Three rituals needs a strip of red crimson thread. One is the scapegoat as “Rav Yosef taught: He ties a strip of crimson to the head of the scapegoat and positions it opposite the place from which it will be sent; and the same is done to the slaughtered one, opposite its place of slaughter. This is done for two reasons: So that each goat, i.e., the goat for God and the goat for Azazel, cannot become mixed up with the other one, and so that the goats cannot become mixed up with other goats.” TB Yoma 41b, Sefaria.org translation) The second is the red heifer as it is written “and the priest shall take cedar wood, hyssop, and crimson stuff, and throw them into the fire consuming the cow.” (Numbers 19:6) The third is the purification ritual of the metzora as it is written “the priest shall order two live pure birds, cedar wood, crimson stuff, and his up to be brought for him who is to be purified.” (Leviticus 14:4)
Even though a crimson
thread was used in those three rituals, each required a different weight. The
discussion about the different weights begins at the bottom of TB Yoma 41b and
continues on the top of TB Yoma 42a.
“When Rav Dimi came from Eretz Yisrael to
Babylonia he said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: I heard a
teaching that there is a distinction between three strips of crimson: One
of the red heifer, and one of the scapegoat, and one of the leper. One
of them must have the weight of ten zuz; and one of them must
have the weight of two sela, which is eight zuz; and
one of them must have the weight of a shekel, which is two zuz,
but I cannot explain which is which.
When Ravin came from Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia he
explained in the name of Rabbi Yonatan which weight each item requires, as
follows:
The strip of
crimson of the red heifer has the weight of ten zuz;
and the strip of the scapegoat has the weight of two sela,
which is eight zuz; and the strip of the leper has the weight
of a shekel, which is two zuz.” (Sefaia.org translation)
The weight of the crimson thread was
different in each of the three rituals because of the specific needs of that
ritual. The weight of the crimson thread had to be the heaviest for the ritual
of the red heifer because the bundle tied together by the crimson thread had to
be heavy enough to reach the middle of the fire. The crimson thread had to be
long enough that when it is divided half will remain on the scapegoat and half
will be placed on a nearby rock. Only the smallest amount was needed for the
ritual of the metzora.
The issue of the weight was not
settled because the Gemara goes on “And Rabbi Yoḥanan further said: Rabbi Shimon
ben Ḥalafta and the Rabbis disagree with regard to the strip of crimson of
the red heifer. One said: It has the weight of ten zuz. And
one said: It has the weight of one shekel. And your mnemonic for
remembering that while both assume that only one of the extreme values was
required no one suggests the middle value of two sela is required, is
the aphorism from a mishna (TB Menukhot 110a-gg): God equally values both
the one who gives much and the one who gives little as long as his
intention is to Heaven.”
(Sefaria.org translation)”
Kavanah, proper intention,
is required if one wants to live a spiritual life. I learned reading the Ba’al
Shem Tov stories what does God truly want from each and every one of us? The Ba’al
Shem Tov, the founder of the modern Hasidic movement, taught his disciples that
when observing the commandments God is more interested in the person’s
intention than punctilious observance of the mitzvah. He taught רחמנא ליבא בעי, God wants the heart.
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