punished by being bitten by: םיִשָׁחְנ snakes. Moshe davened to Hashem, and Hashem told him to make a copper snake and raise it up on a Ness (high pole). Whoever was bitten would look up at the Ness and be healed. Why did they have to “look up” to the snake?
Your Inborn Nature to Complain Can Be an Asset
Perhaps Hashem was telling them to look “upwards” and channel their weakness of always complaining into an asset. The kvetching type is also a person who is: ְמסוּ ָגל inclined to want to grow and become great, like when the Yidden said: עַרָגִּנ הָמָּל ז ט ךתולעהב “Why should we be left out of Korban Pesach?” which was a Chashuva Mitzva, and this complaining caused Pesach Sheini. And their: תֶשׁחְנ שַׁחְנ copper snake which symbolizes their sin, is on a high place, just like Chazal say: םיִקיִדַצ ןיֵא םיִדְמוֹע הָבוּשְׁתּ יֵלֲﬠַבֶּשׁ םוֹקָמְבּ דוֹמֲﬠַל ןיִלוֹכְי םיִרוּמְג ברכות לד ב Baalei Teshuva are even GREATER than pure Tzaddikim!
When a person does Teshuva, he takes that very sin and it becomes the biggest Mitzva. And the Gr”a says that the: ְמ ַק ְט ֵרג accusing angel you created turns into a: ַס ֵנ וֹגיר advocating angel that Davka defends you.
וּניִבְּלַי גֶלֶשַּׁכּ םיִנָשַּׁכּ ישעיה א חי If your sins are (deep red) like “Shani”, they will turn white as snow! I would venture to say that even if your Ga'ava/Anava situation is all wrong, like the: תַﬠָלוֹת יִנְשׁ red string, you can still be Zoche since you’re trying to work on yourself. The Parah went: חוּ ְל ץ ַמ 'ג ֲחנוֹ ת outside Yerushalayim, and after Shechting it, the blood was spritzed towards the Heichal. As long as you’re trying and aiming in the right direction, you are already okay.
יֵﬠָבּ אָבּיִל אָנָמְחַר Hashem wants our intentions. It is interesting that the Parah has to be taken out: חוּ ְל ץ ַמ 'ג ֲחנוֹ ת outside Yerushalayim, like it says: הֶנֲחַמַּל ץוּחִמ לֶא הָּתֹא איִצוֹהְו יט ג he shall take it outside the camp. It sounds like the cow started off in the Heichal?! We can suggest that a person should realize that his Shoresh is a Tzelem Elokim, and he is full of Kedusha and Tahara.
Yet, Hashem Davka puts us in a Treife Olam HaZeh environment to test us, אֹלְו בוֹטּ הֶשֲׂﬠַי רֶשֲׁא ץֶרָאָבּ קיִדַּצ ןיֵא םָדָאְו אָטֱחֶי קהלת ז כ and there does not exist a person who never sinned, and you are similar to Yehuda who sinned because a Malach pushed him to sin. This is the way everyone should look at himself after he sins (not before, Chas V'shalom!) And now that you’re out of the Kodesh HaKodoshim 'ג)תוֹנֲחַמ (! and it’s hard to do Teshuva, all you have to do is try your best and aim in the right direction.
The main thing is no Yi'ush! The Alter of Novardok Zatzal says that as long as you do what you can, then Hashem will give you Si'ata D'shmaya. A normal Oved Hashem has three parts to him. There is a Chelek of yourself that you dislike, but it’s too difficult to overcome. You probably get Schar for not being Mya'esh despite your shortcoming.
Then there is the Chelek that you overcame; this is probably your main accomplishment in this world. You actually changed! What a Zechus! You transformed yourself from Bat'lan to Masmid, from grouchy to being a happy person, from being a “cool cat” to being a serious Y'rei Shamayim, etc. from being angry to softening up. From being insecure to becoming self-confident, etc. This is true Gan Eden, and you deserve unending respect.
And then there is that Chelek that is positive, but you were born with it. This gives you lots of Kavod, and it is a Zechus that you didn’t ruin yourself!
Although you aren’t expected to overcome certain weaknesses, it is still important to have a desire to improve in those areas, and this is what is meant by the: ַה ָזאוֹ ַה ת ַדם sprinkling of blood which was aimed at the Bais Hamikdash, even though the Cohen stood: חוּ ְל ץ ַמ 'ג ֲחנוֹת outside Yerushalayim.
