And what do these four seemingly disparate things have in common? They're all described as chukim – decrees or statutes – things we do simply because God commanded them, even if the reason isn't immediately clear.
We find this idea in Bamidbar Rabbah 19. So, what are these four things?
First, there's the law concerning a brother's wife. Leviticus 18:16 clearly states, "The nakedness of your brother's wife you shall not uncover." But, hold on! Deuteronomy 25:5 presents a twist: if a man dies childless, his brother is obligated to marry his widow – a yibbum, or levirate marriage. Talk about a head-scratcher! It seems contradictory, doesn't it? The Torah forbids it, yet in a specific case, it commands it. The yetzer hara must be pulling its hair out! And Leviticus 20:22 firmly states: “You shall observe all My statutes.”
Next on the list is sha’atnez, the prohibition of mixing wool and linen. Deuteronomy 22:11 says plainly, "You shall not wear a mixture of fibers [wool and linen together]." But then… a linen cloak with woolen fringes (tzitzit) is permitted! As we find in Leviticus 19:19, “You shall observe My statutes…[and clothing of mixed fiber shall not be placed on you].” Again, a seemingly straightforward rule with an exception that makes you stop and think. Is it any wonder the yetzer hara is confused?
Then we have the scapegoat, the se'ir le-azazel, from the Yom Kippur service. Leviticus 16:26 states, "And the one who dispatches the goat to Azazel shall wash his garments." This goat, sent out into the wilderness, atones for the sins of the people. Think about that for a second. The person who deals with the goat becomes ritually impure, needing to cleanse their garments. Yet, the goat itself atones for the sins of everyone else. It's paradoxical! Leviticus 16:34 emphasizes the importance: “This shall be for you an eternal statute.”
Finally, there's the red heifer, the parah adumah. This is perhaps the most perplexing of them all. As we learn in Mishna Parah 4:4, those involved in the red heifer ritual, from beginning to end, become ritually impure. Yet, the ashes of the red heifer are used to purify others! It defiles those who prepare it, yet cleanses the defiled. It’s almost…backwards. And, of course, Numbers 19:2 tells us, "This is the statute of the Torah."
So, why do these particular chukim bother the yetzer hara so much? Perhaps it's because they highlight the limits of logic. They demand faith and obedience even when the "why" remains elusive. These laws remind us that there are things beyond our understanding, things that require us to trust in a wisdom greater than our own.
They are a test. A chance to say "I don't understand, but I will follow." And maybe, just maybe, that's what the yetzer hara fears most: our ability to transcend the purely rational and embrace the divine even when it doesn't make perfect sense. What do you think?