Daily Chumash Sunday Chukas – The Mitzvah of Parah Adumah

Rishon

1. The Mitzvah of Parah Adumah:

• Hashem spoke to Moshe and Aaron saying that they should tell the Jewish people about the Mitzvah of Parah Adumah. The Mitzvah of the Parah Adumah is the Chok of the Torah.
• Criteria of the cow: The Jewish people should bring to you a perfectly red cow that is unblemished and has never worked.
• The service performed with the cow: Elazar Hakohen is to be given the cow and he is to take it outside the camp where it shall be slaughtered in his presence. Elazar is to take from its blood and sprinkle its blood with his finger seven times towards the Ohel Moed. The entire cow is to be burnt in his presence, including its skin, flesh, blood and waste. The Kohen is to take cedar wood, hyssop, and a wool crimson string, and throw it into the fire which is burning the cow.
• The Kohen becomes impure: The Kohen, and the one who burned the cow, are to immerse themselves and their clothing, and they shall be impure until evening, and may then enter the camp.
• The ash: The ash is to be gathered by a pure man and stored in a pure area outside the camp. The ash will be preserved for the Jewish people. The person who gathers the ash is to immerse his clothing, and he is impure until evening. These laws apply for all generations.

2. The laws of Tumas Meis:

• Touching corpse: One who touches a corpse of any human is impure for 7 days. He is to be purified [with the Parah ash] on the 3^rd and 7^th day, otherwise he remains impure. If he enters the Temple prior to being purified with the Mei Niddah, he receives Kareis.
• Ohel Hameis: Anyone who enters the tent of a corpse is impure for 7 days. Likewise, everything in the tent shall be impure for seven days. An open vessel shall be impure.
• Touching grave: Whoever touches a man killed by a sword, or a corpse or a human bone or a grave is impure for seven days.

3. The process of purification:

• Spring water is to be poured into a vessel, onto the ash of the cow.