Parah 5784 - March 29, 2024

Purim is now over and believe it or not, Passover is just around the corner. Strange as it may seem, we have noticed that some of the staples that we usually purchase are in short supply this year. We also noticed that one item that has been a part of our morning breakfasts is no longer on the shelves – raspberry preserves with seeds. It goes good with butter and jam on matzah or alone on matzah brei. As an FYI, it is my understanding that in the more frum world in North America, raspberries must be thoroughly washed and inspected for microscopic insects. Rather than deal with those pesky little things, raspberries have become one of those items that in a more traditional home have been taken off the table.

With Passover just around the corner, this Shabbat we read the special maftir reading from the Torah called Parah. Why did the rabbis institute this special reading? As one reads the law, one is even more perplexed as to what it is truly about. Parashat Parah, is related to ritual impurity for all those who have been in contact with a deceased individual.

Often we assume that this impurity is related only to the Kohen, who by tradition does not enter any establishment where the body of someone who has passed away is found. Hospitals, funeral homes, etc. are in that category. The law as found in the Torah is to ensure that the Kohen, the priest, remains in a state of purity, so that he may be able to perform the ritual sacrifice. Clearly today, we might say not just the he but also the she. But that would not happen, at least not yet, in the very traditional circumstances for the same who insist that raspberries are no longer a suitable fruit for a kosher table. Thankfully, in many Orthodox circles women have taken on the role of rabbanite (pronounced rabaneet), or rabbi in female terms, as well as in the Conservative and Reform movements.

Ritual impurity related to being in the proximity of a deceased, does not only relate to the Kohen, but also to every individual who wishes to participate in the ritual of the Passover sacrifice and partake of it. Today, since we do not have a Beit Hamikdash, the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, and we do not offer sacrifices, the rabbis instituted the reading to remind us of our need to become spiritually ready to observe the festival.

In the Conservative siddur, we do not pray for the return to sacrifices. We believe, in the view of Maimonides, that our worship will only consist of tefillah, prayer, when the Beit Hamikdash is rebuilt. Thus, the special reading reminds of days gone past. It might be compared to stories that we tell our children and grandchildren of our experiences sitting around our family seder table when we were kids. In this instance it is however, more than simply past experiences. It is also about the method that the Torah provided for people back in Biblical times to become ritually pure, and to provide them with enough notice so that are able to fulfill the requirement in time to observe Passover. And what is that method? A potion of the ashes from a red heifer, that had not one speck of any color on its coat, was created and sprinkled upon the one who had become defiled by a corpse. The process was one that took place over a seven day period, similar in time to the one who sits shiva for a loved one who passed away.

According to tradition there have been only nine red heifers ever to exist. The tenth is said to be found at time of the mashiach and the rebuilding of a third Beit Hamikdash in Jerusalem.

Parashat Parah reminds us of the need to reach down into our souls and find our connection with our Jewish heritage as Passover is approaching.

This year, we hope it also connects us with the fact that the Israeli government must realize that Passover is soon upon the hostages in Gaza. It will be a full six months since the festivals of Sukkot and Simchat Torah. It is time to find a resolution to bring them home. And it is time to announce to the world, that all of their resolutions and edicts, will not end this war. They have become the mighty and arrogant Pharaoh. The rest of the story and our prayers can be read in a few weeks’ time in our Haggadot.  But when we do, we hope that they will be a narrative of past not only from ancient Egypt, but current day Gaza and that freedom will be ultimately achieved from the Pharaoh who has occupied and terrorized that small strip of land.

Shabbat shalom.

Am Yisrael chai.

Rabbi K