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Why were Bnei Yisrael commanded to sprinkle the ashes of a red cow?
The color red symbolizes the traits of envy, lust, and pursuit of honor. One
who became defiled was deficient in a mitzvah of the Torah, because he
was not scrupulous in one of these areas.
When Moshe heard the allegations of Korach, he “fell on his face.” What
drove Korach to argue against Moshe? It was the mitzvah of parah
adumah. Korach was envious of Moshe’s exalted position in the nation.
He demanded an explanation for the mitzvah of parah adumah.Moshe
knew that Hashem wanted to keep this from mankind. Therefore, he fell
on his face in anguish, realizing that his silence would be misconstrued as
ignorance. This was liable to cause a chillul Hashem, as Korach would
claim that Moshe concocted this mitzvah, as well as all the others.
Shlomo Hamelech stated, “I thought I could become wise, but it is beyond
me” (Kohelet 7:23). The word (beyond) alludes to (Korach).
Korach distanced himself, by means of his many questions. He refused to
make peace with the fact that some things were beyond his understanding.
Shlomo Hamelech, on the other hand, realized that not everything was
within his grasp.
Our faith is gauged by the way we observe those mitzvot which we cannot
understand. The Zohar, therefore proclaims that chukim refer to royalty.
We truly coronate Hashem when we observe the mitzvot for no other
reason than that He commanded them.
The pasuk states, “This is the decree of the Torah,” and not, “This is the
decree of the parah adumah.” The entire Torah is based upon observance
of this chok.