The cleansing by the ashes of the Red Heifer

Num 19:1  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh and to Aharon, saying, 
Num 19:2  “This is a law of the Torah which יהוה has commanded, saying, ‘Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, that they bring you a red/adam H122 heifer/parah H6510, a perfect one, in which there is no blemish and on which a yoke has never come. 
Num 19:3  ‘And you shall give it to Elʽazar the priest, and he shall bring it outside the camp, and shall slaughter it before him. 
Num 19:4  ‘And Elʽazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of its blood seven times toward the front of the Tent of Meeting. 
Num 19:5  ‘And the heifer shall be burned before his eyes – he burns its hide/aur H5785, and its flesh/basar H1320, and its blood/dam H1818, and its dung/parash H6569. 
Num 19:6  ‘And the priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet/shanay H8144 tola/crimson H8438, and throw them into the midst of the fire burning the heifer. 
Num 19:7  ‘The priest shall then wash his garments, and shall bathe his body in water, and afterward come into the camp, but the priest is unclean until evening. 
Num 19:8  ‘And he who is burning it washes his garments in water, and shall bathe his body in water, and is unclean until evening. 
Num 19:9  ‘And a clean man shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and shall place them outside the camp in a clean place. And they shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Yisra’ĕl for the water for uncleanness, it is for cleansing from sin. 
Num 19:10  ‘And he who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his garments, and is unclean until evening. And it shall be a law forever to the children of Yisra’ĕl and to the stranger who sojourns in their midst. 

It is noteworthy to see the sacrifice of the red/adam heifer/parah and the word ‘parah’ H6510 is the root word we see in the word ‘parakath/veil’ H6532 covering the Most Set-apart place and both these point out to the veil of Mashiyach’s flesh/basar which stood in types coz the people were not yet perfected to be ushered into the Most Set-apart place as long as the types stood. 

The same word 'parah' H6509 also means 'fruitful' and H6510 means 'cow, heifer, kine' 

The word Adam is translated as red H122. Adam in his flesh could never be fruitful and hence needed sacrifices and washings/rachats because he never could go beyond the veil into the most set-apart place. Hence Yahusha who is sinless through the veil of his flesh takes us there. He is the fulfillment as Adam fruitful ( red/adam heifer/parah) which was to be slaughtered outside the camp and it's blood be sprinkled 7 times before the Tabernacle, the priest would then offer it wholly as a burnt offering along with the cedar wood which points to the stake, hyssop which points to the gathering of the yellow crops/ripe in Mashiyach, the shanay/scarlet tola/crimson worm i.e. the double dipped red which points to the blood showing the consummation of the sacrifice in the fury or wrath of Aluahym. The priest burning the red heifer and these elements would have to rachats/wash himself and be unclean until evening and the ashes of the heifer a clean man shall gather and shall place them outside the camp in a clean place. And they shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Yasharal for the water for uncleanness for cleansing from sin. Only Mashiyach can cleanse us from the sin and these types in sacrifices and various washings stand completed by HIM.

The Hebrew word for ashes is 'apar' H665 . The picture is at the conclusion of the treading/par (the root word par means tread/bull), an abundance of fruit is acquired. Hence 'apar' means anything in abundance. The tribe Ephrayim/H669 אֶפְרַיִם means 'double ash heap' as in abundantly fruitful.

Gen 41:52  And the name of the second he called Ephrayim/H669, “For Elohim has caused me to bear fruit/H6509 parah in the land of my affliction.” 

The other picture we see is of the khatah/wrong measure of the children of Yasharal in worshiping a golden calf at Mt. Sinai. Because of Masha's intercession Yahuah did not consume them but told Masha that whoever sinned against him, He would blot him out of his book and in the day of His visitation He would visit their sin upon them.

Exo 32:32  “And now, if You would forgive their sin, but if not, please blot me out of Your book which You have written.” 

Exo 32:33  And יהוה said to Mosheh, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I blot him out of My book. 

