The Weekly Aliyot of the Parsha – Chukas

Admin Dev
07/20/2024

This week’s parsha is Chukas. Chukas is often read as a part of a double parsha with parsha Balak. But this year, being a leap year, each of these parshas is being read on a separate Shabbos.

A chok is a commandment that a human can not find a reason for, as opposed to a mishpat, which is a commandment that a human being might think up himself. To not murder, for example is a mishpat. One reason this parsha is called Chukas is because it deals with the ultimate chok, the “para aduma”, the red heifer. King Solomon was said to be the wisest person who ever lived, but even he couldn’t rationalize the seeming contradictions in this commandment.

The Rambam says that there have been nine red heifers found and used so far in Jewish history, and the tenth will be used when Moshiach comes to purify the generation of the redemption, may it happen speedily in our days.