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Why read Parshas Parah before Pesach (פסח)? The shiur develops that the red heifer atones for the golden calf by restoring Am Yisrael's eternality—lost at the chet ha'egel—on the communal level, and by teaching individuals that death is an external decree, not an internal reality. This transforms our relationship with mortality: we are eternal beings connected to God through Torah (תורה), and death is merely God's external gezeirah, not something organic to our essence.
Rabbi Zweig opens with a fundamental question: why is Parshas Parah read specifically before Pesach (פסח)? While the common answer is that one must be tahor to bring the korban Pesach, this explanation is insufficient—other holidays also require korbanos that cannot be brought in a state of tumah. The real question is: what is the unique connection between the red heifer and Pesach? The shiur begins by addressing several textual difficulties. Rashi (רש"י) in Beshalach states that at Marah, the Jewish people received Shabbos (שבת), Dinim, and Parah Adumah. Yet in Va'eschanan, Rashi says Kibud Av Va'eim was given at Marah, and in Mishpatim, Rashi lists both Kibud Av Va'eim and Parah Adumah. This creates a problem: Chazal say only ten mitzvos were given at Marah (the seven Noachide laws plus three new ones), but Rashi's lists seem to include four. Additionally, if Parah Adumah was given at Marah—before the sin of the golden calf—how can the Midrash say it atones for that sin?
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Parshas Parah (Bamidbar 19)
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