"This is the statute of the law that the LORD has commanded: Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer without defect, in which there is no blemish, and on which a yoke has never come.
Key Message
It may be impossible for human reason to fully understand all of God's regulations; obedience based on trust is the essence of faith.
▸The red heifer ritual is one of the most difficult regulations to understand in Numbers.
The red heifer ritual is one of the most difficult regulations to understand in Numbers. It is a ritual in which a red heifer without blemish and that has never been yoked is burned, and its ashes are mixed with water to purify uncleanness. This regulation is regarded as a 'statute of the law' — a mysterious command that must be obeyed without asking why. Rabbinic Judaism classifies it as a 'chok,' a command that cannot be understood but must be obeyed.