Man Doesn’t Know That Much

Parshat חוקת begins with the discussion of the laws of the פרה אדומה, the Red Heifer. The Rabbis say that the mother cow comes to atone for the sin of the baby. This is a reference to the sin of the Golden Calf.

Rabbi Twerski has a unique explanation as to how the פרה אדומה atoned for חטא העגל. The Golden Calf was a misapplication of human logic. People thought they could figure things out, and it made sense to them that this form of worship was correct. The sin was giving too much credit to man’s ability to reason and make proper decisions. This warped thinking led to great suffering for the Jewish people.

The פרה אדומה was an atonement because it was impossible to understand its reason. It even alluded the wisest of all men, Shlomo Hamelech. The message here was to emphasize that man is incapable of devising a system of right and wrong. Only G-d can teach morality and what is right and wrong.

By the Golden Calf, there was a gross exaggeration of man’s ability to make such decisions. The פרה אדומה teaches that man is not that smart, and it would do him good, to submit without hesitation to Hashem and His holy Torah.