I think this happens to everyone: sometimes I ask my son to do something, for example to take out the garbage or to wash the dishes, and (in the language of the Haggadah): here the son asks (sometimes): "Why…?": Why me? What for? Why exactly now?, etc, etc.
 

And you deliberate about whether to offer an explanation, or simply to say to him: ""ככה- that's the way it is. Or more in a more reconciling way: "because I said that's the way it is."
 

A story is told about Prime Minister Itzchak Shamir who went to the Madrid conference, and they asked him if he would be willing to relinquish a small part of the territory of the homeland for the sake of "peace". He answered "no" and they asked him "why"? He answered "ככה" – that's the way it is." And of him it was said: אשרי העם שככה לו – Happy is the nation that so it is with it."
 

Returning to the subject of our children, perhaps to the contrary it would be more correct to explain, since we want our children to understand? We adults as well are not particularly fond of being told: "that's the way it is."

Apparently a similar question exists regarding whether rationale should be given for mitzvot.
 

The Red Heifer has become the symbol for the principle that understanding the reasons for the mitzvot is not a condition for preforming them. Rashi writes: "since the Satan and the nations of the world taunt Israel, saying: what is (the nature of) this mitzvah, and what logic is there behind it? Therefore (the Torah) wrote of it: Chukkah (statute) – it is a decree before Me and you have no permission to raise doubts about it."
 

Why specifically did the Red Heifer become a symbol, when there are many other mitzvot that we don't understand their reason?
 

Another question arises: Indeed at the beginning of the chapter Rashi writes that there is no rationale for the mitzvah of the Red Heifer, but at the end of the chapter he explains the reasons for each and every detail of the mitzvah, and they are all elements of the remedy (atonement) for the sin of the golden calf:
 

"And I copied a Midrash Aggadah based on Rabbi Moshe HaDarshan, and here it is:
 

'And they will take to you' – from theirs, just as they took off their golden nose-rings for the Calf (which were theirs), and thus they will bring this (the Heifer) as an atonement, from theirs.
 

'A Red Heifer' – the metaphor is to the son of a maidservant who dirtied the palace of the king. They said: bring his mother to clean up the excrement, so the Heifer will come to atone for the calf.
 

'Red' – since the sin is called red.
 

'Unblemished' – since Israel were unblemished and became blemished, she (the Heifer) will come and atone for them and they will return to being unblemished.
 

'Upon which no yoke was placed' – just as they cast off the yoke of Heaven.
 

'To Elazar the Cohen' – just as they congregated upon Aharon, who was the Cohen, (to force him) to make the calf.
 

'And he burned the Heifer' – as the calf was burned.
 

'Cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet wool' – these three materials correspond to the three thousand men who fell because of the (sin of) the calf."
 

And apparently we can explain this further according to an idea I heard from HaRav Asher Weiss:
 

The Red Heifer serves as an atonement for the sin of the calf. Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi and the Ramban explain that Israel was not searching for other gods in the sin of the calf, and we should bring a number of proofs for this: Am Israel thought that Moshe was dead, and therefore it was logical to look for a replacement for Moshe and not for HaShem. Therefore the nation says to Aharon "…get up and make us gods who will go before us since this man Moshe who raised us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what befell him." And therefore it appears that Am Israel searched for a replacement for Moshe, one who will connect between them and HaShem.
 

It appears that the nation's intention was rather positive, and therefore the question arises: why was the sin of the calf so severe? The answer is that this was "the mother of all sins" – the problem with avodah zarah is not only the idol-worshipping itself, but also the fact that men themselves decide how to worship. They do not bow to to HaShem, but decide for themselves.
 

Even when one wants to become closer to HaShem, he must do this according to HaShem's will and not according his emotions. The desire to add holiness in a way which HaShem did not command is a sin.
 

The sin of Adam HaRishon also began in a similar way, in an attempt to add holiness in way which HaShem did not command, as the Midrash says (Bereshis Rabba 19,3) "…So said HaShem: 'for on the day that you will eat from it (the tree of knowledge) you will certainly die'. And she (Chava) did not say the same thing, but rather: 'HaShem said: do not eat from it and do not touch it.' When he (the serpent) saw that Chava passed before the tree, he took her and pushed her into it and said: see, you did not die – just as you did not die from touching it, so you will not die from eating from it, since the Lord knows that on the day you will eat from it… you will be like gods, etc."
 

In the case of both of these sins exists the common element of a desire to add holiness – in the first instance (Adam and Chava) - to be like G-d, and in the last one - to make a god.
 

It follows that as a remedy, HaShem gives us a mitzvah which has no rationale, which the nations of the world taunt us about, saying: what logic is behind it? And nevertheless we have no right to doubt it.
 

What explanation will we give the nations of the world? We will tell them that we perform the mitzvot because we are HaShem's servants, and this is what HaShem has commanded.
 

It turns out that the rationale for the Red Heifer and the way in which it atones for the sin of the calf is the very fact that it has no rationale! The fact that we perform the commandment even when we don't understand the reason for it atones for the sin of the calf, as it demonstrates our subordination of our understanding before HaShem's understanding.

The Red Heifer comes into play when one comes into contact with death and wants to become purified, and sometimes one has many questions when someone close to him passes away: why did HaShem decree this specifically on me? Exactly at this time we need the Red Heifer – "I ordained an ordinance and decreed a decree, and you have no permission to doubt them" – we do not always understand the ways of HaShem.
 

So we have two paths which we must walk. On one hand we desire to learn and understand the reasons for the mitzvot, this is an intrinsic part of the essential mitzvah of Torah study. But on the other hand, there is importance in: "subordinate your will to His will."

And we do both of these together: we try to understand as much as we can, and on the other hand we perform - completely and with full faith - that which we do not understand.
 

Evidently, at the moment when one is required to act, this is not the time to learn and understand to the best of our ability – that is part of the mitzvah of Torah study. However, at the time for action we stand before HaShem and say "Hineni" – here I am.

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