The Poroh-Adumoh – Red Cow, is a Kaporeh – Forgivness
for our dancing around the “Eigel HaZohov” up to This Very Day!
Dear Brothers & Chaveirim.
In this week’s mamar we write about parshas Poroh, the parsha we read for Maftir right after finishing reading the weekly combining 2 parshes Vayakhel & Pekudei.
Parshas Poreh is all about one of the greatest mitzvohs, which also happens to be one of the greatest mysterious. Hkb”h told us to bring a Poroh-Adumoh – A red cow that has only red hair all over. If in fact it has even only two black hairs it is posul – Disqualified.
Rashi explains that the Satan and the goyim laugh at us, when they hear about this supposedly weird mitzvoh. They ask us mockingly: Why do you do this? What is the reason for this mitzvoh? Why a red cow? Why this and why that?
But jealousy and envy lays hidden beyond the surface of their laughter and mucking. The Satan cannot bear to see how we Jews follow blindly; how we obey all mitzvohs – commandments, of our holy lord HKB”H the creator of the world, no matter how weird and misunderstood they may seem to be. Not in vain do our holy Rabbis explain that this actually is the goal purpose of keeping such mitzvohs like Poroh-Adumoh, to proof to ourselves and to others that we are devoted soldiers who follow and fulfill the will of our master Hashem without any questions and hesitations.
Rashi the great Commentator, brings in the name of Rabbi Moshe Hadarshan, that the Poroh-Adumoh was brought as a “Kaporeh” – “Forgivness” for the “chet ha-eigel” – the great sin of making the golden calf that the “Eirev-Rav” – Egyptians, who supposedly decided to become geirim-converts to Judaism – coaxed the Jews that had just come out of Mitzrayim to make and worship the calf. Poroh – the cow, symbolizes the mother of the calf that needs to wipe and cleanser the stains that her son the little calf stained the souls of Klal Yisroel in those days.
The obvious question is: What than is the purpose of reading parshas Poroh in our days, when supposedly we don’t see any more people worshiping the Idolatry of a golden calf; when we don’t see them dancing around the calf? Why than do we need the forgiveness for Idolatry by reading parshas Poroh?
Chaveirim Oiy Vey givald! What can we say when the answer is nebech so obvious. Brothers, did you ever happen to hear the expression of “Eigel-Hazohov” – “The Golden-Calf”, which symbolizes the hunger for money; the lust for silver and gold; the yearning for the riches of the world? I assume that you all heard the expression. At first thought it sounds only like an expression that has in realty nothing to do with the great sin of the Golden-Calf that the eirev-rav made in the midbor.
But in this mamar we explore, based mainly on the “Kli-Yokor, that it is much more than a mere saying; it is in fact the truth that they were after money and riches, mainly Gold, which is also a form of Avodeh-Zoreh – Idolatry. It is worshiping the lusts and riches of this false world, which seem to shine and glow on the outside but is empty and hollow in the inside, especially if we don’t know how to enjoy what we have and use in the correct way.
This is the reason why the Talmud Yerushalmi nicknames the Poroh-Adumoh: “Taharoson shel kol Yisroel” – “The cleanser of all Yisroel”. Because in all generations no matte when, and even more in our days, we need the Poroh-Adumoh to put us into place; to cleanse and to bring us forgiveness for spending so much time worshipping the “Eigel-Hazohov” – “The Golden-Calf”, that ruins our relationship with our spouses children and friends, but worse, ruins our relationship with HKB”H and the heilige Torah!
So Chaveirim it’s time to go in the ways of Moshe Rabeinu, when he came down after 40 days from heaven. When he saw them dance around the Golden-Calf, he took it and smashed and grinded it into bits and pieces. This act in our minds will bring salvation and solutions to most of our problems.
Enjoy and have a wonderful Shabbos.
Pinches
Shvilei Pinches שבילי פנחס 