NUMBERS: Chapter 19

Chapter 19
Summary:	God speaks to Moses and Aaron, telling them to have the people of Israel bring them a red heifer without a spot, blemish, and that has never been yoked. The cow is to be slaughtered outside the camp by someone else as Eleazar watches. Eleazar is then to take some of the cow's blood, and with his finger, sprinkle the blood directly before the tabernacle seven* times. Someone is then to burn the heifer's carcass while Eleazar watches, making sure that the skin, flesh, blood, and dung are consumed by the fire. Eleazar is then to cast some cedar wood, hyssop branches, and a scarlet thread upon the burning carcass. Eleazar is to then wash his clothes, bathe his flesh with water, and then come into the camp - but he will be considered "unclean" until the evening. The man who burned the red heifer must wash his clothes, bathe, and will also be considered "unclean" until the evening. A man who is not considered "unclean" must be selected to gather up the ashes of the heifer, lay them outside of the camp in a "clean" place. These ashes are to be kept for the congregation for a "water of separation" to purify one from "sin". The man that gathered the ashes must now wash his clothes, bathe and be considered "unclean" until the evening. This is a permanent law for the people of Israel and foreigners living amongst them. God repeats his laws concerning anyone that touches a dead body, beginning with restating that they shall be considered "unclean" for seven days. He is to purify himself with the water running through the ashes of the red heifer on the third day. the person shall be considered "clean" on the seventh day only if they have "purified" themselves by this manner on the third day. Whomever touches a dead body and doesn't "purify" themselves in this manner is to be excommunicated from the people of Israel, for the person's "uncleanliness" is upon them. When a person dies in a tent, all that enter the tent and everything contained in the tent will be considered "unclean" for seven days. Any open containers that aren't covered with some sort of lid to cover it is considered "unclean". Anyone who touches someone who was slain with a sword in the open fields, a dead body, human bones, or a grave shall be "unclean" for seven days. Anyone who is deemed "unclean" must take the ashes of the burnt heifer and add it to running water in a vessel (a bowl, kettle, pot, or similar container). A "clean" person is then to dip a hyssop branch into the water and sprinkle it upon the tent, upon all containers, upon the people who were in the tent, and upon anyone who has touched a bone, corpse, or a grave. The "clean" person is to do this on the third day, and upon the seventh day, the "unclean" shall purify themselves by washing their clothes and bathing in water, and they will be considered "clean" when the evening arrives. The person who becomes "unclean" yet doesn't abide by this purification ritual will be excommunicated from their people, as they have "defiled" God's sanctuary. It is a permanent statute that the person who sprinkles the water shall wash their clothes, and that one that touches the "water of separation" be considered "unclean" until the evening. Anything that an "unclean" person touches shall be "unclean" as well, and any person who touches an "unclean" person will be considered "unclean" themselves until the evening.
Notes:	1.) Another appearance of the mystical number seven.
Thoughts:	God speaks to Moses and Aaron and tells them to have the people of Israel find a red cow without blemishes, and one that has never been yoked. Such an animal is an anomaly considering the stringent requirements it must meet. The cow has to be entirely one color (red) and its hair has to be completely straight to ensure that the animal has never been yoked. Even according to Jewish tradition, it is said that only nine red heifers were actually slaughtered between the time of Moses (who's death is claimed to have been in 1271 BC) to the destruction of the "Second Temple" in 70 AD - meaning that only nine such cows were found in an 800 year span, averaging that finding such a cow every 88 years or so. Anyways, after finding such a rare animal, God demands that it is to be killed and enlists Aaron's son Eleazar to supervise this task. Eleazar has to appoint somebody to kill the cow, as he can't do this himself for some reason, and then has to have someone else (it isn't clear if this can or cannot be the same person who killed the cow or not) set the cow's carcass on fire. After the other guy kills the cow on the outskirts of town, Eleazar has to scoop up some of the blood and sprinkle the tabernacle with it "seven times" - yet another example of the bible's mystical significance projected onto the number seven. Once Eleazar is done with that, he has to supervise someone setting the cow's carcass on fire. While the carcass is burning, Eleazar will have to toss some cedar wood, hyssop branches, and a scarlet thread into the fire as well. Once the carcass has burned completely, Eleazar and whomever he selected to burn the cow must wash their clothes, bathe themselves in water, and both will be considered "unclean" until the evening. A third (or possibly fourth, depending on whether the butcher of the cow can be the same guy to set it on fire) person who is ceremonially "clean" then must be selected to retrieve the ashes and lay them outside the camp in a "clean" designated area. (These ashes are to be used in a cleansing ritual that will be explained in further detail later on.) Now the man who gathered the ashes has now "defiled" himself by doing this job, so he too must wash his clothes and take a bath, as he is now considered "unclean" until the evening. This whole "red heifer" business is a permanent law pertaining to the people of Israel as well as foreigners living in the land. God repeats his law that anyone touching a dead body is considered "unclean" for a period of seven days, and now adds that the "red heifer ashes" must be used in their purification process. A person who has "defiled" themselves by touching a corpse must participate in a purification ritual on the third day of their "defilement". Failure to do so leads to the "unclean" person being excommunicated. God adds that when a person dies in a tent, anyone else who enters that tent is "unclean", as are every item contained in the dead person's tent. Any open containers that aren't covered with some sort of lid are "unclean" as well. "Uncleanliness" also applies to those who touch the corpse of a slain person, any dead body, human bones, or even a grave, and the person doing so will be considered "unclean" for seven days. The purification ritual consists of the "unclean" taking the ashes of the burnt heifer and add it to some running water collected in a kettle (or similar container). A "clean" person must dip a hyssop branch into the water and sprinkle the water upon anything deemed "unclean" - a dead man's tent, all open containers, anyone who was in the dead man's tent, and upon anyone who has touched a corpse, bone, or a grave. This ritual has to be done on the third day, and on the seventh day the "unclean" must bathe and wash their clothes, and they will be deemed "clean" upon the evening of the seventh day. Again, God states that anyone who becomes "unclean" and doesn't follow this purification ritual will be excommunicated, on the grounds that they have "defiled" God's sanctuary. Again, this is a permanent law. The "clean" person who participated in the ritual must also wash their clothes, as well as anyone else who touches the "water of separation", as they will be considered "unclean" until the evening. Anything or anyone that an "unclean" person touches will be considered "unclean" as well until the evening. Quite frankly, this is all really ridiculous. I can understand ordering that people should wash themselves under these circumstances for hygienic reasons, but the significance of the red cow ashes is simply superstitious nonsense - worsened by the "necessary" inclusion of hyssop branches, cedar wood, and scarlet thread in the burning of the ashes. I suppose we should be thankful that the punishment for disobeying this silly law is only excommunication, rather than a stoning or immolation.