I don't know about you, but I can remember times when I was a child, after my parents had said something particularly egregious to me, thinking: "I will never say that to my children." And I also can remember, much more recently, saying something to my children that sounded an awful lot like what my parents used to say to me, and thinking "I can't believe I just said that." I think the ultimate phrase which fits this description is: "Because I said so," which is, of course, the final volley in any parent's arsenal.

This week's parashah, Hukkat, begins with the strange and mysterious ritual of the red heifer.  Chapter 19:1-22 sets out a purification ritual for a person who has come in contact with a dead body, a ritual which starts with finding a red heifer without blemish. Oddly, during the course of preparing the ritual, a person who is pure can become contaminated by coming in contact with the ashes of the heifer. The significance and meaning of the red heifer ritual has been argued over the centuries, with perhaps two prevailing schools of thought. First, there are those who argue that the ritual can be explained by either rational or mystical reasons, but it is subject to explanation like other commandments. Then, there are those who suggest that the very point of the ritual is that it has no meaning, but that it teaches obedience to God.

Sometimes in raising a child, no matter how much we desire to provide rational explanations for our instructions, the persistent challenges of the child cause us to resort to "because I said so." It is a lesson in obedience. As the Israelites move through the desert for four decades, there are certainly been many challenges to God's authority. Maybe the ritual of the red heifer is God's way of saying "because I said so." Brings to mind the companion phrase, "because I know what's good for you." Here's to the mysteries of successful parenting.

Shabbat Shalom.