Readings for Saturday, March 8, 2025

Readings for Saturday, March 8, 2025

Shabbat Zachor - Two scrolls are used on this Shabbat.  The first is for the regular weekly portion.  The second is for the special reading for Shabbat Zachor.

First Scroll

Tetzaveh (Command or Instruct)

27:20-30:10 Shemot (Exodus)

Tetzaveh is the eighth sedrah in the Book of Shemot (Exodus).  The sedrah takes its name from the second Hebrew word in the first verse of the reading.  “And you shall command (Tetzaveh) the children of Israel….”  Last week in Terumah we read the instructions for building the Tabernacle and the Ark.  This week we read about those who will be responsible for using and maintaining these holy precincts - the Priests or Kohanim.  Tetzaveh divides into four basic parts.  It opens with instructions concerning the Oil for Lighting (27:20-21).  It then shifts to The Clothing for the Priests (28:1-43) followed by The Ordination of the Priests (29:1-46).  The sedrah ends with instructions concerning The Altar for Burning Incense (30:1-10).  Some scholars contend that the material contained in this sedrah was inserted centuries after the events described were supposed to have occurred.  They contend that this was an attempt by the Priestly Class officiating at the Temple in Jerusalem to provide themselves with a lineage that would justify their position.  The pageantry of the Priesthood described in this sedrah is difficult for many modern Jewish readers to comprehend.  The garments, the bells, the incense, etc. are things that many of us relate to practices in Rome or Canterbury and not to Judaism.  While many of our customs and ceremonies are derived from those of the Priests, probably a majority of American Jews would have difficulty actually seeing them implemented in our time.  Fortunately several of the Chumahism in use today provide ample notes about the literal meaning of the text as well as graphics depicting the vestments of the Kohanim.  

Although God addresses Moshe in the sedrah, Tetzaveh is the only weekly portion from Shemot through Devarim that does not mention him by name.  Two reasons are offered.  One is that this omission is a tribute to Moshe’s humility.  Tetzaveh is devoted to the Kohanim and this is Aaron’s turn to be in the spotlight.  A second explanation has to do with the death of Moshe.  According to some, Moshe died on what is now the seventh of Adar.  This date always falls within the week when Tetzaveh is read; hence the absence of his name.

Oil For Lighting (27:20-21)

The sedrah begins with what appears to be a bit of unfinished business from last week.  Last week the Israelites were told about making the Menorah.  This week they are told about the kind of oil to be used and the instruction for kindling the lights.  From this source, among others, has come many customs about kindling lights that we follow today.  These include the “Ner Tamid” or Eternal Light that we find over the Ark, the candles we burn at the start of Shabbat, the Havdalah Candle, the candles lit at the start of each Festival, the Chanukah lights and the Yahrzeit Candle.  Light and fire have traditionally been connected with the presence of God.  Unfortunately, in the 20^th century light and fire have taken on another meaning for the Jew as well.  The haunting words of Eli Weisel’s The Night show that God can also be absent in the fire and the light it provides.

The Clothing for the Priests (28:1-43)

The entire chapter is devoted to describing the vestments of the Kohanim.  They include a Breastplate, an Ephod, a Robe, a Tunic, a Turban, a Sash, Breeches and a Headplate.  The Ephod was to be made of gold, blue, purple and scarlet threads.  These are popular colors for the various coverings later used in the synagogue or shul.  A bell was attached to the Robe so that people would know when the Kohan Gadol was moving in and out of a holy place.  A reminder of this bell can be seen in the bells that are attached to the crown or crowns on each Torah scroll.  The Breastplate contained two stones - The Urim and the Tumim.  They were used as a type of oracle.  How they functioned is not quite clear.  There are few references to their use in the TaNaCh.  From a modern point of view, the breastplate used in covering the Sefer Torah is a reminder of this priestly garb.  The Headplate is another example of wearing a reminder of God and his law on our forehead.  The Rosh (the tefillin worn on the forehead) is said by some to be a reminder of this piece of priestly garb.  The Breeches are worn as a sign of modesty.  Remember the earlier commandment about not exposing oneself when leaving an altar.  From a modern perspective, these special vestments may be seen as God’s way of telling us that performing His rituals is not a casual business and that casual dress is not appropriate.  Just as the Kohanim dressed in special attire when performing their duties in the Tabernacle and the Temple, so we wear special items such as the Tallit and dress in our best clothes for such events as Shabbat and Holiday services.  Before we carry this too far we should note that just because the Kohanim performed their rituals barefooted does not mean we should stop wearing shoes when we attend services or daven on our own.

