ב"ה
Chukim |
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Chukim: "Decrees." These are the mitzvot that transcend rational reason, unlike both mishpatim and edot. The quintessential chok (singular for chukim) is the mitzvah of the red heifer.
In order to get some intimation of the Infinite One Who is beyond all conception, the mind naturally fills in what is inconceivable with ideas that are logical and comprehensible. A still deeper appreciation of Infinity thus requires a certain hollowing o...
In praise of tribal rituals
Keeping kosher is not a reasonable act, and neither is Shabbat, or the prohibition against mixing wool and linen. These are neither rational nor religious acts—at least not in the modern understanding of “religious” . . .
It has been said that the Twelve Steps work but that no one is really sure how or why they do. It can be unsettling to give oneself over to a process that you cannot understand.
When we ask heroes from where they got the strength to do incredible things, they give lousy answers. Inevitably, their answer is “I had to do it” . . . Regardless of their level of articulation, they cannot come up with any good reason for why they did w...
This parshah talks about a very strange commandment. I say "strange," because there are certain details of the commandment to remove defilement by sprinkling the ashes of the red heifer that are unlike any other commandment in the Torah. The commandment o...
The sages tell us that there is a link between the 613 commandments (mitzvot) and the human body . . .
Chukat
One day, Sara tried a different approach. "Honey," she said to her husband. "I know you this isn't the way you see it. But please, do it just for me!"
This is the parshah that deals with the Parah Adumah (Red Heifer). For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Parah Adumah, I’ll try very briefly to summarize the main points. In Yiddishkeit, spiritual purity is a desirable factor. This has nothing to d...
The Torah was first given carved in stone and then transcribed with ink upon a parchment scroll. What is the deeper significance of these two forms of Torah?
Our Sages differentiate between the rational mitzvot (mishpatim) and the supra-rational mitzvot (chukim); a third, intermediate category are the "testimonial" or commemorative mitzvot (eidot). But in essence, says the Rebbe, the most rational mishpat is a...
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