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THE PARADOX OF THE RED HEIFER1 by ALBERT I. BAUMGARTEN Ramat-Gan I In seeking to understand the paradox of the Red Heifer, a puzzle which has fascinated readers of the Bible for centuries,' the domi- nant approach in the last decade has been that of Jacob Milgrom. Beginning in a series of articles3 and culminating in the discussion in his commentary on Numbers,4 Milgrom has elaborated an inter- pretation of the rite based on the premise that explaining it as a sin- offering, ba.t.tii)t,5 provides the necessary clues for a comprehensive explanation of the ritual and a satisfying resolution of the attendant paradoxes. The purpose of sin-offerings as a group, according to Milgrom, is to remove contamination hence these sacrifices should be called "purification offerings". The Red Heifer is an atypical purification offering in that its blood, which infuses the ashes with their power, is not offered on the altar (as we might expect on the basis of the pattern of other purificatory sacrifices), but burned together with all the rest of the animal. All who are involved in preparation of the 443 Red Heifer from the moment of consecration,' or of its ashes, or who handle the
Vetus Testamentum – Brill
Published: Jan 1, 1993
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