The Ordination of the Kohanim (29:1-46)

The sedrah now describes the seven days of ceremonies and sacrifices that will comprise the ordination of the Kohanim.  Moshe is responsible for performing the various anointings and sacrifices.  Those being consecrated are Aaron and his four sons - Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.  While all of them will be Kohanim, only Aaron will be Kohan Gadol.  In a later reading Nadab and Abihu will be killed by God for taking “strange fire” into the Tabernacle.  Why is God commanding all of this?  As the text states, He is commanding all of this because “I the Lord am their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt.”  The description of these ceremonies concerning the Kohanim end with the same words that started the Sinaitic Revelation, also called the giving of the Ten Commandments.  This symmetry would indicate that regardless of how we might view all of this, the author(s) of the Torah, may have seen the Commandments, the Tabernacle, the Ark and the attendant rituals as vital parts of God’s plan to make the Israelites a holy nation, a nation of priests.

The Altar For Burning Incense (30:1-10)

The sedrah ends with the instructions for building one more altar.  Some commentators wonder why the instructions for building this altar were not included earlier with the other items that were in the Tabernacle.  Like the other items last week, this altar was portable complete with rings and poles.  The burning of incense must have been of great importance.  As proof of this, consider the following.  First, this particular altar was placed just outside the curtain in front of the Holy of Holies.  Secondly, traditional Jews recite these words (30:7-8) every day in a part of the Morning Service called Ketoret or Incense Offerings.

Themes:

Commandments

98.        The commandment to kindle a lamp (menorah) in the sanctuary (27:20-21).

99.        The specification of special garments to be worn by the priests (28:4-5).

100.       The commandment that the High Priest’s breast piece should not come loose from his ephod (28:28).

101.       The requirement to include a binding in the opening for the head of the High Priest’s robe to prevent tearing (28:32).

102.       The prohibition against others’ eating the special food set aside for the priests (29:32-33).

103.       The commandment that the priests burn aromatic incense at the sanctuary (30:7).

104.       The prohibition against offering sacrifices on the sanctuary’s altar of gold (30:3 and 30:9).

From Biblical Literacy by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin

The Moral Message of the Two Altars

The sedrah of Terumah described the building of an altar of copper.  The sedrah of Tetzaveh concludes with the instructions for making the altar of gold on which incense was to be burned in the Sanctuary.  The Torah is relevant to all Jews and all times, but what is the contemporary application of this passage?  We have no Temple and no altar.  Seemingly these laws have nothing to tell us in the present.  But this is not so.  There are two kinds of Temple - one that can be destroyed and one kind that cannot be destroyed.  As we know from our history the Temple that can be destroyed refers to the brick and mortar constructed in Jerusalem.  The one that cannot be destroyed is the Temple within each Jew, where he or she still performs his or her service in an inward reflection of the service of the Sanctuary.  What follows is an explanation of how one of the laws about the altar can be translated into an important principle about the Jewish soul.

In the Mishnah, it states that the altar of gold and the altar of copper did not require ritual immersion because they could not become impure.  According to Rabbi Eliezer, this was because they were considered to be like the earth (which cannot become ritually unclean).  The other Sages held that it was because the altars were plated with metal.  The metal covering was considered subsidiary to the inner structure (which was made of shittim wood), and this could not become unclean.  Since the Torah can be interpreted on four levels, we know that the laws about these altars have more than just a literal significance.  Otherwise, they could not speak to the generations who live without the Temple and the altars.  There are amongst Jews, men of copper and men of gold.  Those who are rich in spiritual worth are like gold: their every act is like a precious coin.  The poor in spirit are the copper coins of the religious life.  But every Jew, however he behaves inwardly or outwardly, preserves intact at the heart of his being an essential desire to do G-d’s will - a spark of faith, sometimes hidden, sometimes fanned into flame.  The previous Lubavitcher Rebbe said:  “A Jew does not want, nor is he able, to be torn away from
G-dliness.”  This spark is where the altar of the Jew’s inner Temple is to be found.  On the altar, burnt offerings were brought.  They were animals, consumed by a fire from God.  And this happens within the Jew.  The sacrifice is of himself.  The animal is his “animal soul,” his egocentric desires.  And the fire which consumes him is the fire of the love of God Whose undying source is the spark of holiness at the essential core of his soul.  Whether a Jew belongs to the ”altars of gold” or is one of the “altars of copper,” as long as he reminds himself that essentially he is an altar where the fire of G-dly love consumes the “animal soul” of his self-centered passions, he cannot become impure.

