וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה וְאֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֖ן לֵאמֹֽר׃

The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying:

זֹ֚את חֻקַּ֣ת הַתּוֹרָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֥ה יְהוָ֖ה לֵאמֹ֑ר דַּבֵּ֣ר ׀ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְיִקְח֣וּ אֵלֶיךָ֩ פָרָ֨ה אֲדֻמָּ֜ה תְּמִימָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֤ר אֵֽין־בָּהּ֙ מ֔וּם אֲשֶׁ֛ר לֹא־עָלָ֥ה עָלֶ֖יהָ עֹֽל׃

This is the statute of the law that the Lord had commanded, saying: Speak to the children of Israel, and they shall take to you an unflawed red heifer, a heifer whose color is distinctly red and in which there is no blemish, and upon which a yoke was not placed for any sort of work.

וּנְתַתֶּ֣ם אֹתָ֔הּ אֶל־אֶלְעָזָ֖ר הַכֹּהֵ֑ן וְהוֹצִ֤יא אֹתָהּ֙ אֶל־מִח֣וּץ לַֽמַּחֲנֶ֔ה וְשָׁחַ֥ט אֹתָ֖הּ לְפָנָֽיו׃

You shall give it to Elazar the priest, and he shall take it out of the camp, and one shall slaughter it before him. Since the heifer is not an offering, its rites are performed outside the Temple.

וְלָקַ֞ח אֶלְעָזָ֧ר הַכֹּהֵ֛ן מִדָּמָ֖הּ בְּאֶצְבָּע֑וֹ וְהִזָּ֞ה אֶל־נֹ֨כַח פְּנֵ֧י אֹֽהֶל־מוֹעֵ֛ד מִדָּמָ֖הּ שֶׁ֥בַע פְּעָמִֽים׃

Elazar the priest shall take from its blood with his finger, and sprinkle from its blood toward the front of the Tent of Meeting seven times.

וְשָׂרַ֥ף אֶת־הַפָּרָ֖ה לְעֵינָ֑יו אֶת־עֹרָ֤הּ וְאֶת־בְּשָׂרָהּ֙ וְאֶת־דָּמָ֔הּ עַל־פִּרְשָׁ֖הּ יִשְׂרֹֽף׃

One shall burn the heifer before his eyes: Its skin, its flesh, and its blood, with its dung, he shall burn. The heifer must be burned in its entirety.

וְלָקַ֣ח הַכֹּהֵ֗ן עֵ֥ץ אֶ֛רֶז וְאֵז֖וֹב וּשְׁנִ֣י תוֹלָ֑עַת וְהִשְׁלִ֕יךְ אֶל־תּ֖וֹךְ שְׂרֵפַ֥ת הַפָּרָֽה׃

The priest shall take cedarwood, hyssop, and a scarlet thread, as in the purification rite of a leper, and he shall cast these items into the burning of the heifer. Consequently, the ashes will be comprised of a combination of the heifer, the wood of the pyre, and these three items.

וְכִבֶּ֨ס בְּגָדָ֜יו הַכֹּהֵ֗ן וְרָחַ֤ץ בְּשָׂרוֹ֙ בַּמַּ֔יִם וְאַחַ֖ר יָב֣וֹא אֶל־הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֑ה וְטָמֵ֥א הַכֹּהֵ֖ן עַד־הָעָֽרֶב׃

The individuals involved in this ritual are rendered impure: The priest shall wash his garments, and he shall bathe, immerse, his flesh in water, and then he may come to the camp. The priest shall be impure until the evening.

וְהַשֹּׂרֵ֣ף אֹתָ֔הּ יְכַבֵּ֤ס בְּגָדָיו֙ בַּמַּ֔יִם וְרָחַ֥ץ בְּשָׂר֖וֹ בַּמָּ֑יִם וְטָמֵ֖א עַד־הָעָֽרֶב׃

He who burns it shall also wash his garments in water, and

וְאָסַ֣ף ׀ אִ֣ישׁ טָה֗וֹר אֵ֚ת אֵ֣פֶר הַפָּרָ֔ה וְהִנִּ֛יחַ מִח֥וּץ לַֽמַּחֲנֶ֖ה בְּמָק֣וֹם טָה֑וֹר וְ֠הָיְתָה לַעֲדַ֨ת בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֧ל לְמִשְׁמֶ֛רֶת לְמֵ֥י נִדָּ֖ה חַטָּ֥את הִֽוא׃

A pure man shall gather the ashes of the heifer, and place them outside the camp in a pure place, and it, this collection of ashes, shall be for the congregation of the children of Israel a keepsake, as a water of sprinkling [ nidda ]; it, the heifer, is a means of purification. In this context, nidda , which usually denotes a menstruating woman, means throwing.