Exo 32:34  “And now, go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. See, My Messenger goes before you. And in the day of My visitation I shall visit their sin upon them.” 

Exo 32:35  And יהוה plagued the people because they made the calf, which Aharon made. 

This khatah/wrong measure separated them from entering the tabernacle of Yahuah in the wilderness as well as the temple built by Shelemoh. Only the Levites were allowed to enter the qadash place and the kahan ha gadul/high priest was allowed once a year on Yom Kippur to enter the most set-apart place with the blood of the goat while the children of Yasharal stood in the outer court. The children of Yasharal represented by Ephrayim sinned again in worshiping the golden calves set by Yaroboam and Ephrathite (1Kings 11:26) in Bethel and in Dan

1Ki 12:25  And Yaroḇʽam built Sheḵem in the mountains of Ephrayim, and dwelt there. And he went out from there and built Penu’ĕl. 

1Ki 12:26  And Yaroḇʽam said in his heart, “Now the reign shall return to the house of Dawiḏ. 

1Ki 12:27  “If these people go up to do slaughterings in the House of יהוה at Yerushalayim, then the heart of this people shall turn back to their master, Reḥaḇʽam sovereign of Yehuḏah, and they shall slay me and go back to Reḥaḇʽam sovereign of Yehuḏah.” 

1Ki 12:28  So the sovereign took counsel and made two calves of gold, and said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Yerushalayim. See, your mighty ones, O Yisra’ĕl, which brought you up from the land of Mitsrayim!” 

1Ki 12:29  And he set up one in Bĕyth Ěl, and the other he put in Dan. 

1Ki 12:30  And this matter became a sin, for the people went before the one as far as Dan. 

Bethel was formerly given as an inheritance to the tribe of Benjamin but later captured by Ephrayim whose inheritance was on their borders

Jos 16:1  And the lot for the children of Yosĕph went out from the Yardĕn, by Yeriḥo, to the waters of Yeriḥo on the east, to the wilderness going up from Yeriḥo through the mountains to Bĕyth Ěl, 

Jos 16:2  and went out from Bĕyth Ěl to Luz, and passed over to the border of the Arkites at Ataroth, 

Jos 16:3  and went down westward to the boundary of the Yaphlĕtites, as far as the boundary of Lower Bĕyth Ḥoron to Gezer, and it ended at the sea. 

Jos 16:4  Thus the children of Yosĕph, Menashsheh and Ephrayim, inherited. 

Jos 18:11  And the lot of the tribe of the children of Binyamin came up for their clans, and the border of their lot came out between the children of Yehuḏah and the children of Yosĕph. 

Jos 18:12  And their border was on the north side from the Yardĕn, and the border went up to the side of Yeriḥo on the north, and went up through the mountains westward, and ended at the Wilderness of Bĕyth Awen. 

Jos 18:13  And the border went over from there toward Luz, to the side of Luz, that is Bĕyth Ěl, southward. And the border went down to Ataroth Aḏar, by the hill that lies on the south side of Lower Bĕyth Ḥoron. 

Jos 18:21  And the cities for the tribe of the children of Binyamin, for their clans, were Yeriḥo, and Bĕyth Ḥoḡlah, and Ěmeq Qetsits, 

Jos 18:22  and Bĕyth Araḇah, and Tsemarayim, and Bĕyth Ěl, 

Children of Yoseph attacked Bayth El and took it over. The reason for attacking Bayth El is not mentioned here but they say the book of Judges is not written chronologically and they tie this event to Judges 20 when the children of Yasharal came against Benjamin for allowing the rape and death of the concubine of a Levite in Gibeah (Judges 19). We won't go into the detail of the entire event because our focus is on Bayth El where Yaroboam set up the golden calf which involved the children of Ephraim as Bayth El was now in the children of Ephrayim's possession as Yaroboam himself was an Ephrathite (1 Kings 11:26).

Jdg 1:22  And the house of Yosĕph also went up against Bĕyth Ěl, and יהוה was with them. 