Excerpted from Torah Studies (p.124-127), a compendium of talks by Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson

The Role of Aaron

Aaron plays many roles throughout the saga of the Exodus and the Wandering in the Desert.  These roles, and the reasons for them, have been an on-going source of discussion for us since we began studying together.  This week’s sedrah raises the question as to why God commanded Moshe to transfer the position of Kohein Gadol to Aaron.  Some contend that the transfer was a form of punishment because Moshe had at first refused to return to Egypt as the messenger of God.  Others contend that it was not punishment at all but rather an acknowledgement of Moshe’s role in the divine plan.  Moshe was the intermediary between God and the Children of Israel.  As such he was on too high a plan of spirituality to deal with the more mundane matters of life, which is part of the role of the Kohein.  Furthermore, Moshe was too busy teaching the laws of God to the Children of Israel to have time to fill the role of Kohein.  So for both of these “practical reasons” Moshe had to relinquish the position.  Considering the role Aaron had played in confronting Pharaoh, he was the logical choice.  After all, when the text said, Moshe spoke to Pharaoh; it was actually Aaron who was doing the speaking.  However, Moshe had to proclaim that Aaron was to be Kohein Gadol or the people would not have accepted him in that role.  That is also the reason for the seven days of instruction.  It validated the proclamation in the eyes of the people.

Eating and the Jewish People

From the earliest days of the Jewish people to modern times, food and its consumption have been a recurring theme.  From Abraham feeding the three visitors on their way to Sodom and Gomorrah to the Broadway monologues of Jackie Mason, it is eat, eat and eat some more.  Tetzaveh provides food for thought on the subject of eating.  In this week’s portion we read, “And they (Aaron and his sons) shall eat those things with which atonement was made” (29:33).  According to the Talmud, this means that while the Priests eat the offerings, atonement is granted to those who brought the offering.  The Torah verse and the subsequent Talmudic commentary have given rise to a variety of tales on the subject of fasting and the importance of eating as enjoyable pleasure in which people indulge.  Here are a couple of examples which hopefully will provoke thought and commentary the next time you eat, or do not eat, a meal.

A famous sage asked his students, “How is it possible nowadays for a man to offer a sacrifice to a pagan god?”  When none answered, he continued.  “If a man withholds himself from eating because of anger; or if a man is commonly considered to be a scholar and a tzaddik, and though he is hungry he refrains from eating in order that those around him should consider him saintly and abstemious - then such a man is offering a sacrifice to a pagan god.”  In other words, eating is a good thing to do.  If you forgo a good thing for a bad reason, than you are acting in manner that is anathema to Judaism and the Lord.

A man complained to his Rabbi.  “We are told that if a man fasts for the requisite number of days, the Prophet Elijah will reveal himself in person to the person.  I have fasted for that many days and more and yet Elijah has not appeared.”  The Rabbi replied with a story.  The Baal Shem Tov got into his horse-drawn coach and began a long journey.  The horses were used to pulling the coach from town to town.  At each town, they would stop and they would be fed in the manner in which men feed their horses.  But this was one of those magical trips where the Baal Shem would seem to fly through the air defying the laws of time and space to reach the destination.  As they appeared to pass by town after town and nobody fed them, the horses began to wonder.  At first they thought they had become magical horses.  When they continued to pass through the air without feeling tired, they began to think that maybe they were not horses at all.  Instead they were angels.  But when they arrived at their destination, the horses were taken to the stable and given bags of feed.  The horses attacked the bags of feed in the manner of real horses.  “And so it is with a person who fasts, and already imagines himself to be an angel worthy of being visited by Elijah, the prophet.  What counts is that when he has completed his fasts, and is confronted by food, he should not attack it like a horse, because then he remains the same horse that he always was.” 

