* Translation by Yehoshua Siskin
Can we really understand the reason behind every mitzvah and its true meaning? This week’s Torah portion opens with: “This is the decree of the Torah.” And then a mystery which has not been understood until today — that of the red heifer — is described. It’s a mitzvah associated with purity and impurity without any clear explanation.
When we don’t understand something, it’s easy to minimize its significance and dismiss it as irrelevant.
Down through the generations, our sages have warned precisely about such an attitude. From the time we received the Torah until today, this mitzvah has symbolized those parts of the Torah beyond our grasp, reminding us of their divine, infinite origin. These are matters beyond the limited understanding of human beings.
The Rambam wrote of such matters as follows:
"It is fitting for a person to contemplate the laws of the Holy Torah, and to understand them to the best of his ability, but a thing for which he finds no reason and knows no cause – should not be taken lightly.”
In other words, a person should make every effort to understand what’s written in the Torah, but there will always be matters beyond understanding.
This is the ultimate test of our faithfulness to the Torah, allowing us to joyfully declare: “This is the decree of the Torah.”