Jdg 1:23  And the house of Yosĕph sent men to spy out Bĕyth Ěl – now the name of the city was formerly Luz. 

Jdg 1:24  And the watchmen saw a man coming out of the city, and they said to him, “Please show us the entrance to the city, and we shall show you kindness.” 

Jdg 1:25  So he showed them the entrance to the city, and they smote the city with the edge of the sword. But the man and all his clan they let go, 

Jdg 1:26  and the man went to the land of the Ḥittites and built a city, and called its name Luz, which is its name to this day. 

1Ch 7:20  And the sons of Ephrayim: Shuthelaḥ, and Bereḏ his son, and Taḥath his son, and Elaḏah his son, and Taḥath his son, 

1Ch 7:21  and Zaḇaḏ his son, and Shuthelaḥ his son, and Ezer and Elʽaḏ. But the men of Gath who were born in that land slew them because they came down to take their livestock. 

1Ch 7:22  And Ephrayim their father mourned many days, and his brothers came to comfort him. 

1Ch 7:23  And when he went in to his wife, she conceived and bore a son. And he called his name Beriʽah, because evil had come upon his house. 

1Ch 7:24  And his daughter was She’erah, who built Lower and Upper Bĕyth Ḥoron and Uzzen She’erah. 

1Ch 7:25  And Rephaḥ was his son, as well as Resheph, and Telaḥ his son, and Taḥan his son, 

1Ch 7:26  Laʽdan his son, Ammihuḏ his son, Elishama his son, 

1Ch 7:27  Nun his son, Yehoshua his son. 

1Ch 7:28  And their possessions and dwelling places were Bĕyth Ěl and its towns: to the east Naʽaran, and to the west Gezer and its towns, and Sheḵem and its towns, as far as Ayyah and its towns. 

1Ch 7:29  And by the borders of the children of Menashsheh were Bĕyth She’an and its towns, Taʽanaḵ and its towns, Meḡiddo and its towns, Dor and its towns. In these dwelt the children of Yosĕph, son of Yisra’ĕl. 

Jdg 4:5  And she/Deborah was dwelling under the palm tree of Deḇorah between Ramah and Bĕyth Ěl in the mountains of Ephrayim. And the children of Yisra’ĕl came up to her for right-ruling. 

Hence there was a need for the cleansing from the ashes/aphar (root word in Ephrayim) of the red/Adam heifer/cow to bring back children of Yasharal represented by Ephrayim whom Yahuah had divorced due to the disgusting idolatry they were occupied in. Yoseph was the favored son of Yaaqob and Rachal. His two children Ephrayim and Manassah were actually adopted by their grandfather Yaaqob as tribes of Yasharal. They both became sons of Yaaqob and the youngest Ephrayim was elevated to the firstborn status. Thus Ephrayim is often referred as the representative of the Tribe of Yoseph and the entire House of Yasharal.

Isa 50:1  Thus says יהוה, “Where is the certificate of your mother’s divorce, whom I have put away? Or which of My creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Look, you were sold for your crookednesses, and your mother was put away for your transgressions.

Jer 3:8  “And I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Yisra’ĕl had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Yehuḏah did not fear, but went and committed whoring too. 

While Yahuah divorced Yasharal and banished them only the tribe of Yahudah and those who clinged to him were not yet divorced as they followed the pattern of Yahuah in going up to the temple/haykal to worship.

2Ki 17:18  So יהוה was very enraged with Yisra’ĕl, and removed them from His presence – none was left but the tribe of Yehuḏah alone.

Hos 4:16  “For Yisra’ĕl is stubborn, like a stubborn calf/parah H6510. Would יהוה now feed them like a lamb in a broad place? 

Hos 4:17  “Ephrayim is joined to idols, let him alone. 

Hos 4:18  “Their drink is sour, they have whored continually. Her rulers wildly loved shame. 

Hos 4:19  “A wind has bound her up in its wings, and they are ashamed because of their slaughterings. 

Yasharal is portrayed as a stubborn calf/cow (parah) and Yahuah asks a question prophetically ''Would Yahuah now feed them like a lamb in a broad place?''

