Difference between revisions of "Purpose of the Beheaded Heifer Ritual/2"
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<category>Discover the Killer | <category>Discover the Killer | ||
| − | <p>The | + | <p>The ritual and its various components are all meant to aid in finding the unknown murderer.</p> |
<mekorot><multilink><a href="TargumYerushalmiYonatanDevarim21-1-1-9" data-aht="source">Targum Yerushalmi (Yonatan)</a><a href="TargumYerushalmiYonatanDevarim21-1-1-9" data-aht="source">Devarim 21:1:1-9</a><a href="Targum Yerushalmi (Yonatan)" data-aht="parshan">About Targum Yerushalmi (Yonatan)</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="RYosefBekhorShorDevarim21-1-9" data-aht="source">R. Yosef Bekhor Shor</a><a href="RYosefBekhorShorDevarim21-1-9" data-aht="source">Devarim 21:1-9</a><a href="R. Yosef Bekhor Shor" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="MorehNevukhim3-40" data-aht="source">Rambam</a><a href="RambamHilkhotRotzeachuShemirathaNefesh9" data-aht="source">Hilkhot Rotzeach uShemirat haNefesh 9</a><a href="RambamHilkhotRotzeachuShemirathaNefesh10" data-aht="source">Hilkhot Rotzeach uShemirat haNefesh 10</a><a href="MorehNevukhim3-40" data-aht="source">Moreh Nevukhim 3:40</a><a href="R. Moshe b. Maimon (Rambam, Maimonides)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Moshe b. Maimon</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="ChizkuniDevarim21-2-9" data-aht="source">Chizkuni</a><a href="ChizkuniDevarim21-2-9" data-aht="source">Devarim 21:2-9</a><a href="R. Chizkiyah b. Manoach (Chizkuni)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Chizkiyah b. Manoach</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="SeferHaChinukh530" data-aht="source">Sefer HaChinukh</a><a href="SeferHaChinukh530" data-aht="source">530</a><a href="Sefer HaChinukh" data-aht="parshan">About Sefer HaChinukh</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="RBachyaDevarim21-1-9" data-aht="source">R. Bachya</a><a href="RBachyaDevarim21-1-9" data-aht="source">Devarim 21:1-9</a><a href="R. Bachya b. Asher" data-aht="parshan">About R. Bachya b. Asher</a></multilink><fn>R. Bachya brings several ways of understanding the ritual; this is one which he cites in the name of Rambam and then also "על דרך המדרש".</fn></mekorot> | <mekorot><multilink><a href="TargumYerushalmiYonatanDevarim21-1-1-9" data-aht="source">Targum Yerushalmi (Yonatan)</a><a href="TargumYerushalmiYonatanDevarim21-1-1-9" data-aht="source">Devarim 21:1:1-9</a><a href="Targum Yerushalmi (Yonatan)" data-aht="parshan">About Targum Yerushalmi (Yonatan)</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="RYosefBekhorShorDevarim21-1-9" data-aht="source">R. Yosef Bekhor Shor</a><a href="RYosefBekhorShorDevarim21-1-9" data-aht="source">Devarim 21:1-9</a><a href="R. Yosef Bekhor Shor" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="MorehNevukhim3-40" data-aht="source">Rambam</a><a href="RambamHilkhotRotzeachuShemirathaNefesh9" data-aht="source">Hilkhot Rotzeach uShemirat haNefesh 9</a><a href="RambamHilkhotRotzeachuShemirathaNefesh10" data-aht="source">Hilkhot Rotzeach uShemirat haNefesh 10</a><a href="MorehNevukhim3-40" data-aht="source">Moreh Nevukhim 3:40</a><a href="R. Moshe b. Maimon (Rambam, Maimonides)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Moshe b. Maimon</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="ChizkuniDevarim21-2-9" data-aht="source">Chizkuni</a><a href="ChizkuniDevarim21-2-9" data-aht="source">Devarim 21:2-9</a><a href="R. Chizkiyah b. Manoach (Chizkuni)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Chizkiyah b. Manoach</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="SeferHaChinukh530" data-aht="source">Sefer HaChinukh</a><a href="SeferHaChinukh530" data-aht="source">530</a><a href="Sefer HaChinukh" data-aht="parshan">About Sefer HaChinukh</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="RBachyaDevarim21-1-9" data-aht="source">R. Bachya</a><a href="RBachyaDevarim21-1-9" data-aht="source">Devarim 21:1-9</a><a href="R. Bachya b. Asher" data-aht="parshan">About R. Bachya b. Asher</a></multilink><fn>R. Bachya brings several ways of understanding the ritual; this is one which he cites in the name of Rambam and then also "על דרך המדרש".</fn></mekorot> | ||
