Midrash · Aggadah
Midrash Tanchuma, Chukat 5/מדרש תנחומא·
ארַבִּי חַנִּין בֶּן פָּזִי פָּתַח קְרָא בְּפָרָשַׁת פָּרָה, שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהּ מִשִּׁבְעָה שִׁבְעָה. שֶׁבַע פָּרוֹת, שִׁבְעָה שְׂרֵפוֹת, שִׁבְעָה הַזָּאוֹת, שִׁבְעָה כִּבּוּסִין, שִׁבְעָה טְמֵאִין, שִׁבְעָה טְהוֹרִין, שִׁבְעָה כֹּהֲנִים. אִם יֹאמַר לְךָ אָדָם, חֲסֵרִים הֵן. אֱמֹר לוֹ: מֹשֶׁה בִּכְלָל הָיָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה וְאֶל אַהֲרֹן זֹאת חֻקַּת הַתּוֹרָה.
1R. Hanan bar Pazzi opened [his discourse] with the verse in [the context of] the parashah of the [red] heifer, which contains seven [references to] seven things:57 4:2; PR 14:6. seven [references to] heifers,58 14:6, n. 21, following n. 31 in the Friedmann edition, notes that the Targum Pseudo-Jonathan does contain seven mentions of the heifer, with the extra references in vss. 7 & 9. Braude and Kapstein in their translation of PRK 4:2, n. 31, allude to the tradition of only seven red heifers having been so offered since the days of Moses. See Parah 3:5. seven [items for] burning,59 seven sprinklings,60 3:1, 9. seven [instances of] laundering [clothes],61 seven [ways of becoming] unclean,62 seven [people or things who become] clean,63 and seven priests. If someone should say to you, ‘[The number of priests] is lacking,’ say to him, ‘Moses was [included] in the total, where it is stated (in Numb. 19:1-2), “Then the Lord spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, ‘This is the statute of the Torah.’”’”