[Avodah] Chukas

[Micha Berger]

On Mon, Jun 18, 2018 at 03:13:52PM -0400, Cantor Wolberg via Avodah wrote:
: 
: 4) The Midrash to this chapter focuses primarily on one paradox in the
: laws of the Red Cow: Its ashes purify people who had become contaminated;
: yet those who engage in its preparation become contaminated. I
: thought of a contemporary example of something that would appear just
: as paradoxical. Radiation treatment is used to treat many forms of
: cancer, and yet, the same radiation can cause cancer. For someone who
: has no knowledge of medicine, this would appear as irrational as the
: paradox of the Red Cow....

"Try not to think about purple elephants for the next 5 minutes!"

For most people, such advice would greatly increase the likelihood
that they would indeed think about purple elephants. But to someone
whose mind is already on the subject, if they try to heed your advice,
it might make it less likely they that continue the obsession.

The problem is... This law of parah adumah causing tum'ah is only to
the one sprinkling. It's not that the water itself causes tum'ah, it's
the act of using it to purify someone else.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Feeling grateful  to or appreciative of  someone
micha at aishdas.org        or something in your life actually attracts more
http://www.aishdas.org   of the things that you appreciate and value into
Fax: (270) 514-1507      your life.         - Christiane Northrup, M.D.