Shabbos Parah
Some poskim say that reading parashas Parah is a Torah obligation. Where does the Torah tell us that we must read parashas Parah?
The Avodas Yisrael says it is alluded to in the words (Bamidbar 19:1-2). אשר התורה חקת זאת לאמר 'ה צוה, "This is the rule of the Torah that Hashem commanded to say." This indicates that there is an obligation to say this parashah.
The Avodas Yisrael writes, "The Torah is hinting (with לאמר) that even when we don’t have a Beis HaMikdash and can't prepare a physical parah adumah, we must read the parashah, and שפתיתנו פרים ונשלמה, our saying the parashah will be considered as if we brought the parah adumah."
The Torah (Bamidbar 19:21) calls parah adumah עולם חקת, "an eternal law." How is parah adumah eternal? The ashes of the parah adumah were available in the times of the Amoraim, and they would use them to purify themselves. But what about our generation? How is it possible to keep parah adumah in our generation? The Aruch HaShulchan (685:7) answers that this is where the Torah hints that when we can't make a parah adumah, we have a mitzvah to read parashas Parah. That is how parah adumah is eternal.
The Yerushalmi writes, "Parashas Parah is ישראל של טהרתן, the purity of the Jewish nation." The root of our taharah comes from this parashah. When we read about the parashah of parah adumah, we become pure.
The Beis Aharon writes, “One must believe that just as the ashes of the parah adumah purify... today, everyone becomes purified when parashas Parah is read — each person according to his level."
The Sfas Emes (Parashas Parah end 5641) writes, “The purity discussed here is purity from sin."
Similarly, Rebbe Tzaddok HaCohen zt'l teaches that we become pure from sin when we read this parashah. He proves this from the haftorah. The haftorah is usually based on the weekly Torah reading. This Shabbos, the haftorah says (Yechezkel 36:25), מים עליכם וזרקתי, אתכם אטהר גלוליכם ומכל טמאתיכם מכל וטהרתם טהורים, "I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you will be clean; from all your impurities and all your abominations will I cleanse you." The haftarah discusses becoming clean and pure from aveiros, which indicates that the parashah of parah adumah in the Torah also refers to being tahor from aveiros.
Torah Purifies
Parashas Parah begins with (Bamidbar 19:2) התורה חקת זאת, “This is the statute of the Torah...” Why doesn't it state הפרה חקת זאת, since the topic is parah adumah? Why is Torah mentioned (התורה חקת זאת)? The Rokeiach answers that this is to tell us that Torah study purifies us like the parah adumah.
The Shlah HaKadosh writes, “Even when there isn’t a parah adumah, by studying Torah with hasmadah, one becomes pure."
A non-kosher cooking utensil is kashered by immersing it in boiling water (הגעלה). An even more powerful method of kashering is to scald the cooking utensil in fire (ליבון) until the utensil becomes red-hot. The Or HaChaim zt’l (Rishon L’Tzion) teaches that these two methods of kashering represent the paths people take to attain purity from their aveiros. One way is through afflictions, such as fasting and the like. This method is compared to boiling water, which cleanses and purifies the utensils from their impure, non-kosher status. Learning Torah, however, is a greater purifier because Torah is compared to fire. As it states (Yirmiyahu 23:19), כאש דברי כה הלא, “Behold My words are like fire.” Just as fire is a more potent form of cleansing and kashering, so too is learning Torah a preferred way to attain purity from aveiros.
It states (Bamibar 21:28), סיחון מקרית להבה “a flame from the city of Sichon." Targum Yonason translates סיחון as שיחון, speech, and it refers to speaking divrei Torah. The pasuk says that a blazing flame comes forth from Torah study to purify us.
The pasuk says (Bamidbar 19:19) על הטהר והזה וטהר ...השביעי וביום השלישי ביום הטמא, "The pure person shall sprinkle upon the tamei person on the third day and the seventh day...and he will become tahor..." Tzaddikim said that the third and seventh days represent Torah. The third day represents Torah, as the Gemara (Shabbos 88.) says, “Baruch Hashem Who gave us a Torah of three (Torah, Neviim, Kesuvim) to a nation of three (kohanim, Leviim, Yisraelim) by the third (Moshe Rabbeinu, who was the third child to his parents) on the third day (of shloshes yemei hagbalah), in the third month (Sivan).”
The seventh day also represents Torah, as Chazal say, “All opinions agree that the Torah was given on Shabbos.” The ashes of the parah adumah were sprinkled onto the tamei person on the third and seventh day, teaching us that Torah study purifies.
