וְיִקְחוּ אֵלֶיךָ. רַבִּי יוֹסִי בַּר חֲנִינָא אָמַר, אָמַר לֵיהּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמֹשֶׁה, אֲנִי מְגַלֶּה לְךָ טַעַם פָּרָה. אֲבָל לָאֲחֵרִים, חֻקָּה. דְּאָמַר רַב הוּנָא, כְּתִיב: כִּי אֶקַּח מוֹעֵד, אֲנִי מֵישָׁרִים אֶשְׁפֹּט (תהלים עה, ג). וּכְתִיב: וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא לֹא יִהְיֶה אוֹר יְקָרוֹת וְקִפָּאוֹן (זכריה יד, ו), יְקִפָּאוֹן. דְּבָרִים הַמְּכֻסִּים מִכֶּם בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, עֲתִידִין לִהְיוֹת צְפוּיִם לָכֶם לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, כַּהֲדֵין סַמְיָא דְּצָפִי, דִּכְתִיב: וְהוֹלַכְתִּי עִוְּרִים בְּדֶרֶךְ לֹא יָדָעוּ, בִּנְתִיבוֹת לֹא יָדְעוּ אַדְרִיכֵם. וּכְתִיב: אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים עֲשִׂיתִים. אֶעֱשֶׂה אֵין כְּתִיב, אֶלָּא עֲשִׂיתִם, שֶׁכְּבָר עֲשִׂיתִים לְרַבִּי עֲקִיבָא וַחֲבֵרָיו. דָּבָר אַחֵר, דְּבָרִים שֶׁלֹּא נִגְלוּ לְמֹשֶׁה, נִגְלוּ לְרַבִּי עֲקִיבָא וַחֲבֵרָיו. וְכָל יְקָר רָאֲתָה עֵינוֹ (איוב כח, י), זֶה רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא וַחֲבֵרָיו. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסִי בַּר חֲנִינָא, רָמְזוּ שֶׁכָּל הַפָּרוֹת בְּטֵלוֹת, וְשֶׁלְּךָ קַיֶּמֶת. רַבִּי אֶחָא בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי יוֹסִי בַּר חֲנִינָא אָמַר, בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁעָלָה מֹשֶׁה לַמָּרוֹם, שָׁמַע קוֹלוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יוֹשֵׁב וְעוֹסֵק בְּפָרָשַׁת פָּרָה אֲדֻמָּה, הֲלָכָה בְּשֵׁם אוֹמְרָהּ, אֱלִיעֶזֶר בְּנִי אָמַר, עֶגְלָה בַּת שְׁנָתָהּ, וּפָרָה בַּת שְׁתַּיִם. אָמַר מֹשֶׁה לְפָנָיו, רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, הָעֶלְיוֹנִים וְתַחְתּוֹנִים שֶׁלְּךָ הֵן וְאַתָּה אוֹמֵר הֲלָכָה בִּשְׁמוֹ שֶׁל בָּשָׂר וָדָם. אָמַר לוֹ: צַדִּיק אֶחָד עָתִיד לַעֲמֹד בְּעוֹלָמִי, וְעָתִיד לִפְתֹּחַ בְּפָרָשַׁת פָּרָה אֲדֻמָּה תְּחִלָּה, רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר, עֶגְלָה בַּת שְׁנָתָהּ, וּפָרָה בַּת שְׁתַּיִם. אָמַר לְפָנָיו, רִבּוֹן הָעוֹלָמִים, יְהִי רָצוֹן שֶׁיְּהֵא מֵחַלָּצַי. אָמַר לוֹ: חַיֶּיךָ, שֶׁהוּא מֵחַלָּצֶיךָ, הָדָא הוּא דִּכְתִיב: וְשֵׁם הָאֶחָד אֱלִיעֶזֶר (שמות יח, ד). וְשֵׁם אוֹתוֹ הַמְּיֻחָד, אֱלִיעֶזֶר. מַעֲשֶׂה בְּגֵר אֶחָד שֶׁשָּׁאַל אֶת רַבָּן יוֹחָנָן בֵּן זַכַּאי, אִילִין מִילַיָּא דְּאַתּוּן עַבְדִּין נִרְאִין כְּמִין כְּשָׁפִין. אַתֶּם מְבִיאִין פָּרָה וְשׂוֹרְפִין אוֹתָהּ וְכוֹתְשִׁין אוֹתָהּ וְנוֹטְלִין אֶת אֶפְרָהּ. וְאִם אֶחָד מִכֶּם מִטָּמֵא מֵת, מַזִּין עָלָיו שְׁנַיִם וְשָׁלֹש טִפִּין, וְאַתֶּם אוֹמְרִים לוֹ: טָהַרְתָּ. אָמַר לוֹ: נִכְנְסָה בְּךָ רוּחַ חֲזָזִית מִיָּמֶיךָ. אָמַר לוֹ: לָאו. אָמַר לוֹ: שֶׁמָּא רָאִיתָ אָדָם שֶׁנִּכְנְסָה בּוֹ רוּחַ חֲזָזִית. אָמַר לוֹ: הֵן. אָמַר לוֹ: וּמָה אַתֶּם עוֹשִׂים לוֹ. אָמַר לוֹ: מְבִיאִין עִיקָּרִין מְעַשְּׁנִין תַּחְתָּיו וּמַרְבִּיצִין עָלֶיהָ מַיִם, וְהִיא