The Red Heifer: The Power of Prayer with Intention to Remove the Evil Eye

The Secret of the Red Heifer: Nullifying the Evil Eye and the Life of the Tzaddikim – Daily Inspiration from the Gaon and Tzaddik, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a (may he live long and good days).

In Lesson 55 of Likutey Moharan, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov reveals the depth of the secret of the Parah Adumah (Red Heifer) – the power of prayer to nullify the Ayin Hara (evil eye) and the destructive power of the wicked. The Red Heifer symbolizes the true Tzaddik, who sacrifices himself completely in prayer until he reaches a state of "dust and ashes." Through the Torah portions and the teachings of the Rambam (Maimonides), we learn how even a single drop of Mayim Chaim (living waters) can purify, and how the Tzaddikim never truly die but remain alive and enduring.

Monday, 24th of Adar, 5785, to his holy words:

In Lesson 55 (Likutey Moharan), the Rebbe explains the secret of the Red Heifer, "I was a burier of the dead." What does this mean, "I was a burier of the dead"?

It means that I buried the Ayin Hara (evil eye)! The evil eye is death; it is dust and ashes!

In Lesson 55, it is written once, "a burier of the dead," and another time it is written that I fell into the eye of Absalom—suddenly a cave opened up and I fell into a deep pit. This is the eye of Absalom; I sank into the eye and almost drowned there.

What, did Absalom have such a large eye that one could drown in it?

Yes, because his eye was the worst Ayin Hara (evil eye) in the world! He wanted to kill his own father (King David)!

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Further on, Rebbe Nachman also speaks about the evil eye regarding Og, King of Bashan, who wanted to kill his teacher. After all, Og was a student of Abraham our Father; Abraham circumcised him, yet he wanted to kill Abraham.

So Rebbe Nachman is actually speaking about how a person nullifies the Ayin Hara (evil eye), when a person has an evil eye and wants to kill the Tzaddikim, to kill David.

The Rebbe says in Lesson 55 that "burning" and "gathering" mentioned regarding the Heifer refer to a person praying with Kavanah (intention). A person must tear himself to pieces in prayer, disconnecting from all other thoughts. The Rebbe says that the Red Heifer is prayer with Kavanah, and through prayer with Kavanah, a person becomes "dust and ashes."

A person can pray Ma'ariv (the evening prayer) in 2 minutes, Mincha (the afternoon prayer) in half a minute, or do the entire Passover Haggadah in 2 minutes. How long is the Haggadah? The whole Haggadah is 2 minutes, but we do the Haggadah for five hours. We start the Haggadah at 8 PM and finish at 12 midnight, because we must finish by 2 AM—two is Chatzos (halachic midnight)—since one must finish the meal and the Afikoman (the dessert matzah) by Chatzos.

So the Red Heifer is the Tzaddik; that is why it is written only at the end of the 40th year, specifically regarding Miriam, because Miriam was the true Tzaddik. Miriam told Amram, "You are worse than Pharaoh"—she was only 5 years old. Besides that, she was the older sister (to Moses and Aaron), so she was terrified when Moses died; she fainted. Moses died? What do you mean Moses died?! It is all a lie, lies!!

Could Moses possibly die? Can the Tzaddik die? Even though they saw the bed of Moses (which the Satan showed them to confuse them), Moses did not die!

They said, "Look at the bed" (Shabbat 89a), "Look at the funeral"—it doesn't matter! We saw the funeral of Jacob; there was a funeral, they embalmed him for 70 days, but it is not written that Jacob died. It is written, "And he expired" (Genesis 49:33), it says "And he expired and was gathered to his people," it does not say he died. The Torah does not say he died!

The Tzaddik does not die; he cannot die!! Not Abraham, not Isaac, not Jacob, and not Aaron—the Tzaddikim do not die! The Tzaddikim are alive and enduring!! This is what the Torah comes to teach us through the Red Heifer. Even though they learned about the Red Heifer immediately upon leaving Egypt on the second Sabbath, the Sabbath of Marah. After that, they learned about the Heifer in Parshat Naso when they built the Mishkan (Tabernacle) on the 1st of Nissan, then they learned about the Red Heifer and burned the cow.

The Rambam (Maimonides) writes (Seder Taharah, Chapter 10 of the Laws of the Red Heifer) that it is enough for a single drop of Mayim Chaim (living waters), spring water, to touch the one being purified, and it removes the impurity. The Kohen (priest) pours a bit of ash into the living water; below stand a hundred thousand people passing before him in tens, and he sprinkles toward them. If it lands on the lip, that is fine, it is considered the outside, but if the drop touches the tongue, it does not fulfill the obligation!

A single drop is enough; the one being purified needs to lift his sleeve slightly and the drop touches him, then he becomes pure. The Kohen sprinkles on the congregation until the water in the barrel is finished. He can sprinkle from one barrel for 10 years, but he must not swing the vessel behind his back. It is forbidden to swing the vessel behind him; he must only sprinkle when it is in front of him, because one must not have Hesech HaDa'at (diversion of attention) from the vessel. If he diverted his attention, everything becomes impure.

So the Rambam says that it is enough for one drop to touch him on an exposed place, on the neck, the arm, or the hand.

All of this we learn here in the Laws of the Red Heifer.