During the week a man divided his time between earning a living, praying and studying the holy books.  He barely ate at all and he ate so quickly that he actually spent more time making the blessing over the bread and reciting the Grace After Meals than he did in eating.  But on Shabbat, each meal was a long, leisurely affair.  There was food and drink in abundance, but not one word of Torah was spoken.  One Shabbat, a visiting sage joined the man for the meal after the morning service.  When he saw all the others were busy eating, he saw what he thought was a golden opportunity to provide a discourse on the reading of the week.  As the sage opened his mouth to begin speaking, his host thrust a piece of challah into his mouth.  When the sage opened his mouth again to speak, his host thrust a piece of fish into his mouth.  Each time the sage opened his mouth, he found it filled with food.  Finally he gave up and ate his meal.  After Shabbat, the sage asked his host why he behaved as he did.  The man replied as follows, “We are taught that a man should fill his days with an occupation, prayer and study to avoid the evil inclination.  We are to do these things with total concentration.  But on Shabbat, we are told that we should enjoy the bounty of our table as well engage in prayer and study.  If we are to pray, study and work without distraction, should we not also enjoy the bounty of the table in the same manner?  So on Shabbat, we eat without speaking of Torah so that we will not be distracted.  For if we spoke of Torah during the meal, then surely we would stop eating and then we would not be observing the Shabbat in the prescribed manner.”

Environment Matters

This week’s reading reminds us again that there is a difference between liberation and The Exodus.  Liberation means being freed from bondage.  Exodus means leaving the place where you have been living.  So why didn’t God force the Pharaoh to free the Israelites and then let them stay in Goshen?  “And they shall know that I am the Lord and their God, who brought them out from the land of Egypt that I might abide among them” (29:46).  While God is everywhere, He knew that the Israelites were going to need a change of scenery if they were going to be able to learn to live according to his commandments.  He knew that the environment does have an impact on human behavior.  That has led to the admonitions about avoiding certain places lest you be tempted to follow the wrong path.  It also led to the tale of the sage who spurned an offer of great wealth if he would move to a new town because it was not a place where Torah was studied.

Showing Who’s Boss

In describing the attire of the Kohanim (Priests), this week’s portion says “You shall make them girdles” about which the Talmud says, “The girdle of the Kohanim atones for the sinful thoughts” (Tractate Arachim).  This interpretation has given rise to the following story.

“A man once came to Reb Dov Ber, the Maggid Mezritch with the complaint that he was unable to clear his mind of the sinful thought that bothered him constantly.  The Maggid told him to go to Zhithomer and visit with an innkeeper named Reb Ze’ev.  The man followed the Maggid’s command, but by the time he had arrived at the Reb Ze’ev’s inn, it was late at night and the building was locked.  The man knocked repeatedly but there was no answer.  As he stood outside freezing in the cold he called out, “How can you people have no pity on a fellow Jew who is stranded outside on this winter’s night?”  No word was heard from the inn.  No one came to unbolt the door.  At daybreak, the door opened as it always did.  The freezing visitor who had survived the night entered and stayed at the inn for a few days.  But Reb Z’ev did not ask him any questions, a fact that puzzled the man sent by the Maggid.  “Why,” he asked himself, “did the Maggid send me here?”  Finally, the man decided to leave for home.  Before departing he told Reb Z’ev, “The Maggid sent me to visit you - but I don’t know why.”  Reminding the visitor about the locked door that had kept him out of the inn, Reb Z’ev said, “I’ll tell you why the Maggid sent you here.  He wanted you to learn from me that a man is the master of his house, and whomever he does not want inside he simply does not admit.”  (Based on the writings of Rabbi Shlomo Yozef Zevin, of Blessed Memory.)

Rabbi Hirsh and Tetzaveh

On Saturday, February 13, 1897 Emil G. Hirsch who served as Rabbi at Temple Sinai in Chicago preached the sermon at Temple Beth-El in New York.  He based his talk on Chapter 28 of the Book of Exodus which was part of the Torah reading for that day.  Hirsch was considered a radical by some so this excerpt from his talk which appeared in the New York Times, provides a fascinating window into the mind of one of the leaders of the Reform Movement during the last decades of the 19^th century and the first decades of the 20^th century.

