intended to increase the knowledge, interest,and anticipation of the reader, thereby hasteningthe realization of our hopes and prayers for the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Beit HaMikdash.

Still more on PARA ADUMA
This column originated because of some research I did when confronted with an email from Rehovot which took issue with my calling the Para Aduma a Korban - a sacrifice. The correspondent wrote, "Was the Para Aduma really a Korban in the same way as an Olah (a burnt offering) or a Chatat (sin offering)? Wasn't it more like Bedek Habayit?" I had to concede that he raised an excellent question. It must be admitted that if the paradoxical incompre- hensible Para Aduma was indeed a Korban - and the Torah does call it a Chatat - then it was a Korban that broke all the rules! It was certainly not a Korban in the accepted sense of the word.

The Para Aduma was burnt to ashes and the Mei Niddah prepared for a different purpose than were the Korbanot that were burnt on the Mizbei'ach. The other(?) Korbanot served to effect Kapara (atonement of sin - public or private), or were voluntary offerings or they were meant fulfill an obligation (e.g. Ma'aser Beheimah or women bringing doves after giving birth, etc.) The Mei Niddah was readied to purify Olei Regel (pilgrims) from Tum’at Meit - corpse-impurity so that they could enter the Beit Hamikdash grounds and actually bring Korbanot. So if the Para Aduma was a Korban it was a highly unusual one!

And in addition:
• Unlike any other Korban, no part of the Parah was burnt on the Mizbei'ach.
• The Zerikat Hadam - the blood application - was performed not in the Kodesh Hakodashim, nor on the Mizbach Hazahav, nor on the Mizbei'ach in the Azara. It was done on a mountain overlooking the Beit Hamikdash.
• No other Korban rendered ritually impure the Kohein who burnt it.
• Unlike any other Korban, the ashes of the Para Aduma were not simply disposed of somewhere. They were used for essential purification rites which insured the smooth functioning of the Beit Hamikdash.
But if the Para Aduma is not a "real" Korban, then what is it? Could it actually be considered Bedek Habayit? Strictly speaking, Bedek Habayit means Temple maintenance - that is the repair of the physical plant of the Beit Hamikdash buildings. Anything in the Beit Hamikdash which was Mechubar Lekarka - "solidly attached to the ground" - including the sacrificial Mizbei'ach - fell into that classification. In II Melachim 12:5-16 there is a detailed description of the "repair of the breaches" of the Beit Hamikdash buildings "wheresoever any breach may be found" in the days of Yeho'ash Melech Yehudah. These renovations were funded by donations from the people for Bedek Habayit - Temple repair. The reference in Melachim specifically relates that vessels used in the sacrificial rite, trumpets and other Mikdash accoutrements were not included in the Bedek Habayit.

The wages of the young girls who wove various Perochot in the Beit Hamikdash came from the Terumat Halishkah - the half-shekels paid annually by all Israel. However there was an exception. The salaries of the young girls who wove the two Perochot - the veils - which separated the Heichal (Sanctuary) from the Kodesh Hakodashim were met by the Kodashei Bedek Habayit - the special Bedek Habayit fund. The reason? The two Perochot dividing the Heichal from the Kodesh Hakodashim in Bayit Sheini took the place of a wall which served the same function in Bayit Rishon. Note I Melachim 6: 31,32. For this reason the weaving (and the cost of the material) of these two particular curtains were also considered Bedek Habayit.

The preparation of Mei Niddah - that mixture of Para Aduma ashes mixed with flowing spring water - does not fit into this category - ergo, the burning of the Para Aduma and the preparation of the Mei Niddah could not be considered Bedek Habayit

The day to day expenses of the Beit Hamikdash, such as the Temidim (the two daily obligatory burnt offerings) as well as other public Korbanot, the Lechem Hapanim (the "Bread of the Presence"), the Ketoret (incense), oil for the Menorah were financed by the Terumat Halishkah. The half shekels of the Terumat Halishkah also funded the expenses of the Para Aduma. The Mei Niddah - can possibly be com- pared to the "pure pressed olive oil" or the compounded Ketoret, the incense offered twice daily on the Mizbach Hazahav. A steady stream of pure olive oil was necessary for the "arranging" - i.e. lighting and cleaning the Menorah. A constant reservoir of Ketoret was required for the twice-daily incense offering. So too a steady supply of Mei Niddah was essential for the proper observance of the laws of purity.

This is very important. In the Beit Hamikdash of Chazal, ongoing expenses were met not by government grant or by the wealthy classes alone but rather by the half-shekel Temple tax that was paid yearly by all adult male Israelites. The philosophical differences between the two points of view can not be overestimated!

Chazal conceived of a Beit Hamikdash, which would serve as the spiritual center of all Israel. The Beit Hamikdash, as envisioned by the Sages, was a place where all Israel should be able to feel a sense of participation in the ritual and thereby develop cognitive bonds and pride in being part of "a holy nation and kingdom of priests". The Sages did not envision a Sanctuary which was the preserve only of the priestly caste. This basic philosophy is perhaps most clearly evidenced in the Sages insistence that the financing of public sacrifices and the day to day expenses in the Beit Hamikdash be taken from the Terumat Halishkah. Thus everyone in Israel, rich and poor, by paying their yearly half-shekel, had an equal share in maintaining the Temple rites and purity of the Beit Hamikdash. As the Sefer Hachinuch put it "It (the Para Aduma) was observed in Eretz Yisrael in the days of the Bayit... and is one of the Mitzvot which is incumbent upon the entire community." <to be continued>

Catriel Sugarman gives illustrated lectures on the Beit Hamikdash and related topics. He can be reached at (02) 652-7531 or by email: acatriel@netvision.net.il. Catriel is in the process of writing a book entitled:
The Temple of Jerusalem, A Pilgrim's Perspective: A Guided Tour through the Temple and the Divine Service.

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