Parshas Chukas is the parsha of the פרה אדומה. The secret of the פרה אדומה is that it parallels תחיית המתים. A person who encounters a dead body becomes tamei mes and similar to a dead person. The avodah of פרה אדומה removes this impurity thereby bringing him back to life, just like the resurrection of the dead. The very procedure of the פרה אדומה also parallels תחיית המתים. The פרה burnt to ashes parallels a dead person who is reduced back to the dust of the earth. Mixing the ashes with מים חיים parallels the secret of Techias HaMeisim.
A hint to this relationship is found the first time Parah Aduma is mentioned in the Torah, a few psukim after Kriyas Yam Suf in Parshas Beshalach. When arriving at Marah immediately after leaving the Yam Suf, the pasuk says שם שם לו חוק ומשפט ושם נסהו, that Hashem gave Klal Yisroel certain mitzvos. Rashi explains that the חק that was given to Klal Yisroel was the mitzvah of Parah Aduma, which is called חוקת התורה. The connection between Kriyas Yam Suf and Parah Aduma is that Kriyas Yam Suf was the first revelation of Techias HaMeisim, as Rashi comments on the words אז ישיר משה, written in the future tense מכאן רמז לתחיית המתים מן התורה that from here we find a hint to תחיית המתים. Since the first glimpse of Techias HaMeisim was during Kriyas Yam Suf, it can be understood why immediately afterwards we were given the mitzvah of Parah Aduma which is also a revelation of Techias HaMeisim. Furthermore, the end of Parshas Beshalach is the war with Amalek, because when that light of Techias HaMeisim is revealed, which is the end of Time, it nullifies Amalek, as the pasuk says ראשית גוים עמלק ואחריתו עדי אובד, that at the End of Time Amalek will be erased.
There is a striking parallel between Para Aduma and Techias Hameisim regarding the concept of Middas HaDin. The Parah Aduma represents the Middas HaDin, as the Arizal explains that the פר hints to the פ״ר דינים. The color red of the פרה אדומה relates to Din, as red is the color of Din. Techias HaMeisim is also din, as we say in davening אתה גבור לעולם ה׳ מחיה מתים אתה רב להושיע.
The obvious question is that there is no greater chesed than bringing a person who is tamei back to tahara, and bringing someone who has been lying in the dust for thousands of years back to life. Why then, is Parah Aduma and Techias HaMeisim so related to din and not to kindness?
Rashi says at the beginning of the Torah that when Hashem created the world, His original intention was to create it with din. If Hashem’s entire ratzon was to bestow kindness, why would He wish to create a world based on din and not chessed? The answer to this question is as follows. The reason why Hashem brings us down into the world is so that we should make our own way to our destination in orderwe can deserve the ultimate reward. Now, the ultimate reward is in Olam Haba, the next world, at the end of all time. The only thing that ensures a person that he should be able to get to the end and receive his reward is the Middas HaDin. Middas HaDin, which is גבורה, gives a person the power of התגברות, which is the strength to push forward so that even if he is faced with tremendous obstacles, he can still make it to the ultimate goal. The only way to reach Olam HaBa and enjoy Hashem’s ultimate chesed and kindness is through גבורה, which is the power to push and bulldoze our way through all the stumbling blocks of life in Olam HaZeh to continue in our avodah and reach our ultimate destination.
The Perek in Shas that discuss the concepts of Techias HaMeisim and Olam Haba is Perek HaCheilek, the final perek of Maseches Sanhedrin. Sanhedrin is the Maseches of דין and משפט. It is only through the power of din that a person can reach all the way to the end. Therefore, Perek Cheilek is at the end of Sanhedrin, because the purpose of a Beis Din is to use din to make sure that we stay on course in order that we reach to the great chessed of Techias HaMeisim and Olam Haba.
