Discusses the mitzvah of preparing the red heifer and sprinkling its ashes on those who became impure from contact with a dead body.
מִצְוַת פָּרָה אֲדֻמָּה – שֶׁנִּצְטַוּוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לִשְׂרֹף פָּרָה אֲדֻמָּה, לִהְיוֹת אֶפְרָהּ מוּכָן לְמִי שֶׁיִּצְטָרֵךְ אֵלֶיהָ, וּמְטַהֲרָה מִטֻּמְאַת מֵת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר יט ב) דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִקְחוּ אֵלֶיךָ פָרָה אֲדֻמָּה וְגוֹ'. וּכְתִיב לְמַטָּה מִזֶּה (שם ט) וְהָיְתָה לַעֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְמִשְׁמֶרֶת וְגוֹ'. אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁמְּלָאַנִי לִבִּי לִכְתֹּב רְמָזִים מִטַּעְמֵי הַמִּצְוֹת שֶׁקָּדְמוּ עַל צַד הַפְּשָׁט, עִם הַהִתְנַצְּלוּת שֶׁהַמְּלָאכָה לְחַנֵּךְ בָּהּ בְּנִי וְהַנְּעָרִים חֲבֵרָיו יִשְׁמְרֵם אֵל, בְּמִצְוָה זוֹ רָפוּ יָדַי וָאִירָא לִפְצוֹת פִּי עָלֶיהָ כְּלָל גַּם בַּפְּשָׁט, כִּי רָאִיתִי לְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה, הֶאֱרִיכוּ הַדִּבּוּר בְּעֹמֶק סוֹדָהּ וְגֹדֶל עִנְיָנָהּ, עַד שֶׁאָמְרוּ (במדבר רבה חוקת יט, תנחומא שם ו) שֶׁהַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה הִשִּׂיג לָדַעַת בְּרִבּוּי חָכְמָתוֹ כָּל טַעֲמֵי הַתּוֹרָה חוּץ מִזּוֹ, שֶׁאָמַר עָלֶיהָ (קהלת ז כג) אָמַרְתִּי אֶחְכָּמָה וְהִיא רְחוֹקָה מִמֶּנִּי. גַּם אָמְרוּ בְּמִדְרַשׁ רַבִּי תַּנְחוּמָא (שם ח) רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בְּרַבִּי חֲנִינָא אוֹמֵר אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמֹשֶׁה לְךָ אֲנִי מְגַלֶּה טַעַם פָּרָה אֲדֻמָּה וְלֹא לַאֲחֵרִים, וְכַיּוֹצֵא בְּאֵלּוּ הַדְּבָרִים רַבִּים. וְעַתָּה אַל יַחְשֹׁב שׁוֹמֵעַ שֶׁעִנְיַן סוֹדָהּ וְסֵדֶר חֻקָּה, הוּא מֵהֱיוֹתָהּ מְטַהֶרֶת בְּהַגִּיעַ אֶפְרָהּ עַל גּוּף הַמִּטַּהֵר, שֶׁהֲרֵי כְּעֵין דָּבָר זֶה יִמָּצֵא בִּשְׁאָר הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת בְּעִנְיַן הַזָּב וְהַיּוֹלְדוֹת, שֶׁתַּשְׁלוּם טַהֲרָתָן בְּקָרְבָּנָן הוּא. אֲבָל עִקַּר הַפֶּלֶא לְפִי מָה שֶׁשָּׁמַעְתִּי, הוּא עַל הֱיוֹתָהּ מְטַהֶרֶת הַטְּמֵאִים, וּמְטַמְּאָה הָעוֹסְקִים בִּשְׂרֵפָתָהּ. וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁבְּכָל הַחַטָּאוֹת הַנִּשְׂרָפוֹת מִן הַפָּרִים וּמִן הַשְּׂעִירִים הַדִּין כֵּן, שֶׁהַשּׂוֹרֵף אוֹתָם מְטַמֵּא בְּגָדִים בִּשְׁעַת שְׂרֵפָתָן, עַד שֶׁיֵּעָשׂוּ אֵפֶר, מִכָּל מָקוֹם אֵין אֶפְרָן מְטַהֵר. וְגַם כֵּן הַתֵּמַהּ הַגָּדוֹל בָּהּ בִּהְיוֹתָהּ נַעֲשֵׂית מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה, שֶׁלֹּא כְּדֶרֶךְ שְׁאָר הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת, וְעַל דָּבָר זֶה מוֹנִין הָאֻמּוֹת אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל עָלֶיהָ, כִּי יַחְשְׁבוּ שֶׁהִיא נִזְבַּחַת לַשְּׂעִירִים עַל פְּנֵי הַשָּׂדֶה כְּמִנְהָגָם הַיּוֹם. וְאָמְנָם כַּמָּה תְּרוּפוֹת בְּעִשְׂבֵי הַשָּׂדֶה וּבָאִילָנוֹת מִן הָאֶרֶז אֲשֶׁר בַּלְּבָנוֹן עַד הָאֵזוֹב אֲשֶׁר בַּקִּיר מְלֵאִים סְגֻלּוֹת בַּהֲפָכִים, יְקָרְרוּ הַחַמִּים וִיחַמְּמוּ הַקָּרִים, וְאִלּוּ יָדַעְנוּ מַהוּת הַנֶּפֶשׁ וְשָׁרְשָׁהּ וּמַחֲלָתָהּ וּבְרִיאוּתָהּ, נָבִין (בַּחֹלִי) [בְּאוּלַי], כִּי סְגֻלַּת הַפָּרָה גַּם כֵּן לְהַחֲלִיא הַנֶּפֶשׁ וּלְטַמְּאָהּ בְּעֵסֶק הַשְּׂרֵפָה, וְאַחֲרֵי הֱיוֹתָהּ אֵפֶר תְּרַפֵּא מַחֲלַת הַטֻּמְאָה, וְזֶה אֵינוֹ בָּרוּר לְהַשִּׂיג בָּעִנְיָן כְּלוּם, אֶלָּא שֶׁחִבַּת הַקֹּדֶשׁ וְהַחֵשֶׁק לְהַשִּׂיג יְדִיעָה בַּנִּסְתָּר יָנִיד הַקָּנֶה לִכְתֹּב.