Gen 9:27  “Let Elohim enlarge Yapheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shĕm. And let Kenaʽan become his servant.”

It was prophesied by Noach ''Let Aluahym enlarge Yapeth....'' What does this enlarging/broad place mean?

Isa 66:19  “And I shall set a sign among them, and shall send some of those who escape to the nations – Tarshish and Pul and Luḏ, who draw the bow, and Tuḇal and Yawan, the coastlands afar off who have not heard My report nor seen My esteem. And they shall declare My esteem among the gentiles.
Isa 66:20  “And they shall bring all your brothers as an offering to יהוה out of all the gentiles, on horses and in chariots and in litters, on mules and on camels, to My set-apart mountain Yerushalayim,” declares יהוה, “as the children of Yisra’ĕl bring an offering in a clean vessel into the House of יהוה.
Isa 66:21  “And from them too I shall take for priests – for Lĕwites,” declares יהוה.

Gen 10:2  The sons of Yepheth: Gomer, and Maḡoḡ, and Maḏai, and Yawan, and Tuḇal, and Mesheḵ, and Tiras.
Gen 10:3  And the sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Toḡarmah.
Gen 10:4  And the sons of Yawan: Elishah and Tarshish, Kittim and Doḏanim.
Gen 10:4  And the sons of Yawan: Elishah and Tarshish, Kittim and Doḏanim.
Gen 10:5  From these the coastland peoples of the GENTILES were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their clans, into their nations.

The people of Yasharal who were divorced would be accommodated into the nations of the descendants of Yapeth, Yawan,  Tubal, Tarhsish, Pul and Lud were all descendants of Yapeth, and from there Yahuah would bring them back unto Himself. While they lay scattered in the Gentile nations they will be like a forgotten people and that's why it says ''Will Yahuah feed them like a lamb in a broad place?'' Hos 4:16

The picture is of the children of Yasharal being outside the camp and the only way to bring them back is shown by the significance of the cleansing water of the ashes/apar of the red/Adam heifer/parah. Hence Yahusha came as a suffering servant and died outside the camp.

Heb 13:11  For the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the Set-apart Place by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. 

Heb 13:12  And so יהושע also suffered outside the camp, to set apart the people with His own blood. 

The water of curse:

Num 5:11  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying, 

Num 5:12  “Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, and say to them, ‘When any man’s wife turns aside and has committed a trespass against him, 

Num 5:13  and a man has intercourse with her, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband, and it is concealed that she has defiled herself, and there was no witness against her, nor was she caught, 

Num 5:14  and a spirit of jealousy comes upon him and he becomes jealous of his wife who has defiled herself, or a spirit of jealousy comes upon him and he becomes jealous of his wife although she has not defiled herself, 

Num 5:15  then the man shall bring his wife to the priest. And he shall bring the offering for her, one-tenth of an ĕphah of barley flour. He is not to pour oil on it or put frankincense on it, because it is a grain offering of jealousy, an offering for remembering, for bringing crookedness to remembrance. 

Num 5:16  ‘And the priest shall bring her near, and shall make her stand before יהוה. 

Num 5:17  ‘And the priest shall take set-apart water in an earthen vessel, and take some of the dust/ahpar H6083 that is on the floor of the Dwelling Place and put it into the water. 

Num 5:18  ‘And the priest shall make the woman stand before יהוה, and shall uncover the woman’s head, and put the offering for remembering in her hands, which is the grain offering of jealousy, while the priest holds in his hand the bitter water that brings a curse. 

Num 5:19  ‘And the priest shall make her swear, and say to the woman, “If no man has lain with you, and if you have not turned aside to uncleanness under your husband’s authority, be free from this bitter water that brings a curse. 