Studying Gemara, in particular, purifies. Rebbe Shlomo Karliner zy”a said that Gemara comes from the word gumri [coals] because Gemara is like burning coals that burn away all impurities.
Rebbe Shmuel Kaminka zy”a once spoke to his students about the importance of studying a “blatt Gemara.” He said, “With a blatt Gemara, one comes out of the blotta (the mud, the yetzer hara).”
One of the students became inspired and quickly went into the next room to learn Gemara. He couldn’t find a Gemara, but he found a mishnayos. So he studied a chapter of mishnayos and then returned to hear more Torah from Reb Shmuel Kaminka. As he returned, Rebbe Shmuel commented, "He thinks he can cleanse himself with a chapter Mishnayos with the same purity that comes from a daf Gemara..."
Tzaddikim said that ovens can be warmed with coal or with straw. Straw creates a larger fire, but the straw is consumed quickly, and the stove will become cold again. Coals make a smaller fire, but the heat lasts longer. This describes the difference between mussar and Gemara. Mussar inspires the person like a raging fire, but the inspiration will soon dissipate. But when he studies Gemara, the fire can remain for a long time.
The word טמא, when the three letters are spelled out in full like this: אלף מם טית is gematriya 610. תורה is one more because תורה is gematriya 611. This is hinted in the yotzros of Shabbos Parah, אחד הלא מטמא טהור יתן מי, that purity comes from the one more, which is Torah.
The Gemara says (Brachos 16a), מעלין תורה דברי לטהרה מטומאה, “Studying Torah raises a person from tumah to taharah.” Likewise, the Zohar states, “The words of Torah... purify those who are tamei” (Introduction to Piskei Teshuvah). Tana d’Bei Eliyahu (18) proves that Torah purifies from the pasuk (Tehillim 12:7), 'ה אמרות טהורות אמרות, “Hashem’s words are pure.”
The pasuk writes (Bamidbar 24:5-6), אהליך טבו מה נטוי כנחלים ישראל משכנתיך יעקב, "How good are your tents [of Torah] O Yaakov.... Like long rivers...” Tana d’Bei Eliyahu Rabba (19, see also Brachos 16a) asks, “What is the association between rivers and tents of Torah? It is because when people are tamei they immerse in a river and become tahor. Similarly, when people are impure with aveiros they go to the tents of Torah and they come out pure.”
The Rambam (Mikvaos 11:12) says that the waters of the mikvah represent הדעת מימי, the waters of daas, the wisdom of Torah. The mitzvah of mikvah hints that when you immerse yourself in Torah study you will be purified from all your sins. The Rambam concludes with a prayer, “May Hashem, with His immense compassion, purify us from all our sins, amen.”
Immersion in Bnei Yisrael Purifies
Mishmeres Isamar zt”l (Vaykhel) writes, “I heard from the Yid [Hakadosh of Pshischa zt”l] that ויקהל has the gematria of ויקהל “.מקוה means a gathering of Yidden, and it has the gematriya of מקוה because being among Yidden purifies like immersion in a mikvah. The Zohar writes, טהרתן זו אסיפתן, their gathering purifies them....”
Toras Chesed (Vayakhel) writes, “Chassidim were once dancing around Reb Mendel of Kosov zt”l while he danced in the middle. As he danced, he bowed his head and said, ‘I am tovel in Hashem’s mikvah, as the pasuk says, 'ה ישראל מקוה, the Jewish nation is Hashem’s mikvah.”
Divrei Yisrael (מקוזמיר קדישא הסבא תורת p. 379) quotes Rabbi Yechezkel of Kozmir zt”l, who taught: “'ה ישראל מקוה means that Bnei Yisrael are like a mikvah. When you immerse in a mikvah you become pure. Similarly, when you immerse yourself in Bnei Yisrael – which means you feel batel (not better than others) – you become pure. The halachah is that when you are tovel in a mikvah not one hair may remain outside the water. Similarly, you must be totally batel to Klal Yisrael, without any feelings of gaavah. If you have such humble thoughts, you will become pure.
“Another halachah is that when the mikvah water is clean, you should kick the earth [floor] to raise dirt because the mikvah water should be murky (so you can make a brachah even while undressed, see Brachos 25b). This reveals that you purify yourself in the mikvah of the souls of Bnei Yisrael not solely when you are among great tzadikim. Even when you are among regular Yidden who aren’t so clean (because of their bad deeds), they create a mikvah for you to purify yourself.”
