This is the statute of the Torah that the Lord has commanded, saying: Speak to the children of Yisrael, and they shall take to you a red heifer, perfect, in which there is no blemish, and upon which a yoke has not been laid.
Torah Temimah: Sifrei Zuta — “Parah” – a cow and not a calf; therefore one may not take a calf and raise it [into a cow for this purpose].
English: “Parah” – a cow and not a calf; therefore one does not take a calf and raise it.
Exclusion from the specific noun “parah.”
The animal must already be a mature cow when designated; one may not acquire a calf with the intention of raising it for the para aduma rite.