Our Gemara on Amud Beis refers to the ritual of the unidentified corpse. If an apparent murder victim is found near a city, the elders of the closest city must undergo an atonement ritual. There is some presumptive guilt for fostering a callous disregard for life or care for fellow Jews; otherwise, the crime would not have happened here. There would be no murderer, or someone would have quickly offered him shelter and lodging. Part of the ritual is to axe the neck of a never-worked calf by a river, by ground that is hard and not plowed (and will be forbidden to be used for future crops).
The obvious symbolism is that this murder victim’s life was cut short, and he was deprived of the opportunity to be productive and fulfill his purpose in the world. Hence the irony of the life-giving flowing river juxtaposed with the sudden violent death of the young calf who never plowed, and the field which also will never produce. The elders are compelled to grieve and absorb the loss so as to be inspired to make the necessary societal changes that will forestall such tragedies.
The Maharal (Tiferes Yisrael 3) takes this idea further and relates it to the state of man and his responsibility in this world. An animal is born almost fully functional — how long does it take for a baby mountain goat to start prancing from cliff to cliff? But it takes humans years and years to fulfill their potential. This is not an accident. The more complex the mission and the greater the potential, the greater the preparation needed. The Hebrew word for Animal, “B’heima,” hints at “Bah-Mah,” Hebrew for “What is in it?” — as if to say rhetorically, what you see is what you get. Man is Adam; in Hebrew, “Adamah” is earth. Man, like earth, has a vast ability to give forth fruit — however, it must be worked to bring it out.
While an anonymous abandoned corpse is a desecration of human potential that requires swift and structured steps for atonement, the Maharal is warning that every human life can be littered with abandoned dead bodies and lifeless corpses of abandoned potential. This too we must grieve and attempt to rectify.
Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation
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Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, LCSW-R, LMFT, DHL is a psychotherapist who works with high conflict couples and families. He can be reached via email at simchafeuerman@gmail.com