Why shabbat parah

Despite the various rebukes given by the Hebrew prophets regarding Israel's disobedience -- including the repeated warning of exile from the land -- the prophets never abandoned Moses' original prophecies Deut.

Note especially that the prophet Zechariah, in the years following the return from the Babylonian captivity, speaks of a future restoration to the land Zech. But what about the present regathering of Israel into the land?

In Isaiah , a "second" and worldwide regathering of Israel is mentioned, but it begs the question of when the first regathering took place. Some have suggested this was the return from the Babylonian Exile c. As Arnold Fructenbaum has written, "The Bible does not allow for several worldwide regatherings in unbelief; it allows for one worldwide regathering in unbelief; followed by the last one, the one in faith, which is the second one.

This text i. As Yeshua clearly taught e. Related Topics:. Parsons All rights reserved. Shabbat Parah Adumah. The Mystery of the Red Heifer. During the month or so before Passover, four Shabbatot are characterized by special maftir readings, called the Arba Parshiot [four Torah portions], which relate thematically to Purim or Passover : Shabbat Shekalim , Shabbat Zachor , Shabbat Parah , and Shabbat Hachodesh.

The maftir describes a census requiring every Israelite man to contribute a half shekel to support communal sacrifices in the portable tent of meeting and later at the Temple. In the special haftarah , 2 Kings , King Yehoash commanded that all money brought to the Temple be used for its repairs and renovations—both the required contributions and the free-will offerings. Shabbat Shekalim occurs about a month before Passover as a reminder that the due date for the half-shekel contributions was approaching, on 1 Nisan, a month later.

Some people contribute to an institution of Jewish learning in remembrance of the half shekel. The next of the Arba Parashiot is Shabbat Zakhor, whose maftir reading, Deuteronomy , is an admonition to remember Amalek , the nation that surprised the Israelites wandering in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt with a rear attack on the stragglers.

The Israelites constituted no military threat, leading some Jewish commentators to view Amalek as rebels against God, because they were trying to destroy the Israelites.

The maftir reading, Numbers , deals with the red heifer whose ashes were combined with water to ritually purify anyone who had been in contact with a dead person. Because only people who were pure could eat from the Passover sacrifice , a public announcement right before Nisan reminded anyone who had become impure to purify themselves before making the Passover pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

Shabbat Parah is a three-week notice to plan accordingly. The Gospel of John mentions the tradition of arriving in Jerusalem early, a week before Passover, to undergo ritual purification with the ashes of the red heifer:. Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. John Because the ritual purification involved sprinkling with the water mixed with the ashes of the red heifer, the sages designated Ezekiel as the appropriate haftarah passage for Shabbat Parah:.

Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.

Ezekiel In the haftarah portion, Ezekiel predicts the ingathering of the children of Israel from among the nations. He predicts miraculous fertility, population explosion, and agricultural prosperity in the land. According to Ezekiel, the redemption will be more than just a physical return to the land of Israel. Ezekiel foresees a spiritual component to the redemption as well. He predicts that God will spiritually cleanse the children of Israel, transform their sinful nature, pour out His Spirit upon them, and enter into a new covenant relationship with them.

Since the destruction of the Temple, there is no altar, Passover sacrifice, or ashes of the red heifer. It shall be taken outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence. It is for cleansing. Since the water of lustration was not dashed on him, he remains unclean; his uncleanness is still upon him.

He shall then wash his clothes and bathe in water, and at nightfall he shall be clean. The water of lustration was not dashed on him: he is unclean. Further, he who sprinkled the water of lustration shall wash his clothes; and whoever touches the water of lustration shall be unclean until evening. Used by permission of The Jewish Publication Society.