Described as a one-of-a-kind discovery, a mikvah has been found in Connecticut at the site of a 19th century era rural Jewish settlement. It’s a significant find in the US, but it’s practically modern compared to the numerous mikvahs that have been unearthed at many archeological sites in Israel. You may be familiar with the use of a mikvah today but do you know how else it was used in the time of the Temple?
In order to visit the Temple, in fact, in order to ascend the Temple Mount, one had to be ritually pure. The concept of ritual purity is enigmatic to say the least; there is no logical basis for these laws, they are only fulfilled due to Hashem’s command in the Torah.
The Torah contains many laws associated with ritual purity, however many of them cannot be fulfilled today due to the lack of a Temple. Could it be that so many verses of the Torah are not relevant today at all?! There must be some personal relevance that can be found in these laws – Hashem’s word, as communicated in the Torah, is eternal. What is the eternal message found in these seemingly out-of-date laws?
Another question: These type of supra-rational laws are called Chukim in Hebrew. This week’s Torah portion is Chukat and it begins with the statement “This is the statute (chukat) of the Torah.” Strangely enough it describes a specific law of ritual purity (the Red Heifer) as “the statute (chukat) of the Torah.” Why is it referred to in this way? Aren’t the laws discussed only relevant to the particular discussion of ritual purity? Why the general statement?
Every mitzvah is, at its core, a Divine Desire – Hashem’s will. By associating the supra-rational laws taught in the beginning of this week’s portion with all the mitzvot, the Torah is communicating that we should fulfill them all – even the logical ones – as Hashem’s will. We fulfill them not because they make sense but because they are the Divine Desire.
Put it this way, when you’re in a relationship – you do what your significant other wants, not because it makes sense (many times it actually may not!) but because it’s their expressed (or unexpressed) desire.
One more important point – it’s probably a good idea to do what your significant other wants even if it seems trivial and insignificant to you. The point is that you demonstrate that you value the relationship by doing what they want.
So too, we do the mitzvot because they are Hashem’s will not because it is healthy, logical or any other reason – only because that’s what Hashem wants us to do. When viewed in this way, there is also no difference between an “important” mitzvah and one that is seemingly “less significant”. Every mitzvah demonstrates that we value our relationship with Hashem.