<point><b>Natural or miraculous?</b> These commentators disagree whether the killer is to be found via natural or supernatural means:<br/> | <point><b>Natural or miraculous?</b> These commentators disagree whether the killer is to be found via natural or supernatural means:<br/> | ||
<ul> | <ul> | ||
| − | <li>Miracle</li> | + | <li>Miracle – Both Targum Yerushalmi (Yonatan) and R. Bachya maintain that the ritual will miraculously lead to the murderer, either as a trail of worms leads from the heifer to the culprit, or as the heifer himself walks to the house of the murderer.</li> |
| + | <li>Natural – The other commentators suggest that the publicity generated by the ritual will motivate people to search for the killer and gather information that will aid in the investigation.</li> | ||
</ul></point> | </ul></point> | ||
<point><b>A calf that has not been worked</b></point> | <point><b>A calf that has not been worked</b></point> | ||
| Line 19: | Line 20: | ||
<point><b>Elders vs priests</b></point> | <point><b>Elders vs priests</b></point> | ||
<point><b>יָדֵינוּ לֹא שָׁפְכוּ אֶת הַדָּם</b></point> | <point><b>יָדֵינוּ לֹא שָׁפְכוּ אֶת הַדָּם</b></point> | ||
| + | <point><b>"כַּפֵּר לְעַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל"</b></point> | ||
</category> | </category> | ||
<category>Atonement | <category>Atonement | ||
| + | <p>The ritual is one of atonement, meant either to cleanse the land form the blood of the innocent, or to atone for the people / leaders who might be partially responsible for the death..</p> | ||
<opinion>For the Land | <opinion>For the Land | ||
<p>Acts of murder defile the land, which can only be cleansed though the blood of the killer. When the killer is unknown and cannot be brought to justice, the ritual is necessary to cleanse the land.</p> | <p>Acts of murder defile the land, which can only be cleansed though the blood of the killer. When the killer is unknown and cannot be brought to justice, the ritual is necessary to cleanse the land.</p> | ||
Latest revision as of 04:49, 10 January 2024
Purpose of the Beheaded Heifer Ritual
Exegetical Approaches
Discover the Killer
The ritual and its various components are all meant to aid in finding the unknown murderer.
Sources:Targum Yerushalmi (Yonatan), R. Yosef Bekhor Shor, Rambam, Chizkuni, Sefer HaChinukh, R. Bachya1
Natural or miraculous? These commentators disagree whether the killer is to be found via natural or supernatural means:
- Miracle – Both Targum Yerushalmi (Yonatan) and R. Bachya maintain that the ritual will miraculously lead to the murderer, either as a trail of worms leads from the heifer to the culprit, or as the heifer himself walks to the house of the murderer.
- Natural – The other commentators suggest that the publicity generated by the ritual will motivate people to search for the killer and gather information that will aid in the investigation.
A calf that has not been worked
Beheading
נַחַל אֵיתָן
Not worked and unsown
Elders vs priests
יָדֵינוּ לֹא שָׁפְכוּ אֶת הַדָּם
"כַּפֵּר לְעַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל"
Atonement
The ritual is one of atonement, meant either to cleanse the land form the blood of the innocent, or to atone for the people / leaders who might be partially responsible for the death..
For the Land
Acts of murder defile the land, which can only be cleansed though the blood of the killer. When the killer is unknown and cannot be brought to justice, the ritual is necessary to cleanse the land.
Sources:Shadal
Death defiles – Bemidbar 35:33 explicitly states that blood defiles the land and can only be purified through the blood of the killer: "וְלָאָרֶץ לֹא יְכֻפַּר לַדָּם אֲשֶׁר שֻׁפַּךְ בָּהּ כִּי אִם בְּדַם שֹׁפְכוֹ".
Heifer substitutes for killer
For the Nation/Leaders
The rite atones for the nation's shared responsibility in the death.