וְ֠כִבֶּס הָאֹסֵ֨ף אֶת־אֵ֤פֶר הַפָּרָה֙ אֶת־בְּגָדָ֔יו וְטָמֵ֖א עַד־הָעָ֑רֶב וְֽהָיְתָ֞ה לִבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְלַגֵּ֛ר הַגָּ֥ר בְּתוֹכָ֖ם לְחֻקַּ֥ת עוֹלָֽם׃

He who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall also wash his garments, and he shall be impure until the evening; it shall be for the children of Israel, and to the stranger who resides among them for an eternal statute.

הַנֹּגֵ֥עַ בְּמֵ֖ת לְכָל־נֶ֣פֶשׁ אָדָ֑ם וְטָמֵ֖א שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִֽים׃

Until now, the Torah described the rite of the heifer and the preparation of its ashes. Now, it will describe the use of these ashes: One who touches the corpse of any person shall be impure seven days.

ה֣וּא יִתְחַטָּא־ב֞וֹ בַּיּ֧וֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֛י וּבַיּ֥וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֖י יִטְהָ֑ר וְאִם־לֹ֨א יִתְחַטָּ֜א בַּיּ֧וֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֛י וּבַיּ֥וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֖י לֹ֥א יִטְהָֽר׃

He shall purify himself with it, the mixture of water and ashes, on the third day and on the seventh day of his impurity, and then he shall be pure; however, if he does not purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he shall not be pure even after seven days have elapsed.

כָּֽל־הַנֹּגֵ֡עַ בְּמֵ֣ת בְּנֶפֶשׁ֩ הָאָדָ֨ם אֲשֶׁר־יָמ֜וּת וְלֹ֣א יִתְחַטָּ֗א אֶת־מִשְׁכַּ֤ן יְהוָה֙ טִמֵּ֔א וְנִכְרְתָ֛ה הַנֶּ֥פֶשׁ הַהִ֖וא מִיִּשְׂרָאֵ֑ל כִּי֩ מֵ֨י נִדָּ֜ה לֹא־זֹרַ֤ק עָלָיו֙ טָמֵ֣א יִהְיֶ֔ה ע֖וֹד טֻמְאָת֥וֹ בֽוֹ׃

The potential consequences of not purifying oneself with the ashes of the heifer are severe: Anyone who touches a corpse of a person who has died and does not purify himself and enters the Tabernacle has defiled the Tabernacle of the Lord; that person shall be excised from Israel because the water of sprinkling was not sprinkled upon him; he shall be impure; his impurity is still upon him.

זֹ֚את הַתּוֹרָ֔ה אָדָ֖ם כִּֽי־יָמ֣וּת בְּאֹ֑הֶל כָּל־הַבָּ֤א אֶל־הָאֹ֙הֶל֙ וְכָל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר בָּאֹ֔הֶל יִטְמָ֖א שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִֽים׃

Contrary to what might have been expected, this passage began with a description of the process by which one purifies oneself with the red heifer. The Torah describes at this point how one enters into a state of ritual impurity in the first place: This is the law: When a man dies in a tent, or in any roofed structure, anyone who comes into the tent while the corpse is there, and anything that is in the tent while the corpse is there, shall be impure seven days. This is known as impurity imparted by a tent, meaning that the impurity due to the corpse spreads throughout the entire space under the roof covering the corpse. Therefore, one may be rendered impure even without touching or carrying the corpse.

וְכֹל֙ כְּלִ֣י פָת֔וּחַ אֲשֶׁ֛ר אֵין־צָמִ֥יד פָּתִ֖יל עָלָ֑יו טָמֵ֖א הֽוּא׃

Any open vessel in the tent that does not have a tight-fitting lid upon it is impure.

וְכֹ֨ל אֲשֶׁר־יִגַּ֜ע עַל־פְּנֵ֣י הַשָּׂדֶ֗ה בַּֽחֲלַל־חֶ֙רֶב֙ א֣וֹ בְמֵ֔ת אֽוֹ־בְעֶ֥צֶם אָדָ֖ם א֣וֹ בְקָ֑בֶר יִטְמָ֖א שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִֽים׃

Anyone who will touch in the open field, in an unroofed area, one slain with a sword, or one who died through other means, or a bone of a man, or a grave of a person, shall be impure seven days. In cases where the source of impurity is not situated under a roof, impurity is imparted through physical contact.

וְלָֽקְחוּ֙ לַטָּמֵ֔א מֵעֲפַ֖ר שְׂרֵפַ֣ת הַֽחַטָּ֑את וְנָתַ֥ן עָלָ֛יו מַ֥יִם חַיִּ֖ים אֶל־כֶּֽלִי׃

They shall take for the impure from the ashes of the burning of the purification, the ashes of the heifer, and he shall place springwater upon it in a vessel.