“And he that gathereth the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: and it shall be unto the children of Israel, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among them, for a statute for ever.”
The one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening; and this shall be a perpetual statute for the people of Israel and for the alien residing among them — even the collection and storage of the sacred ashes conveys defilement. Yet the statute is 'perpetual' (olam), binding on Israel and on the resident alien alike; the law transcends national and temporal boundaries. This universality suggests the ordinance addresses a fundamental human reality: all are mortal, all become unclean, all need restoration.
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