Yitzchok represents Middas HaDin, but his name is also יצחק, which means “he will laugh” in the future tense. This means that the גבורהof Yitzchak is only for the sake of reaching to the ultimate צחוק and simcha of the reward that awaits us in the future. Parshas Vayera, the parsha of Yitzchak Avinu’s birth begins with וירא ה׳ אליו באלוני ממרא והוא יושב בפתח האהל כחם היום. Rashi explains that these words והוא יושב teach us a halacha in הלכות דיינים, that a judge has to sit while judging. The reason the parsha begins by teaching a halacha in הלכות דיינים for the next words in the pasuk, כחם היום, which Rashi explains to mean that Hashem took the sun out of its casing. The Gemara in Nedarim explains that taking the sun out of it casing symbolizes what will happen at the End of Days, where Hashem will take the sun out of its casing, and the Tzaddikim will heal in its great light. Therefore, the reason we need a halacha in Hilchos Dayanim is for the purpose of כחם היום, to reach the End of Days. It is only because the din and gevurah that we can push through and reach the glory of לעתיד לבוא. As the pasuk says כי גבר עלינו חסדו, the reason Hashem pushes us with Gevurah (כי גבר עלינו) is for the purpose of reaching the Hashem’s ultimate chesed (חסדו).
This explains the avodah of Yomim Noraim. Rosh Hashanah is going back to beginning of all time, as we say in davening היום הרת עולם, “today is the birth of the world”, and Yom Kippur represents the end of time, as Chazal compare Yom Kippur to Olam Haba, where just like there will be no eating or drinking in Olam Haba, so too on Yom Kippur there is no eating and drinking. Yom Kippur is called שבת שבתון because Shabbos is מעין עולם הבא, and Yom Kippur is even more like Olam Haba in that there is no eating. The way to get to the end of times in Yom Kippur is through the גבורה and din of Rosh Hashanah and the Aseres Yemei Teshuva. The din of these days set us on the right path, so that whenever we have a נסיון we can overcome it through גבורה, namely the power of התגברות that is bestowed to us on Rosh Hashanah. With this strength we can reach the day Yom Kippur, which represents the End of Days.
Thus, whenever there is a concept of Techias HaMeisim, there has to be a mention of gevurah. As we say in davening, אתה גבור, Hashem, You introduced gevurah into the world, because of לעולם, You want us to reach the world of eternity, which is מחיה מתים אתה, the world of Techias HaMeisim. So too regarding Parah Aduma. Since Parah Aduma is a Techias HaMeisim, the way to reach this purity is through din.
Avraham Avinu sacrificed everything in order to be mekarev people to Hashem. Chazal darshan from the word ויקרא written by Avraham to mean ויקריא that he called out the heavenly message of Hashem to the entire world. However, nothing remained of his kiruv, and all the people who he brought close all returned to their earlier ways. The reason for this was because Avraham Avinu was the pillar of Middas HaChessed and one cannot reach a goal with just chessed, there needs to be gevurah.
The Gemara in Shabbos says that at the End of Days, it will Yitzchak Avinu and not Avraham and Yaakov who will be מלמד זכות on Klal Yisroel and will bring them into the אחרית הימים, because Yitzchak is Middas HaGevurah, and it is through gevurah which is the כח ההתגברות that will bring a person to the end. It is through יצחק whose name means “he will laugh” in future-tense, because then it will clarified that all those דינים were leading the person to the צחוק of the אחרית הימים.
Therefore, the reason Klal Yisroel is still thriving today is not despite the tzaros and din that we have faced, but rather it is because of din.Hashem keeps pushing and prodding us with more din so that we should continue to push forward and continue towards the אחרית הימים, which is the ultimate pleasure that will last for eternity.
We are entering the time of the Three Weeks where we need to mechazek ourselves that the two thousand years of tzaros and galus that Klal Yisroel has faced and miraculously survived actually brings us closer to our destination. The reason Klal Yisroel continues to thrive is because of אתה גבור לעולם ה׳. Because of this, we will be zoche speedily in our days to Moshiach Tzidkeinu, and all the upcoming fasts should be transformed to great rejoicing, and the Geulah Shleima, speedily in our days, Amen V’Amen!