בּוֹרַחַת. אָמַר לוֹ: יִשְׁמְעוּ אָזְנֶיךָ מַה שֶׁאַתָּה מוֹצִיא מִפִּיךָ. כָּךְ הָרוּחַ הַזּוֹ הִיא רוּחַ הַטֻּמְאָה, דִּכְתִיב: וְגַם אֶת הַנְּבִיאִים וְאֶת רוּחַ הַטֻּמְאָה אַעֲבִיר מִן הָאָרֶץ (זכריה יג, ב), מַזִּין עָלָיו מֵי נִדָּה, וְהוּא בּוֹרֵחַ. לְאַחַר שֶׁיָּצָא הַגּוֹי, אָמְרוּ לוֹ תַּלְמִידָיו, רַבֵּנוּ, לְזֶה דָּחִית בְּקָנֶה. לָנוּ מָה אַתָּה אוֹמֵר. אָמַר לָהֶן, חַיֵּיכֶם, לֹא הַמֵּת מְטַמֵּא, וְלֹא פָּרָה מְטַהֲרָה, וְלֹא הַמַּיִם מְטַהֲרִין. אֶלָּא אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, חֻקָּה חָקַקְתִּי, גְּזֵרָה גָּזַרְתִּי, אֵין אַתָּה רַשַּׁאי לַעֲבֹר עַל גְּזֵרָתִי, דִּכְתִיב: זֹאת חֻקַּת הַתּוֹרָה. וּמִפְּנֵי מַה כָּל הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת זְכָרִים וּנְקֵבוֹת, וְזוֹ נְקֵבָה. אָמַר רַבִּי אִיבּוֹ, מָשָׁל לְמָה הַדָּבָר דּוֹמֶה. לְבֶן שִׁפְחָה שֶׁטִּנֵּף פַּלְטְרִין שֶׁל מֶלֶךְ. אָמַר הַמֶּלֶךְ, תָּבוֹא אִמּוֹ וּתְקַנֵּחַ אֶת הַצּוֹאָה. כָּךְ אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, תָּבֹא פָּרָה וּתְכַפֵּר עַל מַעֲשֵׂה הָעֵגֶל. (Numb. 19:2, cont:) “That they bring unto you [a red heifer without blemish].” R. Jose bar Hanina said, “The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses. ‘To you I am revealing the reason for the heifer, but to others it is an unquestioned statute.’”88PRK 4:7; PR 14:13; Numb. R. 19:6. As Rav Huna said, “It is written (in Ps. 75:3), ‘For I will set a time, when I Myself will judge with equity.’ It is also written (in Zech. 14:6), ‘On that day there shall be no light of cold (yqrot) and frost.’89See also Pes. 50a. Things that are hidden from you in this world are going to be clear to you in the world to come, as with the blind person who gains his sight. Thus it is stated (in Is. 42:16), ‘I will lead the blind by a road they do not know, [… these things I have done].’ ‘I will do’ is not stated here, but ‘I have done,’ in that I have already done them for R. Aqiva and his colleagues.” Another interpretation: Things that were not revealed to Moses were revealed to R. Aquiva and his colleagues (as found in Job 28:10), “his eye sees every precious thing.” R. Jose bar Hanina said, “It was implied (in Numb. 19:2) was that all heifers perish, but [Moses’] lasts forever.” R. Aha said in the name of R. Jose bar Hanina, “When Moses ascended into the firmament, he heard the voice of the Holy One, blessed be He, sitting and being occupied with the parashah of the [red heifer], and he was reciting a halakhah (i.e., a passage of oral Torah) in the name of its author (from Parah 1:1), ‘My son, Eliezer says, “The calf [whose neck is to be broken]90See Deut. 21:3-4. is to be one year old, but the [red] heifer is to be two years old.”’91See Braude’s translation of PR, 14:13 p. 290, n. 91, which records a suggestion of Mordecai Margulies, who notes that R. Eliezer would have begun his instruction with this mishnah. Moses said, ‘Master of the world, do not the realms above and below belong to you? Now you are citing a halakhah in the name of flesh and blood?’ He said to him, ‘A righteous man is going to arise in my world and is first going to begin [his teaching] with the parashah of the [red] heifer, R. Eliezer says, “The calf [whose neck is to be broken] is to be one year old, but the [red] heifer is to be two years old.”’ He told Him, ‘Master of the universe, may it be [Your] will that he come from my loins.’ He said to him, ‘By your life, he is to be from your loins.’ Thus it is stated (of Moses' offspring in Exod. 18:4), ‘And the name of the one92So literally. In the biblical context the translation would normally read: AND THE NAME OF THE OTHER WAS ELIEZER. was Eliezer,’ [i.e.,] the name of that particular one [who would begin his teaching with Tractate Parah] was Eliezer. A certain stranger questioned Rabban Johanan ben Zakkay, “These things which you do seem like a kind of sorcery.93Numb. R. 19:8; PRK 4:7; PR 14:14. You bring a heifer, burn it, pound it, and take its ashes. Then [when] one of you is defiled by a corpse, they sprinkle two or three drops on him, and you say to him, ‘You are clean.’” He said to him, “Have you ever had a bad spirit of madness enter you?” He told him, “No.” He said to him, “Perhaps you have seen someone into whom a bad spirit has entered?” He told him, “Yes.” He said to him, “So what did you do for him?” He said to him, “They bring roots and burn them beneath him. Then they sprinkle water on [the spirit], and it flees.” He said to him, “Let your ears hear what you are uttering with your mouth. Similarly is this spirit an unclean spirit. Thus it is stated (in Zech. 13:2), ‘and I will also remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land.’ They sprinkle the purifying water upon him, and he flees.” After the gentile had left, [R. Johanan's] disciples said to him, “Our master, you repelled this one with a [mere] reed [of an answer]. What have you to say to us?” He said to them, “By your lives, a corpse does not defile, nor does a heifer purify, nor does water purify. Rather, the Holy One, blessed be He, has said, ‘I have enacted a statute for you. I have issued a decree, [and] you are not allowed to transgress against my decree.’” Thus it is written (in Numb. 19:2), “This is the statute of the Torah.” And for what reason are all the sacrifices male and female, while that one is [only] female?94PRK 4:8. R. Ayyevu said, “It is comparable to the son of a female slave who defiled a king's palace.95Lat.: praetorium Gk.: praitoriom. The king said, ‘Let his mother come and clean up the excrement.’ Similarly has the Holy One, blessed be He, said, ‘Let a heifer come and atone for the incident of the [golden] calf.’”