“What is the real function of religion in life? What is the real position we Jews should occupy with respect to our religion?

“The chapter read this morning flavors of archaeology, and has initiated us into the mysteries of priestly millinery, but we are to discover what the lessons therein mean.  Each chapter of the Bible has its significance.  The first injunction is to bring ‘pure and clean’ oil to light the lamp to the Lord.  In the Bible, oil, olive oil especially, is the great healing element.  To anoint with oil was to offer healing influences.  Religion is the conciliatory, the soothing element, and it is to soothe us and modify our pride.

“God has made humanity as He has made the world.  As there are all phases of nature, so there are all phases of society, and they are all bound together in the realization of the plan formed by the Almighty.

“In order to extract oil from the olive the fruit must be crushed, pressed, and lacerated.  As is the olive, so is Israel.  Destined to be prosecuted and placed over oil and the light, and must give to the world a religious conception of the universe.  If Israel had a religion only for itself, I would say that it is time it should disappear from the world.  But Israel has furnished the text which all preachers preach to-day.  All the ethics of to-day are flesh of our flesh, and bone of our bone.  It is Israel who is lighting the lamp, for which he has furnished the oil, not for his own good alone, but for the good of the world.  The light of Israel’s ethical religion must shine forth from the cover, from the evening until the full dawn of morning.

“Oil does not mix with water.  The Gulf Stream in the ocean, whose waters are distinct from the waters of the sea, is a phenomenon, akin to Messianic Israel.  The one influences navigation, the other the world, yet they will not mix, but remain always distinct.  Israel is still the oil.  It cannot mix with the waters.  It must stand alone.

“Jewish Theology may be the theology of the world, but Jewish ethics are not entirely the ethics of the world, and we cannot yet lay down the burden which has been placed upon our shoulders.  So long as there is darkness on the earth, Israel will be the Messiah for the world - Israel, anointed with this oil to dispel the darkness and living the light.  Then, and not until then, will Israel’s mission on earth be completed.

“That is the Israelite’s conception of religion and that is the Israelite’s duty on earth.  He is the priest, the Messiah, and shall lead upward and onward.  That is what the Prophet had in mind when he exclaimed, ‘I, Jehovah, have not ceased to be, nor you, Israel, have not ceased to be.’”

 For more about Rabbi Hirsch see

http://americanjewisharchives.org/publications/journal/PDF/1952_04_02_00_martin.pdf

Priest: From Power to Pawn

In his commentary on Tetzaveh, Lord Jonathan Sacks, the former Chief Rabbi, points out that this week the Priests move from being marginal figures into a central role of leadership based on heredity.  The ancient Israelites had several different leaders, each with a unique function - Prophets, Kings, Priests - to name the three major ones.  The Kingship effectively ended with the Babylonian Exile.  Prophecy came to an end with Malachi sometime around 450 BCE.  The position of Priests is the only one to carry on into the Common Era.  Unfortunately, the position of High Priest became a political football as different leaders competed to use what, in the days following Judah Maccabee became a way for temporal leaders to rule the Jewish state.  Sometime during the last century before the Common Era the Priesthood ceased to be the institution described in this week’s portion.  The rituals performed by the High Priests which were supposed to reinforce right behavior and bring them closer to God became, from a theological point of view, a nullity.  In other words, all of those sacrifices, all of those priestly incantations, etc. had to have been rejected by HaShem since they did not conform to the rules states in the Torah nor were they offered by those designated by Him.  The Priesthood is gone - a distant memory brought to mind only when we are calling the first Aliyah to the Torah.  But the lesson of leaders who use religion for political purposes or religious leaders who use their position for political or personal gain are as valid today as they were when the Priests betrayed the Priesthood and the temporal leaders co-opted the role of High Priest in the days of the Second Commonwealth.