The commandment of the red heifer: That Israel was commanded to burn the red heifer so that its ashes will be ready for anyone who needs it to be purified from the impurity of the dead, as it is stated (Numbers 19:2), “Speak to the Children of Israel and they shall take to you a red heifer,” and it is written below this (Numbers 19:9), “It will be a safeguard for the Children of Israel.” Even though my heart has given me the gumption to write hints of the simple reasons for the previous commandments, with the excuse that [this] work is to instruct my son and his young friends, may God protect them; on this commandment my hands are weak and I am afraid to open my mouth about it at all, since I have seen that our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, spoke at length regarding the depth of its secret and greatness of its content; to the point that they said (Bamidbar Rabbah 19, Midrash Tanchuma 4:6:6) that King Solomon was able through his great wisdom to understand all the reasons of the Torah, except for this — as he stated about it (Ecclesiastes 7:23), “I have said that I will understand, but it is far from me.” They also said in the Midrash Tanchuma 4:6:8, “Rabbi Yose BeRebbi Chanina says, ‘The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moshe, “To you I will reveal the reason for the red heifer, but not to others.”’” And there are many other similar statements. And now, the listener should not think that the matter of its secret and the matter of its being an arational commandment (chok) is that the ashes affect purification, as one will find a similar [process] with other sacrifices for the person with a discharge or a new mother, whose purification is completed by the offering of their sacrifices. The real wonder, so far as I have heard, is in its purifying the impure, yet rendering impure those involved in its burning. And even though the same is true for all burnt-offerings from cows and goats — that the one who burns them makes his clothes impure at the time that he burns them until they become ashes — nonetheless, their ashes do not purify. Also [part of] its great wonder is that the [process] is done outside of the camp, unlike the way of other offerings. And about this point the [other] nations [have a claim against] Israel, as they will think that it is offered to the demons in the open field, as is their practice today. And yet many medicinal herbs of the field and [medicinal] trees — from the cedars that are in Lebanon to the hyssop on the wall — are full of mysteries [that operate] in opposite [ways]. They heat the cold and cool the hot. And if we understood the nature of the spirit, its root, its illness and its health, we would also understand [perhaps] (about the sickness), since the mystery of the heifer is also to sicken the soul and render impure those who are involved in the burning, while its ashes heal from the sickness of impurity. Yet it is not clear that this would yield any result, but the love of the sacred and the desire to understand the hidden moves the quill to write.