Parashat Chukat is a portion of paradoxes. At its heart lies one of the Torah’s greatest mysteries — the chok (decree) of the Parah Adumah, the Red Heifer, a ritual so baffling that even King Solomon, in all his wisdom, is said to have declared: “I thought I could understand it, but it is far from me”.
The paradox is stark: The ashes of the Red Heifer are used to purify someone who has come into contact with death — yet the very people involved in preparing this ritual become impure themselves. How can the same act be both purifying and defiling? How can the same substance bring two opposite results?
This isn’t just an ancient ritual — it’s a reflection of the world we live in.
Parashat Chukat also tells us of another kind of paradox: Moshe and Aharon, the leaders who brought the Israelites out of Egypt, are told that they will not enter the Promised Land. Moshe strikes the rock instead of speaking to it, as God commanded, and for this, he is barred entry. After years of selfless service, his journey ends just short of fulfillment.
How do we process this? Leadership is not always about victory or arrival — sometimes it’s about the sacrifice of walking with people through their most difficult terrain, even if we do not get to cross the finish line with them. Moshe’s disappointment is deeply human, and his story reminds us that even the greatest leaders face consequences, mystery, and heartbreak.
We live in a world obsessed with clarity, data, logic, and transparency. And yet, life constantly throws us into the realm of the chok — the irrational, the inexplicable, the unjust. Illness, loss, trauma — things that defy explanation — are all part of our human journey. The Torah doesn’t avoid this; it places mystery at the center of holiness.
The Parah Adumah reminds us that not all purity comes from cleanliness, and not all healing comes from control. Sometimes, transformation emerges only when we accept that we do not — and cannot — understand everything.
In our modern Jewish experience, this resonates profoundly. As a people, we have walked through trauma, loss, and rebirth. The ashes of destruction — from the Temple to the Holocaust — still cling to us. And yet, we have rebuilt, rejuvenated, and brought new life to our communities, our families, and the land of Israel. It is not logic that explains our survival — it is something deeper, more sacred, and more mysterious.
Each of us carries both the ashes of pain and the water of renewal. There are moments in our lives when we are the ones purifying others — supporting, giving, leading — and moments when we are the ones in need of purification — confused, broken, or searching.
Parashat Chukat teaches us to live faithfully even when the path is unclear. To lead with humility. To accept that some answers may never come — and that holiness can be found precisely in the mystery.
In a world that demands certainty, we are called to be people of trust. In a culture that worships knowledge, we are told to embrace awe.
Let us walk forward — like Moshe, like the Israelites — knowing that while we may not understand everything, we are part of something sacred. And that sometimes, it is in the most confusing parts of life that the deepest transformation is waiting to begin.
May we all find comfort in mystery, strength in the unknown, and healing from the places we least expect it.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Refael Cohen