Second Scroll

Special Reading for Shabbat Zachor

25:17-19 Devarim (Deuteronomy)

Shabbat Zachor or the Sabbath of the Remembrance always comes on the Shabbat before Purim.  It is the second special Shabbat that precedes Pesach.  On Shabbat Zachor we remove two scrolls from the ark.  The first scroll is for the regular weekly reading.  The second scroll is for the special reading Shabbat Zachor that comes from Devarim 25:17-19.  This reading begins with the words “Remember (Zachor) what Amalek did to you on the way, as you came out of Egypt!”  The two sentences recount the attack of the Amalekites that was made without provocation at the rear of the column of the Israelites, the weakest place, when we had just left Egypt.  Because of the nature of this unprovoked attack we are commanded to “eradicate the memory of Amalek from beneath the heavens.…”  This reading comes just before Purim, because traditionally Haman is supposed to be a descendant of Amalek.  Also, tradition tells us that we are to eradicate the memory of Haman just as we are commanded to eradicate the memory of Amalek.  Although women are exempt from most time-driven commandments, they must fulfill the command to hear the reading for Shabbat Zachor.  The command to “Remember Amalek” is of such importance that it is part of the Six Remembrances that are recited daily.

Amalekites in Modern Times

The commandments to Blot out the Amalekites have the harsh sound of a call for genocide to our modern ears.  In addition to which we are puzzled by the command to both blot out the Amalekites and yet to Remember the Amalekites.  What was the great sin of the Amalekites?  For example there is no command to blot out the Egyptians who enslaved us for four centuries so why the Amalekites?  The Amalekites attacked the Israelites when they were at their low ebb, shortly after leaving Egypt in what one commentator describes as an unnecessary sneak attack.  In other words, Amalek is the archetype of the evil doer who preys on the weak, the helpless and the unsuspecting.  When the Jew remembers Amalek, he or she is remembering this kind of evil and the Jew blots out Amalek by protecting the weak from the parasites who prey upon them.  In modern parlance, Jews are blotting out Amalek when we support laws that promote honesty in the world of commerce, that protect the rights of workers and that ensure the safety and healthfulness of food, drugs and water.

Haftarah for Shabbat Zachor

I Samuel 15:2-34 (Ashkenazim)

I Samuel 15:1-34 (Sephardim and Chabad Chassidim)

The Men:  The reading centers on Samuel, the last of the pre-monarchical leaders and Saul, the first King of Israel.  Their relationship was a stormy one at best.  Samuel did not want a king and Saul was not the stuff of which great monarchs are made.

The Message:  The reading relates Saul’s fight with the Amalekites and their King, Agag.  God told Saul that He was punishing the Amalekites for what they had done to the Israelites when they left Egypt.  He told Saul to attack them and wipe them out - men, women, children and all of their livestock.  Saul disobeyed and kept the best of the livestock and took Agag prisoner.  When Samuel confronted him, Saul tried to deny that he had disobeyed God and then he tried to rationalize his behavior.  Samuel would have none of it.  He told Saul that God “regrets” His decision to make him king.  Saul pled, but it was too late.  God and Samuel turned their respective backs on him.

Theme-Link:  Usually the prophetic portion is connected to the weekly Torah portion.  On some occasions, the prophetic portion is linked to the special nature of the Shabbat or an event on the calendar.  This is one of those occasions.  The special Torah reading is about the Amalekites.  The haftarah is also about the Amalekites.  One describes the evil that they did.  The other describes an attempt to finally punish them for this evil.  For many people this is the most puzzling prophetic reading of the year.

This is not the last time Saul will be connected with the Amalekites.  Saul fought his last battle against the Philistines at Mount Gilboa.  When he saw that all was lost, Saul fell upon his sword rather than be taken captive.  Three days after the battle a man came to David’s camp and told him that Saul was dead.  When David asked how Saul had died, the man said he had killed Saul.  He gave David Saul’s crown and bracelet as proof of his deed.  The man identified himself as being "the son of an Amalekite.”  Why did this Amalekite lie about what had happened?  According to some, he thought David would reward him for killing Saul - the monarch who had tried to kill David.  Instead of rewarding him, David had the Amalekite killed for having killed “the Lord’s anointed.”  Some say this episode is further proof of the venality of the Amalekites.  There are those who contend that this troubling haftarah exists to remind us that Evil does exist.  This means that Right and Wrong exist; a concept that makes modern man who lives in an era of situational ethics uncomfortable to say the least.  And this leads back to Saul and David.  When Samuel confronted Saul for failing to follow God’s command, Saul equivocated and tried to rationalize his behavior.  When Nathan confronted David in the matter of Uriah and Bathsheba, the monarch admitted his sin and repented for his deeds.  For some, this explains why the House of Saul fell and the House of David did not.