Num 5:20  “But if you have turned aside under your husband’s authority, and if you have defiled yourself and some man other than your husband has lain with you” – 

Num 5:21  then the priest shall make the woman swear with the oath of the curse, and he shall say to the woman – “יהוה make you a curse and an oath among your people, when יהוה makes your thigh waste away and your belly swell, 

Num 5:22  and this water that causes the curse shall go into your inward parts, and make your belly swell and your thigh waste away.” And the woman shall say, “Amĕn, amĕn.” 

Num 5:23  ‘And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and shall wipe them off into the bitter water, 

Num 5:24  and shall make the woman drink the bitter water that brings the curse, and the water that brings the curse shall enter her to become bitter. 

Num 5:25  ‘And the priest shall take the grain offering of jealousy from the woman’s hand, and shall wave the offering before יהוה, and bring it to the altar. 

Num 5:26  ‘And the priest shall take a hand filled with the offering, as its remembrance offering, and burn it on the altar, and afterward make the woman drink the water. 

Num 5:27  ‘And when he has made her drink the water, then it shall be, if she has defiled herself and has committed a trespass against her husband, that the water that brings the curse shall enter her and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall waste away, and the woman shall become a curse among her people. 

Num 5:28  ‘But if the woman has not defiled herself, and is clean, then she shall be clear and shall conceive children. 

Num 5:29  ‘This is the Torah of jealousy, when a wife turns aside under her husband’s authority and defiles herself, 

Num 5:30  or when a spirit of jealousy comes upon a man, and he becomes jealous of his wife. Then he shall make the woman stand before יהוה, and the priest shall do to her all this Torah. 

Num 5:31  ‘And the man shall be clear from crookedness, but the woman bear her crookedness.’ ” 

While the waters mixed with the dust/ahphar of the floor of the Dwelling place brings a curse and destroys the fruitfulness of a woman that has defiled herself and behaved unfaithfully as stated in Numbers 5, the waters of purification mixed with the ashes of the “red heifer” as stated in Numbers 19 make one clean. Its interesting to see the two words 'aphar/ashes' H665 and the word 'ahphar/dust' H6083

The 'ashes/aphar' H665 of the red/Adam heifer/bull or cow show the 'suffering/forebearing Mashiyach' and the 'dust/ahphar H6038 of the Dwelling place in the earthen vessel' shows 'figuratively the last Adam i.e. Mashiyach who came as a fulfillment of Him who was to come as earthy'. See image above.
Yahuah tested his wife (who was fleshly) with the bitter water of jealousy and found her unfaithful for which he divorced her and hence came as the 'Adam Parah' and by the ashes/aphar of the wrath he endured, by his cleansing water he cleansed the woman to bring her back unto Himself.

Gen 3:19  “By the sweat of your face you are to eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust/ahphar H6083 you are, and to dust/ahphar H6083 you return.” 

Rom 5:14  But death reigned from Aḏam until Mosheh, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Aḏam, who is a type of Him who was to come. 

1Co 15:45  And so it has been written, “The first man Aḏam became a living being,” the last Aḏam a life-giving Spirit. 

Num 19:9  ‘And a clean man shall gather up the alaph tau ashes/aphar H665 of the heifer/parah H6510, and shall place them outside the camp in a clean place. And they shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Yisra’ĕl for the water for uncleanness, it is for cleansing from sin. 

The promise of return is mentioned in YarmaYahu 31:15-22

Jer 31:15  Thus said יהוה, “A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing, bitter weeping, Raḥĕl weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.” 

Jer 31:16  Thus said יהוה, “Hold back your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for there is a reward for your work,” declares יהוה, “and they shall return from the land of the enemy. 

Jer 31:17  “And there is expectancy for your latter end,” declares יהוה, “and your children shall return to their own country. 

Jer 31:18  “I have clearly heard Ephrayim lamenting, ‘You have chastised me, and I was chastised, like an unaccustomed to yoke/lo lamad calf/ahgal H5695. Turn me back/shub H7725, and I shall turn back/ashub H7725, for You are יהוה my Elohim. 

Jer 31:19  ‘For after my turning back, I repented. And after I was instructed, I struck myself on the thigh. I was ashamed, even humiliated, for I bore the reproach of my youth.’ 

