Imperfect, Yet Perfect

Good Morning Everybody,

In last week’s Torah Portion, the Torah discusses the laws regarding the Para Aduma, the special “red cow” that was used in a unique, sacred purification process. We learn that in order for a cow to qualify as an acceptable para aduma, it must be totally red. The Torah calls it a “para adumah temimah’– a perfectly red cow. Which means the cow couldn’t have any non-red hairs…. Well, technically speaking, it actually could have ONE, non-red hair, but any more than that disqualified it.

Now, isn’t that odd? It says the cow needs to be perfectly red. How is it okay to have one, non-red hair? That’s not perfectly red!

Well, at first I thought this was a proof from the Torah that you don’t have to be perfect…. Which is always a great reminder for those of us with perfectionistic tendencies. But there’s more to it than that. The Torah isn’t just saying that one, non-redhair is okay; it’s saying it’s PERFECT! Isn’t that interesting?! A cow with ALL red hairs is considered perfectly red, and so is a cow with ONE, non-red hair! What WE would consider imperfect, is actually perfect. 

We all have these “wrong colored” hairs in our lives. People who drive us bonkers, plans that go awry, unexpected difficulties… We want a perfect, “red hair” life, but all these other hairs keep messing things up. The parah adumah teaches us that these “wrong colored hairs” are “perfect” for us. Hashem customizes each of our lives with the perfect challenges we need to help us bring out our best. All those wrong colored hairs we experience are the “perfect imperfections” we need to grow.

So next time we notice a black or white hair in our lives, an experience that stands out as different from how we think it should be, let’s remember that only G-d knows the true definition of perfect, and only G-d knows what’s perfect for us. 

May this thought give us the strength and perseverance we need to grow into that even more amazing person that Hashem is encouraging us to become.

Have a fantastic day everybody,

Marshall

Keep on Building!