Taste of the Parsha

You Don’t Have to Understand Everything – and That’s the Point

Short insight on Parshat Chukat

Parshat Chukat opens with one of the most mysterious mitzvot in the Torah: the Red Heifer.

Even Moses—our greatest prophet—asked to understand it. And God said no.

Why does someone become impure just by being near a dead body? Why does mixing water with ashes from a completely red cow make them pure again? And how can the person who makes others pure become impure himself?

None of it makes logical sense. And that’s exactly the message.

Judaism isn’t only about what we understand. It’s also about trust. Faith. The willingness to follow truth even when it’s beyond us.

We’re encouraged to learn, ask, and explore—but not everything needs an explanation to be real.

Sometimes, the deepest purity comes from surrender.