Jer 31:20  “Is Ephrayim a precious son to Me, a child of delights? For though I spoke against him, I still remembered him. That is why My affections were deeply moved for him. I have great compassion for him,” declares יהוה. 

Jer 31:21  “Set up signposts, make landmarks; set your heart toward the highway, the way in which you went. Turn back, O maiden of Yisra’ĕl, turn back to these cities of yours! 

Jer 31:22  “Till when would you turn here and there, O backsliding daughter? For יהוה has created what is new on earth: a woman encompasses a man!” 

In YarmeYahu 31:18 another word i.e. 'ahgal' is used to describe the turning back of Ephrayim towards Yahuah. The 'ahgal' shows the 'ayin' turning 'around/gal'

Mal 4:2  “But to you who fear My Name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings/kanaph H3671. And you shall go forth and grow up/push H6335 like calves/ahgal H5695 from the stall. 

The word 'kanaph' has the root word 'aph' which we saw in H1610 which means 'extension of the body' and shows Mashiyach coming in the body of flesh (as an extension) to heal the lost sheep of the house of Yasharal by his wounds, He came as the suffering servant and died outside the camp. Ephrayim was like a calf unaccustomed to yoke but he turns back to be yoked with Mashiyach (Jer 31:18).

The parable of the prodigal son is the lost sheep of the house of Yasharal returning/shub ashub to the Father's house for whom the fattened ahgal/calf was killed.

Luke 15:30 “but when this your son came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf/ahgal for him.”  

So Apharyam the son, repents, “he was chastised as a bullock unaccustomed to the 

yoke.” Aphrahym is likened to an unyoked calf – “ahgal” (עגל). This reveals the connection with the “red heifer.” A sacrifice was needed to restore the relationship between YAHUAH and Apharyam/Ephraim. Indeed the House of Yashar'Al will then be deemed “a virgin” when she repents. She returns to a clean state when she has been cleansed from her condition of “nyddah/uncleanliness” It is then that she can become the Bride.

 YAHUAH would do this through a renewed thing. This is exactly what Ephrayim needed. Because of the calf of the House of Yasharal, Yoseph was outside of The Camp. He needed purification and restoration with YAHUAH. He needed to be cleansed from the taint of death sprinkled with the waters of purification from the sacrifice of the “Fruitful man” – YAHUSHA HaMashyach who is the fulfillment of Adam Parah.

Eze 36:22  “Therefore say to the house of Yisra’ĕl, ‘Thus said the Master יהוה, “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Yisra’ĕl, but for My set-apart Name’s sake, which you have profaned among the gentiles wherever you went. 

Eze 36:23  “And I shall set apart My great Name, which has been profaned among the gentiles, which you have profaned in their midst. And the gentiles shall know that I am יהוה,” declares the Master יהוה, “when I am set-apart in you before their eyes. 

Eze 36:24  “And I shall take you from among the gentiles, and I shall gather you out of all lands, and I shall bring you into your own land. 

Eze 36:25  “And I shall sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean – from all your filthiness and from all your idols I cleanse you. 

Eze 36:26  “And I shall give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. And I shall take the heart of stone out of your flesh, and I shall give you a heart of flesh, 

Eze 36:27  and put My Spirit within you. And I shall cause you to walk in My laws and guard My right-rulings and shall do them.

Rev 11:2  “But cast out the court which is outside the Dwelling Place, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the gentiles/guym, and they shall trample the set-apart city under foot for forty-two months.  

This can be seen in the saphar Chazun/book of Revelation 11:2 which tells us that the outer court outside the Dwelling Place is not measured and it has been given to the gentiles/guym (referring to the tribes of Yasharal in dispersion returning) who will once again trample it not being able to enter the Most-Set apart Place when the way to it was made through veil/parakat of Mashiyach's flesh

Heb 10:19  So, brothers, having boldness to enter into the Set-apart Place by the blood of יהושע, 

Heb 10:20  by a new and living way which He instituted for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh,