Got Bodies? Thoughts on Torah Portion Chukat

Whoever touches the corpse of a human soul which dies, and he does not cleanse himself, he has defiled the Mishkan of the Lord, and that soul shall be cut off from Israel. For the sprinkling water was not sprinkled on him, so he remains unclean, and his uncleanness remains upon him. Numbers 19:13.

This is the law: if a man dies in a tent, anyone entering the tent and anything in the tent shall be unclean for seven days. Numbers 19:14.

If a person becomes unclean and does not cleanse himself, that soul shall be cut off from the congregation, for he has defiled the Sanctuary of the Lord; the sprinkling waters were not sprinkled upon him. He is unclean. Numbers 19:20

In the Torah portion this week, Numbers 19:1 to 22:1, God warns the Israelites of the spiritual contamination that results from proximity with human death. This contamination refers to a death of the Jewish spirit. Proximity to a dead body cuts off the living dynamic energy created and maintained by God, thus leaving the observer spiritually 'dead'. 

We know the text refers to a spiritual malady rather than a physical illness because the remedy for the contamination is mystical in nature, not medicinal. Purification in biblical Judaism involves sacrificing a valuable animal as a metaphor for a person sacrificing a sin. In this case, the sacrifice of a perfect red heifer atones for the sin of the Golden Calf - an event in Jewish history that exemplified idolatry in its most concrete form, causing a spiritual breach between the Jewish people and God. In this case, the heifer is slaughtered, burned along with a combination of cedar wood, hyssop, and crimson wool. the pure white ashes combined with 'living' water, and the mixture is sprinkled on the contaminated Jew according to specific guidelines. A Jew remains forever impure and cut off from the spiritual dimension if this ritual is not performed.

Jewish contamination due to proximity to abortion has reached critical levels. 83% of Jews believe that abortion should be a legal form of birth control, advocating for unlimited access to 'reproductive healthcare' and the 'freedom to choose' from conception up until a child's birthday. Jews are overrepresented in the abortion industry as doctors, clinic owners, volunteers, financial supporters, and political activists. The absence of children and lack of attendance in Jewish houses of worship reflects high levels of abortion use across all denominations except in the most traditionally observant sects..

Each abortion results in a dead human body that needs disposal. A child is starved, poisoned, dismembered, or murdered outright after birth - violently  executed without pain medication. The youngest of these babies are washed down the drain where they are added to the urban sludge that is applied as fertilizer to fields of produce that we ingest. Babies a bit older are placed in plastic bags, thrown in a dumpster and entombed in a landfill, or incinerated in a crematorium. Babies whose bodies are able to be aborted whole are sold in pieces for huge profits to medical research labs where they are used for research experiments reminiscent of medical experimentation on Jews in Nazi Germany, to pharmaceutical companies where they are added to vaccines injected into infants and children, and to cosmetic companies where they are added to body care and beauty products. The ubiquitous presence of aborted human remains contaminates even innocent and unaware citizens, accounting for the increasing spiritual malaise underpinning an ever expanding death culture.

Modern Jewish methods of purification forego ritual animal slaughter. Instead, we forthrightly acknowledge our errors and seek atonement through prayer, service, and sacrifice of the idolatry manifested as intellectual arrogance, love of self, of power, convenience, and reputation that motivated us to sin in the first place. 

The Jewish Pro-Life Foundation provides superb educational materials that open a pathway for a conscious understanding of the tragedy of abortion, the spiritual death that accompanies proximity to it, and the possibility of renewal and healing. Jewish proximity to abortion can be reversed, so that fewer Jews are associated with it. You can help us save Jewish lives and heal Jewish hearts by sharing our resources on social media, using our materials in educational forums within your Jewish community, and offering sponsorship and tabling opportunities for the Foundation at your Jewish events. Together we can offer a cleansing, reviving experience to our friends and neighbors, and see our communities return to a culture of life.   

Cecily Routman

May there be abundant peace from Heaven, and good life upon us and upon all Israel. Amen.